Wine, Women and Horses: A Gambler's Tug-of-War

If you're looking for a slow-burn character study, look elsewhere. Wine, Women and Horses moves at the pace of a nervous thoroughbred before the gate swings open.

Is it worth watching? Sure, if you have a soft spot for pre-code era sensibilities and characters who make terrible decisions with a smile on their face. If you need your protagonists to be role models or your endings to tie up neatly, you'll probably want to skip this one.

The story is simple: Jim Turner wants to settle down with the girl, but he’s addicted to the rush of winning. It’s the classic tug-of-war, but with more horse racing and less introspection. The transition from him being a responsible night clerk back to a gambler happens so fast it almost gives you whiplash. One minute he's counting pennies to pay a stranger's hotel bill, and the next he's back at the track with a giant stack of cash.

There's this moment where he gives money to an actor, and it feels like the movie is trying to show us he has a heart of gold. Then, five minutes later, he’s back at the races. It’s not hypocritical; it’s just human. Some people are just wired for the thrill.

Ann Sheridan shows up and does a lot with her limited screen time. She brings a certain grit to the proceedings that feels a bit more modern than everyone else. She’s the anchor in a movie that feels like it’s drifting at sea half the time.

The gambling sequences are surprisingly fun to watch, mostly because of how much weight they put on the horse-pitching scene early on. Who knew throwing horseshoes could feel so high-stakes? It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Hot Heels, where the stakes feel sky-high even when they’re basically just playing for peanuts.

The dialogue is snappy, though it leans heavily into that 1930s tough-guy vernacular. You know the kind: everyone calls each other 'pal' or 'sister' with such frequency that it loses all meaning. It’s charming, honestly.

What I liked most was the ending. It doesn’t try to force a 'happy' resolution where everyone learns a lesson and lives in a cottage. They just realize they aren't right for each other. It’s weirdly mature for a film that feels like it was put together on a shoestring budget.

Observations:

• Eight Ball, the bootblack, is a character I wish we got more of. He has better instincts than the hero.
• The boarding house scenes feel claustrophobic in a way that probably wasn't intentional but works for the plot.
• I spent half the time wondering if Preston Barrow even knows what's going on. Poor guy.
• The film has that distinct breezy feel, like it’s trying to finish before the theater lights come back on.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s a B-movie through and through, but it doesn't try to be anything else. Sometimes, that's enough. 🏇