California Split
California Split
When casual gambler Bill Denny befriends professional gambler Charlie Walters, Bill begins to mirror Charlie's life, sinking deeper and deeper into the sleazy world of gambling, where the stakes keep getting bigger.
Desmond Dale reviewedJanuary 24, 2025
One of the most impressive things about the film is how Altman manages to make a movie about gambling that never feels like a pedantic moral story but also avoids feeling like a glorification of the lifestyle. From the relationships to the casinos and apartments, everything feels so lived-in so to speak.
California Split feels like a slice of life film centered around two very interesting friends who happen to also be degenerate gamblers. The gambling is just one of their many vices and one of the many idiosyncracies which make up their characters. They're hopeless romantics looking to live their lives with the same sort of intent in which they approach the roulette table. They capture the irreverent unrepentant giddiness of youth while in constant battle with the harsh realities of life and pull from the the cold, monotonous arm of adulthood.
Thus, Altman's film feels like an extension of that motif. It has the languid cool of a road movie, the groundedness of a slice of life and the emotional turmoil of a true drama.