California Split

I’ve never been very interested in gambling. The idea of betting my money and maybe losing was always more painful to me than the imagined pleasure of maybe winning.

But movies about gamblers and their compulsion to bet entice me like an ant to sugar, and one of my favorites is 1974’s California Split. Masterfully directed by Robert Altman, the film stars Elliott Gould as Charlie, an easy-going, die-hard gambler who only stops placing bets when he’s asleep….and George Segal is Bill, a likeable gambler who struggles to win the games he plays while also playing hide-and-seek with the responsibilities of his full-time job. The two men meet in a Southern California gambling club. Before long, they find kinship in their addiction to betting and start hanging out together, gambling wherever the action takes them.

Perpetually down on their luck, Charlie and Bill cling to the hope that their next poker game or horse race will reward them with the cash they always so desperately need. The stakes are especially high for Bill as he’s in debt to a loan shark who wants his money—and wants it now. In the movie’s final act, Bill and Charlie decide to pool their meagre resources and go all-in on a trip to a Reno casino in their quest for an epic payday.

Gould and Segal have such a natural chemistry, you wish they had made more movies together.

The wonder of California Split is that while the torn and frayed lives that Charlie and Bill lead may not be appealing, their hard luck struggles are still warm and wonderfully engaging. Gould and Segal have such a natural chemistry…you wish they had made more movies together. They pursue the dream of a big win with such never-say-die comedic charm that you can’t help but enjoy hanging out with them. Such as when, after a long night of poker, they share Froot Loops and beer for breakfast, or when drinking at a bar they bet each other about whether or not Dumbo was one of The Seven Dwarves. 

From the terrific cast that also includes Ann Prentiss, Gwen Wells and Bert Remsen…to director Altman and his inventive use of overlapping dialogue, the movie conjures a world in which every moment, every character, feels authentic and emotionally vivid.

Where many of today’s movies are dominated by films designed to create rollercoaster-like, escapist thrill rides with predictable story beats and outcomes, California Split gleams with rich, truthful detail and compelling immediacy. It’s as fresh and original today as it was when it was made over 50 years ago.

No wonder a contemporary director like Paul Thomas Anderson hails Altman as a genius and admits that he has to compulsively work hard to not be influenced by Altman whenever making his own movies.

California Split is a winning four out of four-star Altman-classic.