
See more

Is lay the favorite based on a true story?
The movie is a true story based on Beth Raymer's memoir who in real life goes to college and becomes a writer.
What is the movie Lay the Favorite about?
Chance brings Beth to work for Dink, whose Las Vegas gambling business seeks to make money on the margins between betting odds. She has the misfortune of being mistrusted by Dink's shrewish wife and then of having the temptation to try her luck with roguish `Rosie' operating illegally in New York.Lay the Favorite / Film synopsis
Is Favorite historically accurate?
It's not accurate historically and is symbolic of the film's tendency to paint outside the lines when it comes to the truth. "Some of the things in the film are accurate and a lot aren't," director Yorgos Lanthimos told The Hollywood Reporter. The costumes seen in The Favourite are not historically accurate.
What is the favorite based on?
The ruthless power struggle in Queen Anne's court between her ladies-in-waiting Sarah Churchill and Abigail Masham had some sexual overtones.
Storyline
Beth, who lap dances to make ends meet, leaves Florida for Las Vegas hoping to be a cocktail waitress. She meets two women who introduce her to Dink, a gambler with a system. He hires her - she's good with numbers - and she promptly falls for him, even though he's married to a woman who seems to do nothing but spend his money.
Did you know
Justin Timberlake was considered for Rosie, but Vince Vaughn was cast.
Contribute to this page
By what name was Lay the Favorite (2012) officially released in Canada in English?
Who is the actress in the movie "Lay the Favorite"?
Lay the Favorite (promoted as Lay the Favourite in the UK) is a 2012 American comedy-drama film starring Bruce Willis , Rebecca Hall, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Joshua Jackson.
Where does Beth go to be with Jeremy?
Having enough, Beth goes to New York to be with Jeremy but accepts a similar job for a rival bookie called Rosie. Gambling is illegal in New York and Dink worries about Beth. Rosie then sets up a legal operation based in Curaçao and Beth goes down to help run the betting.
Who plays Beth in Lay the Favorite?
In "Lay the Favorite," Beth (Rebecca Hall ) figures it is time to get out of the private dancing business when the customers start to get creepy. So, seeking a change of scenery, she moves to Las Vegas to become a cocktail waitress. Except it is not that easy.
Who directed Lay the Favorite?
A clumsy misstep for director Stephen Frears, Lay the Favorite puts all its chips on endearing quirk only to go bust. Read critic reviews
Where does Beth Raymer live?
Beth Raymer (Hall) decides to leave behind her life as a stripper in Florida and moves to Las Vegas to become a cocktail waitress in a glitzy casino - her dream job. But, it is easier said than done and she starts working instead for Dink (Willis), a kind and idiosyncratic sports gambler.
Is Lay the Favorite a good movie?
Despite the combination of bankable actors, a talented screenwriter and a fine director, Lay the Favourite is woefully disappointing.
What You Need To Know
LAY THE FAVORITE follows the story of a misguided young woman named Beth. Working as a stripper in Florida, she decides to be a cocktail waitress in Las Vegas. With her dog in tow, she moves to Vegas with no idea where to find work. Beth proves to have an amazing innate skill for figuring out number and letter combinations at breakneck speed.
More Detail
LAY THE FAVORITE is a breezy, caper-style comedy set in the world of legal and illegal sports gambling. Based on a true story, it’s about a young woman who gains self-confidence as a numbers runner working under a gambling boss in Las Vegas. There’s strong negative content overall, so extreme caution is advised.
What is the story behind Lay the Favorite?
Lay the Favorite is the story of Beth Raymer’s years in the high-stakes, high-anxiety world of sports betting—a period that saw the fall of the local bookie and the rise of the freewheeling, unregulated offshore sports book, and with it the elevation of sports betting in popular culture.
Is Beth's first boss interesting?
Beth's first boss in the gambling industry was more interesting than her second one. So while I enjoyed the first part, the second one seems to lack action.
Who plays Beth in the movie "Lay the Favorite"?
Stephen Frears directed the movie, also called Lay the Favorite, which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. Rebecca Hall plays Beth, starring alongside Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Vince Vaughn .
Where did Beth Raymer grow up?
After being fired from a social work job Raymer moved to Las Vegas at the age of 24 and eventually found work in the world of high-stakes gambling and bookmaking.
When was Lay the Favorite by Raymer published?
Raymer's Lay the Favorite, published in 2010, has been described as a "Dickensian picaresque that paints an entertaining view of sports gambling and her own unconventional character," and "a tragicomic biography."

Overview
Lay the Favorite (promoted as Lay the Favourite in the UK) is a 2012 American comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Frears and written by D.V. DeVincentis, and stars Bruce Willis, Rebecca Hall, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Joshua Jackson. Based on Beth Raymer's 2010 memoir of the same name, the film follows a young, free-spirited woman as she journeys through the legal and illegal world …
Plot
Beth is becoming bored with her life in Florida, doing stripteases and lap dances for private customers. Her dad, Jerry, tells her to follow her dream of moving to Las Vegas, where she seeks honest work as a cocktail waitress.
A young woman named Holly, who lives at the same Vegas motel, arranges for Beth to meet Dink Heimowitz, a professional gambler who follows the fast-changing odds on sporting events and e…
Cast
• Bruce Willis as Dink Heimowitz
• Rebecca Hall as Beth Raymer
• Catherine Zeta-Jones as Tulip Heimowitz
• Joshua Jackson as Jeremy
Production
Random House Films took the gambling memoir to Likely Story and Emmett/Furla Films to adapt the film. Filming began in April 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Shooting also took place in New Orleans, and New York City. The Weinstein Company purchased distribution rights at Sundance Film Festival for a fall 2012 release. Wild Bunch was the film's international sales company.
Reception
Lay the Favorite received negative reviews from critics. It holds an 18% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 51 reviews, with an average score of 3.8/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "A clumsy misstep for director Stephen Frears, Lay the Favorite puts all its chips on endearing quirk only to go bust." On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 38 out of 100, based on 17 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".
Lawsuit
While the film was received poorly at the box office, it was picked up for streaming by Netflix and Amazon Video. As a result of this, mapmaker Victor Baker sued Warner Bros. as the film, which is set in the country of Curaçao, used one of Baker's antique-style watercolor maps of the country as part of the set decorations. His lawsuit demanded either statutory damages or fair market value of the licensing fee for use of the map.
External links
• Lay the Favorite at IMDb
• Lay the Favorite at Rotten Tomatoes
• Lay the Favorite at Box Office Mojo