Even though he's promised his wife he won't bet anymore, cab driver and racetrack-junkie Richard Dreyfuss acts on inside information and wins on an underdog horse--and his lucky streak is just beginning. Overtly nutty and eccentric comedy takes a while to adjust to; one assumes this is going to be a lessons-learned, bittersweet fable about addicts, but in fact it's just the opposite. Dreyfuss doesn't bet on instinct, he feels a sixth sense guiding him (and, as he tells buddy David Johansen, "It's not gambling, it's a business opportunity"). Terrific actors pop in and out of the scene as Dreyfuss joins the high-stakes betters in the Jockey Club and works to convince spouse-on-the-rocks Teri Garr that he's a winner this time. "Let it Ride" is a doodle, a character comedy done in broad strokes. It isn't a big night at the movies, and yet it introduces a lot of colorful people to us and gives Dreyfuss a chance to do his self-confident strut, which is a pleasure to see. ** from ****
Review of Let It Ride
