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BOILER ROOM is a hip-hop mix of WALL STREET and GLENGARY GLEN ROSS, both of which are referenced outright by the film. (A cute scene has the twenty-something traders watching and excitedly reciting dialogue from the former.) The plot involves a "chop shop," an il- legal type of investment firm, and one of the many money-hungry young men recruited to work there. Giovanni Ribisi (SAVING PRIVATE RYAN) plays the aforementioned trainee and his story is sure inter- esting, what with the backroom casino he's running in lieu of at- tending college and the respect he's unable to obtain from his no- nonsense, judicial bench-sitting father (Ron Rifkin). Alas, Ribi- si's also a liability, as his restrained, mush-mouthed acting style doesn't lend the move much in the way of propulsion. He doesn't help the movie *move*. And, in fact, in a couple of tear-jerking scenes, his performance is almost *painful* to watch. Yikes! With Ben Affleck, Jamie Kennedy, Scott Caan, Nicky Katt, Nia Long, Taylor Nichols, Tom Everett Scott, and another PRIVATE RYAN alumni Vin Diesel. First-time filmmaker Ben Younger writes and directs. (Rated "R"/117 min.) Grade: B- Copyright 2000 Michael J. Legeros Movie Hell is a trademark of Michael J. Legeros