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Cheap Thrills
2014
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66 %
88 %
Certified Fresh
$ 0 Million
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Cheap Thrills
Positive Reviews
71
Negative reviews
19
Average Rating
3.4
/5
serious
cynical
disturbing
predictable
convincing
All
Positive
Negative
2.0
The films class war subtext isnt terribly subtle, but neither is it overstated.)
Av Club
2.0
The films class war subtext isnt terribly subtle, but neither is it overstated.)
Av Club
4.5
As a result, the sense of unease and tension, the nervous laughter and the black comedy thats built to that point, ends up a little diluted.
Den Of Geek
3.0
Ahead of its satiric aims, Cheap Thrills ultimately delivers its titular promise again and again.
Indie Wire
4.5
It doesnt take long before hes offering Craig and Vince instant payoffs for minor competitions like dart playing then upping the ante for naughty beha ..
Variety
4.0
Director E.L. Katz orchestrates an absolutely bonkers tale of unconventional generosity, deranged boredom and uncompromising humility, all coming toge ..
We Got This Covered
4.0
There are satisfying echoes of Stephen Kings sly black humour in this deliciously nasty comedy thriller.
Time Out
2.0
Cheap Thrills is little more than low budget torture porn for the doobie addled dudebro contingent.
Time Out
3.0
The script is smarter than the premise sounds, with writers David Chirchirillo and Trent Haaga dispensing enough information to make victims both symp ..
The Guardian
3.0
You can take the result as either smart satire or sick schlock frankly, it works on both scores.
The Guardian
2.5
Because I dont do it for fame, I dont even care about being famous actually.
4.5
The party goes back to Colins apartment, where a battered Craig is persuaded by an excited Vince to attempt a heist thats undone because the flabby se ..
Screen Daily
4.5
Katz doesnt pound us over the head with a message, and instead swallows us up with disturbing dares.
Collider
1.5
And so, Cheap Thrills sometimes feels like a pointless cascade of cruelties.
Vulture
1.5
Philosophical viewers can debate whether this flavor of entertaining sadism is more or less morally troubling than that of, say, von Trier.
The Hollywood Reporter
3.0
Erich von Stroheim might have made the definitive film about human swinishness way back in 1924 sorry, Gordon Gekko but Cheap Thrills cuts deeper, dar ..
4.5
You should watch it as a twisted comedy. Those who do will be rewarded, especially by the films outlandish final image.
The New York Times
4.3
Colin is that anything goes loudmouth character that doesnt come across as a villain so much as a frat bro.
Paste Magazine
4.5
Heavily liquored up, they then head to the couples beautiful apartment, and thats where the fun properly begins, with the wagers becoming ever more sh ..
IGN
3.0
And the Vince character isnt terribly coherent one minute hes robbing his hosts at knife point, the next hes freaking out about a next door break in t ..
Telegraph
4.5
As for the movies audacious final shot, its nothing short of iconic.
2.0
A committed cast elevates what is, ultimately, a gimmicky thriller. It dissolves into a puddle of blood tinged hypocrisy.
Ny Daily News
1.5
By the end, Cheap Thrills too closely resembles the behavior it depicts.
Village Voice
3.1
It is a nerve wracking and even gruesome affair with laugh out loud lines, a midnight movie that tilts toward the puerile and predictable.
Rogers Movie Nation
2.0
Its not a swiftly paced picture, but when it finally arrives at the horrible business, it pulls off the madness with gusto.
Blu Ray
4.5
Screenwriters David Chirchirillo and Trent Haaga pose a simple question how much will a person degrade himself to make ends meet but its a potent one, ..
Chicago Reader
3.8
Its a dark film about the worst of all of these things, and the screenplay doesnt hold back from reducing its targets of satire to the most brutal, bl ..
Mark Reviews Movies
2.5
But its ultimately clear that the movie wouldve been better off as an installment in a horror anthology, as theres just not enough there there to just ..
Reel Film Reviews
3.0
Gird your stomach for Cheap Thrills, a bloody but enjoyably ironic horror which enters that queasy zone where Michael Hanekes Funny Games meets a real ..
The Times
3.0
Its a thought provoking ride, particularly in a post financial crisis world where a combination of desperation and temptation can make anyone consider ..
Radio Times
3.0
There follows a grim Walpurgisnacht as theyre lured into a game of macabre one upmanship by a wealthy, thrill seeking couple (Sara Paxton, David Koech ..
Independent
3.5
Yet, thanks to the characters and their portrayals, you cant really look away, either.
Az Central
0.5
If its a black comedy and theres an argument to be made that it is its not funny.
0.5
If its a black comedy and theres an argument to be made that it is its not funny.
3.8
Dark, deeply disturbing and occasionally comic, Cheap Thrills puts a contemporary spin on the cinematic version of dare, pitting a mysterious guy with ..
Toronto Star
4.5
And Koechner (Anchorman ) delivers a surprisingly effective and against type turn as an affable master of ceremonies with malevolence at the heart of ..
Reel Talk Reviews
4.5
The central question of the movie isnt just how much humiliation and self mutilation Craig and Vince are willing to endure for money (personally, Im n ..
Salon
3.0
Cheap Thrills plays like a drug fuelled Coen Brothers flick with a hint of early Sam Raimi ...
Flim List
2.5
This is not a movie for everybody, but that assessment is not exactly intended as a thumbs down. Alarming thrills are guaranteed.
Observer
4.5
Cheap Thrills is clearly the smartest hyper violent film I have ever seen.
Flim Threet
4.0
A darkly twisted satire on a world in which the rich get richer and the poor are easy pickings for callous exploitation.
Express
3.0
Koechner doesnt quite make a human being of the manipulative monster.
The Irish Times
2.0
...its the hysterical, son of Jackass tomfoolery of The Hangover taken to an absurdly nihilistic degree. For the most part it works...
Blogs Indie Wire
3.8
But there isnt a wasted minute, either as this nasty little horror film establishes its characters, sets up its situation and then lets it all play ou ..
Nj
4.4
It reminds of the Wachowskis Bound in its cleverness, but doesnt betray any looming pretension.
Film Freak Central
2.0
Youd be better off watching the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode with Peter Lorre and Steve McQueen that did basically the same thing far better ..
Oregon Live
3.0
Ultimately, Cheap Thrills is another film that should provoke some fascinating discussions about class, economy and the state of both in our country r ..
Film School Rejects
1.5
This is a film that is more defined by its mayhem tally than by its story.
Ner Dist
3.0
This isnt to say that this class conscious comic gorno misses the mark, far from it.
Cine Vue
3.8
Yet first time feature director E.L. Katz achieves sustained unease throughout.
Red Eye Chicago
3.5
It needs to theres only so much pooping on the floor one stomach can take.
Screen Crush
4.0
The film would be nasty if it werent clever (and sometimes horribly funny).
Ft
3.1
Money isnt everything, but tell that to someone who doesnt have any.
Dustin Put Man
4.0
Comedies dont get much more pitch black than this fiendishly clever film, which will shift into horror for everyone in the audience, although that tip ..
Contact Music
4.0
Paxton isnt given much do to as Violet, but its befitting of the bored woman who doesnt have to do much to clue us in on her string pulling.
Film Racket
3.5
But Cheap Thrills doesnt take a scolding tone: These lessons come in the form of a rowdy, midnight movie entertainment that keeps its considerable amb ..
The Dissolve
4.5
And of course, theres no selling a concept like this without highly convincing performances and the entire quartet delivers just that.
Shockya
1.5
The worst day of your life premise is a well worn one ... but seldom has it plumbed the depths of desperation and sadism the way Cheap Thrills does.
Film Comment
4.5
A textbook case of a film that never quite amounts to the sum of its parts, Cheap Thrills is still more than its title suggests and provides dark ente ..
Sbs
2.0
With a grindhouse title like Cheap Thrills, Cheap Thrills delivers the goods by exploiting its characters in fun and provocative ways.
Crave Online
4.5
The movie looks a lot better than it needs to, and its a lot more fun than its grisly specifics might suggest.
Bitly
4.0
These characters are achingly familiar, a reminder that all of us are willing to play our own private, primal games of commerce and sacrifice to get w ..
The Skinny
3.5
At a lean eighty minutes, the film makes the most of its premise and small cast, zipping from low budget drama to sick black comedy to gruesome thrill ..
Under The Radar Mag
2.0
Cheap Thrills doesnt present us necessarily with the most original satire or complex characters, but its terrifically crafted, anchored by strong perf ..
Movie Mezzanine
3.0
Director EL Katz ratchets up the tension effectively as the game gets ever more sickeningly dark, but its his casts fine performances that keep us wat ..
What So
4.5
Its Faust meets bum fights in this sick black comedy for our economically polarized age.
Film 4
3.0
To those looking for a bad time and some good, no, great gore take note: youll get a kick out of Cheap Thrills, if not a giggle.
Streaming Quickflix
2.0
Theres no big twist here, but the films sustained thoughtfulness is as surprising as any plot development.
Film Blather
2.5
A cheap, quick thrill ride that may be entertaining and even vicious, but without any kind of real payoff.
Ion Cinema
4.5
Katz makes one of the most extraordinary, indecent and glorious feature debuts in memory.
New City Film
4.0
Cheap Thrills lives up to its name, and like many of lifes guilty pleasures, it wouldnt be a surprise if audiences wanted another helping.
Blog Bullz Eye
3.8
In Cheap Thrills, this Daniels doesnt give orders, but takes them.
Spectrum Culture
1.3
Seriously overrated, its a series of gross out scenes intended to shock and nothing more.
Am Ny
3.0
A bluesy drinking session evolves into messy violence for kicks in this nifty debut feature from E L Katz.
Little White Lies
4.0
Immensely funny and appallingly blunt at the same time, its a comedy with a soul as black as they come.
Hey U Guys
3.5
As exceptionally unpleasant experiences go, this one is delicious.
O Canada
3.0
And E.L. Katzs first movie (hes both writer and director) doesnt waste any time, presenting us with Craigs sad sack scenario and then, tantalizingly, ..
Blogs Houston Press
3.5
Cheap Thrills is clever, disturbing and eyebrow raising, but in terms of story, it is anything but cheap.
Flick Feast
4.5
class conscious black comedy reveals the American dream to be both a gladiatorial bumfight and a dogs dinner.
Projected Figures
3.0
is less about relationships, character development and moral questions about how far wed go to make money, and more, as the title says, about cheap th ..
Events Austin 360
4.3
This sophisticated idea makes Cheap Thrills stand out amongst its genre movie contemporaries.
3.0
Its good cheap quickfire shock horror genre thrills, appropriately well directed and well scripted, a potential cult classic, with some blacker than b ..
Dogandwolf
4.5
So while the leads and the salaciously intriguing premise are more than enough to keep Cheap Thrills afloat, high praise to writer / first time direct ..
Blog The Horror Show
3.0
A tense, knotty (in more ways than one) valentine of leaching amorality a satisfyingly warped walk on the wild side.
Shared Darkness
4.5
An incredible achievement, Cheap Thrills is the sort of film that makes you want to applaud as soon as it ends filled with great lines, terrific actin ..
Electric Sheep Magazine
4.0
if theres one thing Cheap Thrills stands for, its fun sick, demented fun, the kind that hurts the next day.
World Film About
3.8
The result High and humorous tension both on the screen and in the audience seats.
National Post
4.4
I walked out of a screening feeling like I had just put my tongue on a 9 volt battery. In a good way.
Madison Movie
3.8
Hes tougher than Craig, but in his own way hes just as desperate as Craig.
Madison Movie
4.5
Now, Ive never completely warmed to Koechner, though Ive certainly enjoyed plenty of things hes been involved with (and he does a great Pat Buchanan).
4.5
Writer director E.L. Katz manages to effortlessly balance punishing violence, rich characterizations, gallows humor, and even social commentary, all w ..
4.5
Thankfully, the film gets just as dark as you would expect it to, but the ingenuity of Cheap Thrillsis that is does not follow a predictable path.
Film Thrills
2.0
The film captures how Pol Pot took Maos Great Leap Forward to new levels of Marxist madness.
Insidemovies Ew
4.5
For all its moments of depravity and violence, the most shocking thing about Cheap Thrills may be the realisation as to where we would draw the line f ..
Melbourne Concrete Playgro ..
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Cheap Thrills