Cheap Thrills

Name: Cheap Thrills
Genre: Thriller, Comedy
Released: March 21, 2014
Duration: 88 min
Rating: 63
Cast: Amanda Fuller, David Koechner, Ethan Embry, Pat Healy, Sara Paxton

2014

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 42 Ratings

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7.4

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7.4	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 42 Ratings

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Cheap Thrills

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Movie Details & Credits

Drafthouse Films | Release Date: March 21, 2014 | Not Rated

Starring: Amanda Fuller, David Koechner, Ethan Embry, Pat Healy, Sara Paxton

Summary: Craig (Pat Healy), a struggling family man, 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). The two friends are roped into a round of drinks by a charismatic and obscenely wealthy stranger (David Koechner) along withCraig (Pat Healy), a struggling family man, 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). The two friends are roped into a round of drinks by a charismatic and obscenely wealthy stranger (David Koechner) along with his mysterious wife (Sara Paxton). 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.… Expand

Director: E.L. Katz

Genre(s): Thriller, Comedy

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 88 min

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Critic Reviews

IndieWire Eric Kohn

Mar 27, 2014

Savagely assaulting the desperate state of a blue collar family man, the comedic thriller Cheap Thrills establishes a ridiculous premise early on and takes it to various extremes, again and again, until you just have to accept the crazy venture on its own terms or simply give up. Read full review

John DeFore

Mar 27, 2014

Katz has a clear investment in Healy's character and convincingly depicts his choices as inevitable even when they become anything but. Read full review

Empire Owen Williams

Jun 2, 2014

A grimly funny social allegory that doesn't pull a single punch. Read full review

Mike D'Angelo

Mar 27, 2014

Even if Cheap Thrills isn’t always plausible, though, it’s still a fair amount of twisted fun, thanks mostly to a surprisingly, effectively low-key turn by Koechner as the game’s emcee. Read full review

McClatchy-Tribune News Service Roger Moore

Mar 18, 2014

A nasty, elemental thriller, basically a four-character play with blood and guts and sex and drugs and dares Read full review

Patrick Gamble

Jun 5, 2014

Cheap Thrills is a commendably flawed experiment in imbuing social anxiety with genre shocks. Read full review

Keith Uhlich

Mar 26, 2014

Cheap Thrills is little more than low-budget torture porn for the doobie-addled dudebro contingent. Read full review

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User Reviews

Thordane

Mar 24, 2014

I watched Cheap Thrills months ago at a local film festival and I have to admit that I loved it's dark sense of humor. It's a simple movie, with a simple concept, and a very dark & desperate outlook on life. The idea behind the film is pretty basic but fortunately there are a few good plotI watched Cheap Thrills months ago at a local film festival and I have to admit that I loved it's dark sense of humor. It's a simple movie, with a simple concept, and a very dark & desperate outlook on life. The idea behind the film is pretty basic but fortunately there are a few good plot twists to break up the increasingly violent and dangerous cash offers the two main characters are tempted with. Cheap Thrills won't be for the faint of heart, but if you're looking for something dark, and surprisingly well-done then I would recommend giving it a shot.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

ScribeHard

Jul 3, 2014

There is plenty to like about this film, which takes what is usually the (entertaining but) outlandish premise of people preforming extreme tasks for cash, and people willing to pay big sums of money to be entertained, and turns it into a satire on society’s obsession with self-deprecationThere is plenty to like about this film, which takes what is usually the (entertaining but) outlandish premise of people preforming extreme tasks for cash, and people willing to pay big sums of money to be entertained, and turns it into a satire on society’s obsession with self-deprecation in the pursuit of easy money, and its seemingly insatiable need to be entertained by greater and greater extremes. Cheap Thrills taps deep into that.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

FilmVirtue

Nov 30, 2014

Shockingly, Cheap Thrills manages to cleverly create a entertaining experience by pitting friend vs friend, adding dark humor, a well assembled cast, and a storyline that pushes the boundaries of independent cinema.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

iCronic

Jul 11, 2014

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. At first the film poster reminded me of a comedy movie, especially with the whammy guy upfront. but it´s not a comedy, it got a couple of funny scenes, but this **** gets dark and serious quickly. Reminded me a little bit of an actual movie version of dirty sanchez. They do anything for money. Towards the end the movie gets extremer, proving the R rated mark. I liked the idea of the movie, it got that b-movie feeling but cheap thrills has that special potential. Unexpected End, great last Shot… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TheDRauch

Nov 2, 2014

My expectations started fairly lukewarm. I saw good reviews from critics, which was reassuring, but the premise seemed too trashy to be anything more than shock value meaningless entertainment. I was partly right. Cheap Thrills is trashy and shocking. But what I was wrong about was just howMy expectations started fairly lukewarm. I saw good reviews from critics, which was reassuring, but the premise seemed too trashy to be anything more than shock value meaningless entertainment. I was partly right. Cheap Thrills is trashy and shocking. But what I was wrong about was just how trashy and shocking it was going to get. This, weirdly enough, most reminds me of Big Bad Wolves, an Iranian film that was equally graphic and arresting, though, I'm gonna be honest, I think that, while Cheap Thrills is less artistically worthwhile, it is the better film. This movie is so entertaining and FUNNY, I found myself quite pleasantly (and unpleasantly) surprised. The entire concept is ridiculous and some of the extremes are a bit too absurd to be feasible, but the film isn't asking to be taken seriously, which makes it simultaneously succeed, yet also not amount to much more than a genre picture (but what a picture it is). Pat Healy is fantastic and remarkably expressive compared to the other roles I'd seen him in, like The Innkeepers (also starring Sara Paxton) and Compliance. Ethan Embry's character isn't handled with quite as much grace, but he certainly manages. MOST IMPORTANTLY, David Koechner is absolutely riveting here. He adds a strange level of depth to a character that would, on paper, simply come across as a one-note sadist. He truly delivers his finest performance of his career in this movie. I'm being straight up. Check out Cheap Thrills. I recommend it entirely, especially for fans of the low-budget showmanship of Joe Swanberg, Ti West, and Adam Wingard.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Tss5078

Dec 13, 2017

Craig Daniels (Pat Healy) is having a hell of a day. He's been fired on the very same day he's recieved an eviction notice on his front door. Content to drink his troubles away, Craig runs into an old friend from High School. Together they start catching up and run into a unique couple, aCraig Daniels (Pat Healy) is having a hell of a day. He's been fired on the very same day he's recieved an eviction notice on his front door. Content to drink his troubles away, Craig runs into an old friend from High School. Together they start catching up and run into a unique couple, a couple who starts offering them money simply for doing oddball things for their amusement. The duo agrees and even goes back to the couples house with them, and that's when things really start to get bizarre. I feel like I've seen something similar and far more serious before, but I can't place my finger on it. What I really liked about this film was that despite it's B-movie status, and obvious lack of quality writing, what goes down isn't as expected as you would think. A lot of it really was surprising and they do spare us the pain and torture of doing what is obvious. I also enjoyed Pat Healy as Craig, he's not the kind of character you'd expect to see in a movie like this, and he added an interesting dynamic to a cast that was otherwise pretty droll. Cheap Trills has a few funny and unexpected moments in it, and to be honest it was better than I thought it would be. It still however very much deserves it's B-movie status and reeks of inexperience.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

TheBuffalo

Jan 18, 2015

From reading other revues, I expected some comedy in this film. I found none. It was darkly engaging and there were a couple of moments that, perhaps in some other film, may have been humorous but in this film were more horrific. The musical score and direction didn't allow me to laugh atFrom reading other revues, I expected some comedy in this film. I found none. It was darkly engaging and there were a couple of moments that, perhaps in some other film, may have been humorous but in this film were more horrific. The musical score and direction didn't allow me to laugh at things I may otherwise have.

I wouldn't call it original (I don't think it is trying to be) but I may suggest that it was mostly predictable. That isn't necessarily a complaint, though. It's predictability is what made it sad. You knew these people were going to continue to make bad choices because of the holes that they found themselves in.

The real reason I didn't thoroughly enjoy this film is probably because of the expectations I had after reading reviews (and let's face it, the film's poster gives a more upbeat feel than the film itself). If you go into this expecting a bit of a laugh, I hope you will be disappointed as well. If you watch the film expecting a confronting drama, you may enjoy it more.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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