Cheap Thrills

Craig loses his job and gets an eviction notice the same day. He goes to a bar, runs into an old friend, and a wealthy couple buys them drinks. Then comes a small wager: punch that man, fifty dollars. The bets grow with the night and the two old friends start competing against each other. The subject is not greed but where the price stops. The film raises the number each time and asks the viewer the same question: what would you do this for. None of Craig's decisions is a moral turning point; every one is rent arithmetic. The form is narrow and cheap: a few locations, four actors, one night. The violent scenes are short and the cutting does not linger; the real discomfort comes not from the violence but from the calm of the laughing rich couple. It is E.L. Katz's first film as director and premiered at SXSW in 2013, where it won the audience award in the late-night strand and became the first title acquired for distribution at the festival that year. The screenplay is by Trent Haaga and David Chirchirillo. Pat Healy and Ethan Embry play the friends, David Koechner and Sara Paxton the couple. Who it is for: viewers who like hard black comedy and closed structures over a single night. Who it is not for: anyone with a weak stomach; the last half hour really does go there.