Cheap Thrills, 2013.
Directed by E.L. Katz.
Starring Pat Healy, Ethan Embry, Sara Paxton, David Koechner and Amanda Fuller.
SYNOPSIS:
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.
To describe a film as cult often brims with a sense of self worth. A film too niche for a large audience but entertaining enough to grasp a small, but loyal audience. For good, Cheap Thrills encompasses this ideal. It’s ugly, morally repugnant and thoroughly nasty, yet I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
Unemployed, debt-ridden and anxiously caring for his wife and newborn child, Craig (Pat Healy) finds himself in a bar when he meets an ex-con high school friend. Upon there meeting, an obnoxious, coke snorting couple (David Koechner and Sara Paxton) present a series of propositions. These propositions start off small-flirting with waitresses, darts-but as the payoffs increase, so do the tasks.
These tasks are grotesque. In fact, it becomes incredibly difficult to watch as the film develops. There is no enjoyment watching two people compete with one another to eat a dog. In these moments, the film moves away from being a comedy and into something very different. The darkness takes over and my God is it dark. Very few films escalate as quickly and extreme as Cheap Thrills does.
This escalation is matched perfectly by David Koechner’s obnoxious, boisterous, pork-pie hat wearing glad-hander. His comedic skills so evident in the Anchorman films shine bright, yet it’s his ability to blend the darkness and the humour that stands out. His pomposity contrasts Sara Paxton’s almost mute supporting character and Pat Healy impresses as the titular broken father.
Cheap Thrills will struggle to find an audience. But when it does, it will flourish. It’s a morally repugnant. thoroughly nasty and ugly film but my God is it entertaining. It doesn’t charm but it achieves a rare sense of enjoyability stemming from the shock value. I felt sick throughout and I can’t wait to watch it again.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Thomas Harris
Originally published March 20, 2014. Updated April 12, 2018.
