Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
Recently fired and facing eviction, a new dad has his life turned upside down when he meets a wealthy couple who offer a path to financial security... but at a price.
Cheap Thrills is a lean, nasty little thriller that succeeds largely on the strength of its performances — Pat Healy and Ethan Embry sell the escalating desperation with raw credibility, while David Koechner is perfectly cast as the gleefully sinister bankroller. The plot is a single-premise escalation that works its concept efficiently but doesn't transcend its high-concept setup. Cinematography is functional and claustrophobic but unremarkable — the limited setting is used adequately rather than inventively. The film has a distinct mean streak and nasty humor that give it personality, though the 'how far will you go for money' premise has been explored before. The ending commits to its nihilism without fully earning the gut-punch it reaches for.