Cheap Thrills
Drafthouse Films | Release Date: March 21, 2014 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
63
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews
Positive:
14
Mixed:
9
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
IndieWireEric KohnMar 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
80
Time Out LondonNigel FloydJun 3, 2014
The casting of comedian Koechner as the sleazy host is a masterstroke, but all four actors relish the salty dialogue and farcical cruelty, as the film moves towards a bleak but satisfying ending. Read full review
80
EmpireOwen WilliamsJun 2, 2014
A grimly funny social allegory that doesn't pull a single punch. Read full review
80
The New York TimesNeil GenzlingerMar 27, 2014
This is dark comedy indeed, and if viewed as such, it works deliciously. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeMar 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
80
VarietyJoe LeydonMar 27, 2014
The performances are perfectly attuned to the material, with Koechner dominating his every scene as a kind of demented ringmaster, and Healy adroitly demonstrating the potential for both humor and horror in a character with nothing left to lose. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comBrian TallericoMar 21, 2014
This is a solid thrill ride all around, especially for those who like their Faustian parables with a bit of the bloody red stuff. Read full review
75
The PlaylistDrew TaylorMar 19, 2014
Unlike most movies that use the current economic crisis as a dramatic backdrop, Healy's character is vibrant enough that the audience can make an easy connection and go through the journey with him. Read full review
70
Arizona RepublicBill GoodykoontzMar 27, 2014
It's not an easy ride, but it is ultimately a satisfying one. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinMar 20, 2014
Healy and Embry commit to their enervating roles with a heady mix of desperation and gusto, while Koechner is cleverly modulated as the evening's madman emcee. But Paxton, as the complicit yet impassive Violet, remains mostly a shiny accessory. Read full review
70
The DissolveScott TobiasFeb 24, 2014
The film advances some harsh truths about the spoils of money-grubbing savagery. But Cheap Thrills doesn’t take a scolding tone: These lessons come in the form of a rowdy, midnight-movie entertainment that keeps its considerable ambition under wraps. Read full review
67
The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloMar 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
67
Austin ChronicleMarc SavlovMar 19, 2014
Erich von Stroheim might have made the definitive film about human swinishness way back in 1924 – sorry, Gordon Gekko – but Cheap Thrills cuts deeper, darker, and straight to the bone. Read full review
63
McClatchy-Tribune News ServiceRoger MooreMar 18, 2014
A nasty, elemental thriller, basically a four-character play with blood and guts and sex and drugs and dares Read full review
60
The GuardianLeslie FelperinOct 26, 2015
The script is smarter than the premise sounds, with writers David Chirchirillo and Trent Haaga dispensing enough information to make victims both sympathetic and despicable, the instigators charismatic and sinister. Read full review
60
CineVuePatrick GambleJun 5, 2014
Cheap Thrills is a commendably flawed experiment in imbuing social anxiety with genre shocks. Read full review
60
The TelegraphTim RobeyJun 5, 2014
It’s well-acted, especially by Healy (The Innkeepers), who makes you feel the pain of every wound, the ratcheting torture of every dilemma. But the film’s also a gimmicky exercise whose hollowness and credibility are constant problems. Read full review
60
Village VoiceAlan ScherstuhlMar 18, 2014
Katz stages the contests with infectious energy... Too bad the last half hour feels like Katz is rubbing our face in the several turds he shows us, reminding us that people are awful. Of course they are. What else do you have to tell us? Read full review
50
New York Magazine (Vulture)Bilge EbiriMar 28, 2014
If Cheap Thrills ultimately does carry us along, it’s due largely to Healy’s performance and presence. He’s a figure halfway between schlemiel and criminal, and the film effectively works that full range. Read full review
50
ObserverRex ReedMar 26, 2014
This is not a movie for everybody, but that assessment is not exactly intended as a thumbs down. Alarming thrills are guaranteed. Read full review
50
Slant MagazineSteve MacfarlaneMar 18, 2014
The film's clearest winner is Pat Healy, whose depiction of a man willing to corrode his entire life to provide for his wife and kid feels true despite the script's silliest moments. Read full review
40
New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanMar 27, 2014
In Cheap Thrills, a committed cast elevates what is, ultimately, a gimmicky thriller. It dissolves into a puddle of blood-tinged hypocrisy. Read full review
40
Time OutKeith UhlichMar 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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