Cheap Thrills (2013)

Cheap Thrills is as crass as the title implies, but its far from stupid. This nasty, fatalistic black comedy follows a great formula for independent cinema: excellent execution of a relatively simple idea. Craig Daniels (Pat Healy) is a down-on-his-luck young dad facing a pink slip and an eviction notice. While catching up with old skateboarding buddy Vince (Ethan Embry) at a dive bar, the two wind up hanging out with a wealthy couple (David Koechner and Sara Paxton) giving off some extremely weird vibes. As the night continues, and shots of liquor devolve into bumps of cocaine, the couple start offering Craig and Vince cash for degrading and dangerous stunts.

Cheap Thrills’ success is due in large part to lean, effective plotting. Within the opening 15 minutes, screenwriters David Chirchirillo and Trent Haaga have established Craig’s financial desperation and provided him with a dangerous opportunity to make some quick cash. While it doesn’t have the most imaginative script around (the stunts are like the first ones you’d come up with if you only had 60 seconds to think of them), Cheap Thrills immediately sets the stakes and hints at the twisted obstacles in Craig’s path. It’s a strong premise and one that director E.L. Katz handles with efficiency. Craig is the audience’s surrogate to the ugliness that unfolds, and, like him, we react with equal parts disgust and disbelieving laughter.

This is a small-scale film that depends heavily on its four lead actors. Pat Healy, a familiar face of the “It’s that guy!” variety, makes Craig’s internal moral struggle palpable. Koechner pulls back just a tad on his typical boorish idiot persona to fit a more dramatic project, and Sara Paxton is very good (without given much to say) in Cheap Thrills’ most ambiguous role. Finally, Ethan Embry is particularly excellent as Vince, finding the inner anger and sadness of your typical UFC fan and Maxim reader. Beyond its obvious anti-capitalist message, Cheap Thrills even touches on American class distinctions – note the terrific scene in which Craig and Vince debate life choices and socio-economic opportunity.