Cheap Thrills

source: Cheap Thrills

I had no idea what to expect with this film. It's a decent story with two men who are both pretty much going bankrupt meeting each other while drinking at the bar and then they end up making some money they desperately need when a rich guy starts offering them cash in exchange for performing different challenges for his and his wife's amusement. The money keeps going up to get them to do more and more things that get bigger and ever crazier. The best part of the movie is David Koechner's performance, he is really hilarious. Worth seeing but don't bother buying it or paying to see it at the theatre, it's just Okay.

I saw CHEAP THRILLS last night! In case you've never heard of it, Cheap Thrills is a black comedy thriller directed by horror journalist turned director E.L. Katz. The film stars Pat Healy and Ethan Embry as two old friends who, while commiserating over their extreme financial woes, meet a rich, thrill seeking couple, played by David Koechner and Sara Paxton, that derive enjoyment from making wacky bets involving risky dares and large amounts of money. The night starts off light and fun but as the evening wares on and the stakes become higher, both the ties of friendship and the limits to which each will go to make quick cash and tested to the breaking point. I was thoroughly impressed with this movie. It's exceptionally well acted with Healy, Embry and Koechner playing their respective roles famously. For having a budget of less than $20k it is truly amazing to see how well this movie is made. Hats off especially to the art direction and cinematography in this movie which is all aces as it uses color and lighting very uniquely to give Cheap Thrills a dark and sickly cool look. Ultimately I really enjoyed this film and despite maybe not having the best ending in my opinion, it's still damn good movie which should be seen. Cheap Thrills gets a 4...out of 5.

The film was funny and cheerful to begin with, with harmless jokey dares for a few hundred dollars off a rich person. Then I realize the dares go way beyond a joke with upping the toll of money and doing regrettable things. I overall think that this movie immediately makes me think about peer pressure in what people would actually do in real life situations that greed for money thus the movie tricks the viewer from a harmless laugh into serious situations without thinking whats gonna happen next. It's very rare you see a movie like this with such a twisted scene. I think the film is good but again I think that it is a little over the top and messed up.

While there have been similar movies with that theme, I did like this one very much. It did go down very well with the Frightfest audience as well. It is a little independent movie with a nice idea and some really good actors in it. While at first I felt sad to see Sara Paxton play this character, I have to admit, she's doing a great job once again, playing off nicely with the other actors. It's not many people that are involved and it's almost like a play (or it could be). But it works and you never think too much about it, because the setting and the people involved in it are far too interesting for you to catch onto that "trick". It may be a bit predictable, but that doesn't make it less "fun" (my definition of the word might be put under scrutiny, but we're talking about a movie here). Relax, sit back and enjoy ...

Saw this movie at the Chicago International Film Festival with a buddy and I've been thinking about it ever since. I mean that in a good way. Before I continue, I would like to make clear that this movie isn't so much a horror film as it is a very dark comedy and the less you know going into this film, the better. It contains some good surprises and twists not to be spoiled. At the screening, the main actor was present and told the audience that it was OK to laugh. That little piece of advice was invaluable. It is worth noting that this movie won the Audience choice award at the SXSW film fest and I can confirm that it was well received in Chicago (based on audience laughter and applause). The premise is simple, but the execution, writing, and acting are complex and flawlessly executed; the combination of these elements were absolutely key to making this an enjoyable watch. The film walked a very fine line and flirted more than once with turning into a twisted, gross mess, but it made the choice to stay true to the original premise and to the characters and in doing so it kept the attention of the audience. David Koechner's character was especially pivotal in performing this role. He delivers a fantastic performance and is perfectly cast in this. The three other primary actors also do an excellent job in their performances; they all were extremely challenging roles with lots of subtlety and depth. If you are into dark - very dark - comedies that push the limits of what is decent and right, you will find a well done and enjoyable flick here. But be forewarned, there are a number of grimace worthy moments in this one so it's better watching with an equally twisted friend.

I failed to understand who watch these carp movies like cheap thrill, rather why Americans at time make such movies, it can better be watched if you are drunk and your state of mind is questionable? It was such a waste of time, with such bad acting and bad story that I really felt I should not have watched this move. No story, no music no morale to get from it, just a bunch of friends playing truth or dare and doing funny rather awkward things and thinking they are making a movie. I was really disappointed to see this low standard low budget movie as it has nothing to share and it forced me to write these lines for this movie. I will not recommend this movie as it will waste your time and money side by side and after watching it you won't feel amused rather you feel what a crap that was? I will give this movie 1 out of 10 because it has nothing to watch at all. Showing some strippers in a bar might attract some viewers and that scene is too short and apart from that it has nothing at all!

OK; who the hell came up with this script? A 5 year old... no seconds thoughts I take that back as that is an insult to children in general. Let's crack on with the review... I must admit I thought that the film started out quite strongly; we're introduced to Craig Daniels (Pat Healy) who is a nice and caring family man, he's in employment and seems like a decent guy. He then falls on hard times and ends up losing his job and decides to drown his sorrows. He then bumps into Vince (Ethan Embry) and the pair quickly strike up a conversation with husband and wife Colin and Violet (David Koechner and Sara Paxton). This wealthy couple seem like the ideal solution to Craig's financial situation, but how far will Craig and Vince go for money? The problem with this film is believability; Craig & Vince decide to go along with this ridiculous proposition betting scheme with the wealthy couple, but he'd only lost his job that day. For me, it just isn't believable that he would resort to such drastic measures without speaking to his wife first. Surely a normal person would have discussed their financial problems with their spouse first and then look at more drastic alternatives if they can't find a straight forward solution to their problems. We also never learn how Colin has amassed his vast fortune. I suppose it doesn't really matter in the context of the film, but it would have been nice to get a bit of insight on his behaviour/motivations. This isn't just a failure with his character, but with all the characters. We don't learn much about the characters which means that we won't care about them. Where this film really falls down is when it comes to these proposition bets; they started off as being reasonably believable (downing shots, getting slapped), but then they got more and more ridiculous and less and less believable the further on things progressed (cutting fingers off, pooing in someone's house because the dog pooed on their lawn - I honestly couldn't believe how ridiculous it all was). The turning point for me was when Craig sleeps with Violet (which Violet's husband gives him $4,500 for doing). This happens to be the exact amount that Craig needs to pay off his debts. Ironically, he's told that he needs to sleep with Violet in order to prove how much he loves his wife and therefore get the $4,500 that he needs. After this point, the film becomes more gratuitous and more disgusting (I can take most things, but seeing Craig and Vince eating a cooked dog was just revolting). I can take pretty much anything that any film throws at me, but for me this film didn't seem to have any point to it; was it supposed to act as a dark social commentary on the evils of greed? Who knows? The film seemed to revel so much in pointless gore that I ended up past the point of caring. I hated this film, I thought the plot (if you can even call it that) was probably the most stupid that I've come across in recent years. I thought that the film was pointlessly violent. I didn't like any of the characters and I also hated the way that the film ended. That final scene will stay with me for a long time (and I don't mean that in a good way).

Out of the four characters in Cheap Thrills I only recognised one of them, David Koechner (Champ from Anchorman). I went into watching this knowing very little about the film; I had a vague understanding of the storyline but that was about it. Cheap Thrills is classed as a dark comedy, I would disagree with this, there are a few chuckles along the way but in my opinion it is far from a comedy. It's a dark, disturbing and very tense film which makes the viewer feel quite uncomfortable at times. Craig and Vince are old friends who have lost contact and bump into each other in a bar. Craig has been sacked that day and Vince is also struggling for cash. They get invited over by Colin; A millionaire who is out celebrating his Wife's birthday. He flashes the cash straight away, buying a $300 bottle of Tequila and handing out Cocaine like its candy. He starts by offering Craig and Vince money for fun things such as 'first one to down their shot' or 'talk to the girl at the bar'. They then leave the bar and go back to his place and his dares start to get much more dark and disturbing. David Koechner plays his character really well. At the start of the movie I couldn't help see him as Champ from Anchorman, but as the movie progresses he really comes into his role and before long you forget he ever played Champ! His character comes across as very friendly and likable but there is always a nervy feeling, like he could do anything at any moment, he is very intense & Koechner is extremely convincing in playing him. The divide between filthy rich and poor is huge and this movie makes it its aim to show you this. The millionaire takes advantage of his two 'guests' and plays to their desperation for his own twisted pleasure. A man, who has it all, still wants more and is willing to throw hundreds of thousands of dollars to play with two people desperate for cash. The view from Craig and Vince is also a simple one, how far would you and how low would you go if big bucks were being offered to you. This movie certainly isn't ideal family viewing; there is sex, drugs, violence and some disturbing scenes. I did find it somewhat entertaining, I probably wouldn't view it again but I don't regret watching it. With a short run time of just under 90 minutes it did a good job of gripping me and giving me the experience that was intended by the creators. 7/10