The point of that ridiculous story is that we never really know what we are capable of or how deep some of our true desires are buried until we are put in certain situations where we can either get away with it and no one would know or we are pushed to the brink of survival. The cool thing abut Cheap Thrills is that it tackles this subject head on and in a manner that hasn't challenges the audience in a way I haven't seen since Pulp Fiction. You find yourself laughing at its dark humor but at the same time feeling unbelievably guilty for doing so.
The story takes you through the day of a married mechanic who has just had a newborn baby boy and is on the brink of eviction from his place due to his money issues. On this day, Craig finds out that he has just been laid off and is facing the reality of his family being thrown into the streets with no real means to provide for them So he decides to grab a drink at a nearby bar before heading home to face his wife. And while he's there he runs into an old buddy of his from grade school in Vince (Ethan Embry), a guy he hasn't seen in forever. Hard to believe that this is the same kid from Can't Hardly Wait and Vegas Vacation as he is completely unrecognizable yet rather convincing as the tattoo covered tough guy who collects money for bookies. He himself is living a rather tough life and has a few money issues as well. Anyway, after they quickly catch up they run into this odd couple in Colin (Anchorman's Koechner) and Violet (Sara Paxton) who are out on the town celebrating her birthday. It's clearly a May-December romance as Colin is trying anything he can to entertain his seemingly perpetually bored wife.
So they spend their entire time placing little bets on random events that take place around them. However, to spice things up they invite Craig and Vince along for the ride and make them the focal point of their bets. At first things start off simple with bets of who can take a shot first or who can get a woman at the bar to slap them with Colin giving the winner a specified amount of money for their accomplishment. But as they move locations, both the dares and the stakes start to escalate. So much so that it's beginning to put Craig and Vince's friendship to the test.
I will let you discover just how crazy things get on your own but just know that once Violet offers one of them sex for money, this is when things start to get really freaky. No, it doesn't turn into a full blown orgy or anything like that but it does clue you in to just how out of control things get. And the only reason I bring that dare up is because this was the only point of the movie where Paxton actually had to act and she completely blew it! I loved her in the unbelievably brutal Last House on the Left but she really took this young bored housewife role too much to heart here. Outside of this minor complaint however, I absolutely loved this movie. I cannot tell you how many times the couple next to me was burying their heads in each other's chest and openly gasping during certain scenes. I love movies that challenge you and Cheap Thrills does that from a physical, psychological, and moral standpoint.
As a matter of fact, I feel kind of dirty for liking this movie but I can't help but give it a rating of TIGHT! Also the final shot of the movie is one that will go down as a classic and will grace movie posters and magazines for quite some time! Job well done.
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