Cheap Thrills

Cheap Thrills is a 2013 American black comedy thriller film directed by E. L. Katz in his directorial debut. It stars Pat Healy, Sara Paxton, Ethan Embry and David Koechner. The film follows two friends competing in a series of challenges worth different amounts of money given by a rich couple. It premiered at South by Southwest (SXSW) on March 8, 2013, and was acquired by Drafthouse Films and Snoot Entertainment. It was released on March 21, 2014, in the United States. Cheap Thrills received generally positive reviews from critics but was a box-office bomb, grossing $59,424 against a $100,000 budget. Plot Craig is an auto mechanic who loses his job. He is unable to pay his rent and after seeing the eviction sign, he goes to a dive bar, where he meets an old friend from high school, Vince. After their reunion, they meet a rich couple, Colin and Violet, who appear friendly and benign initially, and after becoming aware of Craig's dire financial situation, offer them money in return for completing certain tasks to entertain Violet, as it is her birthday. As the first task, Colin offers fifty dollars to whoever between Craig and Vince can drink a shot he pours first. From there, the danger of the tasks escalates along with the payout. The dares result in a bouncer confronting Craig, who is offered five hundred dollars by Colin to hit him first. He does so and is knocked out. When he comes to, he realizes he been brought to the home of Colin and Violet. Tensions between Craig and Vince begin to emerge when they compete with each other in a breath-holding contest and Vince punches Craig in the stomach to prevent him from winning so that he may claim the prize money himself. Another dare between Colin and Vince involves Vince urinating on Craig's shoes. When Craig angrily goes to clean up in the bathroom, Vince accompanies him and they hatch a plan to rob the couple. Vince divulges that there is $250,000, which he instructs Craig to steal as the safe is unlocked. At knife-point, Vince manages to get Colin to reveal that the safe is unlocked. Craig retrieves the money and returns, only to have Colin and Violet turn the tables on them when Colin easily disarms Vince as Vince is not aware that Colin is an award-winning martial artist and Violet has a gun with her. Colin and Violet agree to let "bygones be bygones" and reveals the money is actually prepared for them to have but only if they go through with the game, which explains why the safe is unlocked.