Plot
A scheming couple put a struggling family man and his old friend through a series of increasingly twisted dares over the course of an evening at a local bar.
Release Year: 2013
Rating: 7.1/10 (1,581 voted)
Director:E.L. Katz
Storyline
Cheap Thrills follows Craig (Pat Healy, Compliance), a struggling family man who loses his low-wage job and is threatened with eviction. In an effort to delay facing the music at home, he heads to a local bar and encounters an old friend (Ethan Embry, Empire Records). The two friends are roped into a round of drinks by a charismatic and obscenely wealthy stranger (David Koechner, Anchorman 2) along with his mysterious wife (Sara Paxton, The Inkeepers). The couple engages the two friends in a series of innocent dares in exchange for money over the course of the evening, with each challenge upping the ante in both reward and boundaries. It seems like easy and much needed money, but the couple's twisted sense of humor pushes just how far Craig and his friend are willing to go for money and cheap thrills. (c) Drafthouse
Saw this at SXSW and I must admit it was very well done. This won the
Audience Award for the Midnighters at the festival and it is
wholeheartedly deserved. The film is a hybrid genre film with a
constantly shifting tone of hilarity, drama, thrills, and extremely
dark themes.
The story follows everyman Craig (Pat Healy, who should finally get
some deserved recognition for his extremely demanding role in this) who
is down on his luck after having a really bad day. He hits the local
bar on the way home from work and sees an old high school buddy (Ethan
Embry, in an against-type role that completely works) and the two meet
up with a strange couple that wants to have a drink with them (David
Koechner and Sara Paxton, who are both deliciously hilarious and
mysterious). The four then have what can only be described as a truly
horrific night and that is all I really want to say about it because
the less you know the better. The concept of the film is laid out
easily and quickly, which is developed fully throughout the film as the
stakes are raised higher and higher with every passing minute.
I must say that I was very happy to see the movie take so many risks.
The content of the film is definitely not for the faint at heart, but
if you like envelope-pushing pieces than this is the film for you. Im
sure this will divide audiences, but the theater I was in had a great
energy and made the film really fun to watch. The director EL Katz
introduced the film and told the audience that "it is okay to laugh."
After seeing the film, I understand why he said that. There are so many
uncomfortable, cringe-inducing moments in the film that the only thing
to do is either to curl up in the fetal position or laugh your head
off. I had no clue where it was going and the final image in the film
will go down as a classic final shot. It is perfection.
People will be definitely talking about this one. It is highly
entertaining, the performances are excellent, the writing is tight, and
the content of the film is entirely original and unpredictable. I
actually saw it twice during SXSW and it was even better a second time.
Tons of twists and turns, so please DO NOT spoil it for yourself. Go
into it with little knowledge and enjoy the twisted mayhem.
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