Let It Ride (film)

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Let It Ride

Directed by	Joe Pytka
Produced by	Richard Stenta
Written by	Jay Cronley, Nancy Dowd,
Starring	Richard Dreyfuss, David Johansen, Teri Garr Jennifer Tilly
Music by	Giorgio Moroder
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	18 August 1989
Running time	87 min.
Language	English
Budget	$5,000,000
IMDb profile

Let It Ride is a comedy that was made in 1989. It stars Richard Dreyfuss as Jay Trotter, a gambling addict who keeps winning bets on the same day. The film is based on the novel Good Vibes by Jay Cronley. Let It Ride was mostly filmed at Hialeah Racetrack, which was closed in 2001.

Tagline: He drinks. He smokes. He gambles. He curses. He thinks about committing adultery. You'll love him.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Jay Trotter (Dreyfuss) is a cab driver. His friend Looney (Johansen) is also a cab driver, who has a secret microphone he uses to record his passenger's conversations. On one such conversation, Looney hears two men talking about a horse race and how one of the horses is sure to win. Looney plays the tape for Trotter, but is more interested in a sexual encounter that he subsequently recorded. Trotter, however, realizes the potential value of knowledge of a fixed horse race and goes to the track to make a bet - despite the fact that the day before, he told his wife Pam (Garr) that he would quit betting. Watching one of the men from the cab talk to the jockey of the horse that is "supposed" to win, he sees the man tell the jockey to 'go fast and win'. Jay then promptly places a $50 bet on the horse, the horse wins in a photo finish and pays $28.40 to win.

Armed with a newfound sense of confidence, Jay approaches the two men from the cab, gives them the tape of their conversation, and in return gets a tip for the next race. He places a bet on that horse, and he wins again. Sensing that this could be his "lucky day," Jay goes about picking winner after winner, letting it ride (letting his winnings finance his next bet). As he accumulates more money, he starts coming into contact with other people, including a woman named Vicki (Tilly) who is attracted to him because of his money and confidence.

The cast of Let It Ride on the DVD back cover

However, Jay missed meeting his wife Pam at home since he was still at the track. Pam flies into a rage when she confronts Jay, and soon Jay comes to realize that his love of his wife is more important that constantly betting. However, he still has one more race he can put his money down on, and he needs to decide if he should stop or go for one last hurrah to possibly pay off all their bills for good.