There's an air of inevitability that descends upon “Cheap Thrills” right around the film's 15 minute mark. The four major characters are all in on the action, the tone has become more and more malicious, and the realization that things will not end well for leads Pat Healy and Ethan Embry has struck down with the force of an iron shillelagh.
Yet the “Cheap Thrills'” ominously obvious aura does little to detract from the viewing experience; what truly matters in this tight 90-minute feature is the journey toward a bloody and merciless conclusion with a remarkable final shot.
Before all the carnage can strike, “Cheap Thrills” starts off with Healy's Craig – a devoted father and husband (Amanda Fuller plays his wife) – pulling an eviction notice off his door in the morning and losing his low-paying job at an auto shop that afternoon. The night doesn’t exactly kick off in a promising fashion either, as his attempt to have a beer or two to drown out the misery is stunted by a chance and awkward encounter with his old high-school friend Vince, played by a bulked up Embry.
A brief bit of reminiscing between the two is interrupted by the introduction of Violet and Colin (Sara Paxton and David Koechner), who are celebrating the former's birthday with a night on the town. The encounter starts off friendly enough for the quartet – a few drinks, some effective drugs and a little sexual titillation – although things start to become squiffy once Koechner offers Healy and Embry cash to complete a few impish shenanigans.
The challenges start innocently enough – fifty bucks goes to the first guy to down a shot, a few dollars more is granted for the man who can get a girl to slap him in the face – but the innocence falls away as the night progresses and the dollar amount increases. As the money begins to creep toward a $250,000 grand prize, the insanity, the tension and the violence that comes from playing a wicked game with barely a wisp of regulation increases as well.
As Koechner spins it, the dares he offers to Healy and Embry are similar in spirit to those television shows where people do crazy and gross things for cash (see “Fear Factor”). The difference between that and “Cheap Thrills,” and the reason why the latter is far more interesting than a show like “Fear Factor” could ever dream to be, is that subtle increase in grotesque extremism. It's easy to mock people for lying in a box of snakes for $50,000, but building up to grand challenges with minor bets reveals how easily one can fall into those trappings.
One thing the filmmakers do very well throughout the course of the film is provide a glimmer of logic behind Healy and Embry's decisions. If you can get $100 for a slap in the face, why not aim higher and receive $500 for punching a bouncer in the face? All of those dollars accumulate bit by bit and until it covers that rent check to keep your family at home for at least a month.
At least, that's how it starts, but the filmmakers cleverly abandon any sense of nobility behind whoring your pride for money to reveal the real reasons these two men, who are free to leave whenever they like, keep punishing themselves – there's greed, of course, and whatever semblance of pride left after some particularly wicked tricks tossed in for good measure.
But the most honest reason, and the one that explains why Koechner and Paxton would pick these two schmucks for their sadistic version of “Trading Places,” is the feelings of resentment they feel toward the other. As “Cheap Thrills” spirals down a rabbit hole lined by avarice and pain, it becomes clear why the friendship Healy and Embry's shared fell asunder, and it outlines how little long-time bonds matter when pitted against their own machismo.
Kind of scary stuff to think about, but “Cheap Thrills” balances out the philosophical darkness with some wicked black comedy that escalates alongside the dares; one of the funniest moments of the film coming seconds after the most stomach wrenching.
Even with a hint of humor, “Cheap Thrills” is not a film meant for the weak of heart and stomach, but anyone with a bit of vinegar in his or her blood will appreciate the quick jaunt through the swamp of morality.
Rating: Four out of Five Stars
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Target audience: Fans of thrillers and dark comedies, as well as any “Can't Hardly Wait” devotees wondering what happened to Ethan Embry.
Target audience: Fans of thrillers and dark comedies, as well as any “Can't Hardly Wait” devotees wondering what happened to Ethan Embry.
Take the whole family?: I'm going to go with no on this one.
Theater or Netflix?: Considering the dearth of theaters showing it in the Valley, you might as well wait for the Netflix or Red Box release.
What of the performances?: Pretty solid across the board, although the true highlight is David Koechner, who uses his bulk and bombastic persona push Embry and Pat Healy well beyond their natural breaking point. Some may like their version of Old Scratch to be suave, smooth and subtle, but a loud and effervescent devil can be just as effective.
Watch this as well?: People with the stomach for these kinds of films should check out “Funny Games” – either the American or German version will suffice – or take a trip back in the archives to watch “Marathon Man.” It's never safe.
Rating: NR
Run time: 88 minutes
Genre: Comedy/Thriller
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