Bluffing away all your chips...
'Finder's Fee' is a Mamet-like conundrum about a
winning lottery ticket and the role it plays in
a friendly weekly poker game amongst friends.
Jeff Probst, of Survivor fame, wrote and
directed this film on a miniscule budget of
$1,000,000. He does a fantastic job for a first
time filmmaker. The film moves along swiftly,
never leaving time for you to check your watch.
There are some really tense moments that will
have your pulse racing, which is pretty
impressive for a film that takes place almost
entirely inside one apartment. The only thing
that fails the film is the drastic overacting
from some of the supporting players.
Palladino does a great job in the lead role as
the young man on the verge of proposing to his
girlfriend, who finds a wallet on the rain
soaked streets of New York City. Inside the
wallet is a winning lottery ticket worth in
excess of $6,000,000. After a phone call to the
only phone number in the wallet, James Earl
Jones shows up to claim the billfold which has a
substituted ticket. When everyone is assembled,
the poker game begins. Here is where the
screenplay works its magic. Probst crafts
ingenious ways to keep the tension mounting and
sustained for the entire film.
Both Palladino and Jones are very good here. And
Carly Pope has a small role that deserves some
praise. However, what really derails the film
are the performances of Matthew Lillard, Ryan
Reynolds and Dash Mihok. The main culprit is
Lillard, who obscenely overacts his part every
chance he gets. The man is truly incapable of
subtlety in any performance and it is most
notable here. This is an obnoxious distraction
and it overshadows the many things that are so
right about this film. Reynolds and Mihok are
forgivable, although they both have some truly
awful moments that will make you cringe with
embarrassment for them.
I am still giving the film a solid
recommendation... the story is original and
tense, and the screenplay is very crafty. Probst
easily does enough to merit a career as a
director... he should get more work in this
field as soon as Mark Burnett releases him from
his island-hopping duties! If only the
supporting cast had not tried so hard to steal
the film from Probst and the two main leads,
this would have been a small treasure. As it
stands, 'Finder's Fee' is a good little film
that will serve as an enjoyable rental.
©
Written by TC Candler
Richard
Propes' Comment
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Jacob
Hall's Comment
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