Cheap Thrills
Drafthouse Films | Release Date: March 21, 2014
6.5
USER SCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 51 Ratings
USER RATING DISTRIBUTION
Positive:
35
Mixed:
9
Negative:
7
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User Reviews

User scoreBy dateMost helpful
8
ThordaneMar 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 prettyI 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
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7
DirigiblePulpFeb 1, 2015
A gross-out movie based around a simple premise of what someone would do to earn money to save their family and their life (when you have little to none of course). The dares escalate as more and more money becomes involved, and it's allA gross-out movie based around a simple premise of what someone would do to earn money to save their family and their life (when you have little to none of course). The dares escalate as more and more money becomes involved, and it's all pretty intriguing stuff. But it's hard to shake the feeling that it could have done more with the premise and some of it is just outlandish for its own sake instead of being button pushing in a truly authentic way. The ending is also a bit of a let down. It makes sense, feels inevitable, and as a result, also a bit contrived.… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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6
Tss5078Dec 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 theyCraig 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
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7
TheDRauchNov 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 andMy 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
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8
FilmVirtueNov 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
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7
Meth-dudeSep 17, 2016
The story wasn't original but it's always interesting to see where people would go for money. The acting was good and the movie was very entertaining. I'm not a big fan of the ending but it's still a good movie.
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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8
ScribeHardJul 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 aThere 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
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7
iCronicJul 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
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5
TheBuffaloJan 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 musicalFrom 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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6
TheDude-Jul 18, 2015
The first half of cheap thrills is very entertaining and funny but once the second half rolls around that's when the shock value wore off and by that point they were trying to hard to make the audience go ughhh while the two leads give goodThe first half of cheap thrills is very entertaining and funny but once the second half rolls around that's when the shock value wore off and by that point they were trying to hard to make the audience go ughhh while the two leads give good performances I never really bought that they were once friends the way they interacted with each other just seemed like they just met.
Overall:6/10… Expand
0 of 0 users found this helpful00
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3
DawdlingPoetNov 28, 2021
This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a black comedy drama, which features themes including infidelity, bets, dares and satire. I expected it to consist of more in the way of gorey visual effects but there was surprisingly little of that. It starts off as a bunch of mates going from bar to bar, encouraging each other to do more potentially risque things, as a way to pass time - fairly regular adolescent boys stuff, really, no great shakes as such. I noticed the camerawork did seem particularly wobbly and jerky, giving it a somewhat amateur feel - maybe the viewer is to imagine seeing what we see through the eyes of someone drugged up and/or inebriated, as the various characters tend to be. The lighting and lack of watermarks/stamps on the screen made it clear that this isn't to be regarded as a 'found footage' type of film. Based on the main plot, I expected it to be a bit like the US TV show Jackass.

I also found it hard to entirely follow the dialogue, with some scenes featuring quite hushed whispers between different characters. The plot seemed a bit bland and meandering but I kept watching regardless and things did speed up a little bit after a while (the first half an hour or so). However, I didn't feel bothered about any of the characters, which was a big put off. The characters are all motivated by greed and reliant on illegal drugs, so they aren't the kind of people you might necessarily 'root for', as they say.

Cast wise, Pat Healy plays Craig Daniels, Ethan Embry plays Vince and David Koechner plays Colin, while Sara Paxton plays the main female role, as fellow group member Violet. The roles were, I suppose, done relatively well, they didn't greatly stand out or otherwise, to be honest.

Content wise, the film contains sex scenes and partial nudity, with a scene being set in a strip club. There are scenes involving toilet activity and scenes with strong violence, with bloody injuries shown. There is, somewhat unsurprisingly, a lot of strong language and there is also a strong presence of drugs, with characters shown snorting cocaine. The film is somewhat brutal in terms of not just the violent scenes but the darker themes covered, such as intense greed and the pursuit of money and fortune above close to anything else. The most brutal part of the film is close to the end and its fair to say that its definitely not a film for squeamish people in any way, shape or form, although the gore/squeamish moments take so long to really come to light that I imagine a fair few people may have stopped watching by then, so its a little hard to see what sort of target audience it particularly works for. In any case, the film is quite frightening and disturbing and so its been given a 15 rating to reflect this.

I don't mind a bit of gore, gross out comedy and horror elements when done well - for one example, I saw the New Zealand set film 'Black Sheep' earlier this year (which I also reviewed) and I did find it quite amusing and entertaining while gory but this I didn't find funny or especially entertaining either - it didn't stand out to me at all. Its got more of the tone of a film such as Shaun of the Dead but without the really memorable scenes, like when Shaun is in the pub killing zombies to the tune of 'Don't Stop Me Now' (I apologise if this is a spoiler to anyone who may not yet have seen that particular film but I like to think its fairly well known).

Unsurprisingly it is pretty tasteless, which is what I expected and should come as no real surprise but without there being much in the way of solid parody or a decent backbone to the plot, it made it quite unmemorable. I'm not sure if there's anything much else I can say about it too really. I got this film on Blu-Ray as it was on sale in Poundland and I couldn't resist trying a film I hadn't seen before for the princely sum of £1, especially with it being in HD quality.

There are some surprisingly gross out moments towards the very end but it felt a bit like too little too late by then but then maybe I'm not the best judge of this type of film - its only my opinion anyway. I don't mind watching this kind of thing as long as I know it isn't real - ok yes im a wuss, so what? lol. It is very dark in tone and may make you think about what motivates people today - perhaps there's something bad to be said about capitalism et al. but I don't think this film was made to be a big moral tale above all else!. Make of it what you will but I wasn't greatly keen on this film overall. I imagine if it would appeal to anyone, it'd probably mainly be to teenage boys and adolescents(?).

No, I wouldn't go out of your way to watch this - that should be pretty obvious. Parts may appeal to those who like gross out humour and dark comedy but it seemed to meander plot wise and the characters didn't seem likeable, so I wasn't entirely interested in it. Its not quite what its trying to be and at just under an hour and a half, it felt like a bit long, if anything, which isnt a good thing.… Expand
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