We’ve all had those moments late in the evening at a bar where the conversation jokingly turns to how much someone would have to pay you to do something disgusting. Would you eat the contents of that ashtray for $100? How about drinking a whole bottle of hot sauce? $200? How much money would you need to go over to that big, burly guy at the bar and punch him in the face?
Cheap Thrills takes that simple, oft-considered idea and runs with it to some dark, disturbing places. Pat Healy (The Innkeepers, Compliance) plays Craig, a struggling writer working as a mechanic to pay the bills. Craig is having a textbook bad day – he’s lost his job and got an eviction notice, so he heads to a bar to try and figure out how he is going to support his wife and child. In stumbles Vince (Ethan Embry, Can’t Hardly Wait), an old friend Craig hasn’t seen in years. After a few drinks the boys attract the attention of Colin (David Koechner) and Violet (Sara Paxton), a flamboyant rich couple who flash money around like it’s disposable. What begins as a few innocuous dares from Colin to the boys slowly escalates as they return to the couple’s home for more drinks, drugs and higher stakes bets.
Cheap Thrills is simple enough. How far would you go for money? Writers David Chirchiril and Trent Haaga’s screenplay is cleverly calculated and debut director EL Katz perfectly stages this series of escalating dares with an honest believability. The film’s primary concern is to function as a swift piece of genre entertainment and on that level it is wholly successful but it also never ignores the economic and social issues that underlie the reality of the narrative.
Pat Healy anchors the film sensationally while David Koechner is a revelation. Previously only featuring in comedic bit roles, Koechner uses his intrinsic charm to menacing effect. He gives us a character you would happily want to party with but as the film progresses he reveals a threatening edge that is unexpected and chilling. Sara Paxton’s role as a mostly silent wife is solid but occasionally problematic as she is frequently pushed aside and written as a blank femme fatale with little motivation.
Cheap Thrills builds to a sufficiently nasty climax that, while altogether predictable, is also amply satisfying. There are no big surprises here but the message is clear and Katz’s final shot is so presciently spot-on it is quite remarkable. Turning the film onto the audience, we are amusingly made aware of our own ‘cheap thrill’ in watching the film itself. Have you enjoyed watching this depravity? Did you get your money’s worth? I certainly did.
Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Cheap Thrills
Director: E.L Katz
USA, 2013, 85 minutes
Melbourne International Film Festival
www.miff.com.au
25 July – 12 August
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