The review only has mild spoilers and no major plots points are revealed, but for anyone who is just looking for a "liked it/not like it" style only it does give brief scene points.
Reading the movie title "Get Rich Free" I wondered if it would have a hidden promotional agenda or be a silly but straightforward comedy about a caper gone wrong. From the very beginning it wasn't what I expected and it kept surprising me all the way through. I would call it a dark comedy with some good young actors, an unusual premise and good cinematography, especially for a movie with only a $20,000 budget and a 23 year old co-director making his directorial debut. It takes place in a number of locations ranging from ordinary to nutty, although some of the grittier scenes are at a remote motel with that perfect offbeat atmosphere to keep you wondering what's around the corner. The movie also ends up taking on an almost mythical quality as the offbeat characters along the way may remind you of anything from an oracle in the form of a homeless man to a siren in the guise of the motel clerk.
Three young guys seem to have their lives centered around partying, sleeping and working for a typical sales-based company owned by a woman who seems to embrace the ideal of the seventies Kirby door-to-door vacuum sales but in a modern California setting. Paul is the character who seems to want to straighten up a little, get his life together and make some real money. He's not great at willpower, though, so he tends to follow his lazier buddies and other than have the charm and good looks to sell more, he drifts back into the party lifestyle easily. His friends Ty and Pockets are more laid back. Ty has a penchant for drugs and a "bad boy" approach, though he still has some interest in doing his job and making a little money. Pockets is a bit of a disaster and is a funny character to watch. Like all the other characters, though, there may be more depth to the character than it appears and you may not entirely decide until you've thought about the movie a while.
The movie is funny and entertaining even while the three start getting into some trouble. They encounter quirky people along the way which is part of what keeps things interesting. The trouble gets stepped up quite a bit though when they realize they've gotten in a little too deep. Rather than being successful salesman, none of them have any money left and Paul is stuck with a substantial financial problem that his friends helped him get into. When he heads off to do the right thing by taking some money to his boss, he is accompanied by Pockets. Unfortunately things take a bad turn when Paul and his female boss end up in a compromising position that infuriates her and make him seem downright criminal. Paul doesn't think it will come to anything since it's a misunderstanding, but it doesn't take long for him to find out that the boss hasn't taken it well at all. Paul ends up blackmailed in a way that made me laugh out loud even as I felt sorry for him.
As things get a little more sinister, you begin to realize that the movie has a darker comedic side that gives the whole thing a little bit of a Quentin Tarantino edge but with less "just for the shock" scenes. Once the friends head out on a strange quest to find a hidden treasure to solve the financial issue, you throw in a little "Deliverance" and you've got a recipe for still-funny but very unique film. Scene changes are often abrupt but only lead to a twist or turn that is worth feeling like you've had a blackout. There are a few of the darker scenes aren't for the squeamish. Once the trouble gets rolling there are some violent scenes although the movie isn't exceptionally gory. Enough is left to the imagination to make the hints of brutality even better as the mind plays out the potential. These scenes along with one particular character offers some insight on how this movie got it's start. The character of Sage first appears from the feet up, wearing a pair of Asian footwear that resemble wooden flip-flops. When he catches the three clumsy adventurers breaking into his house, he outdoes all three of them in a fight and they end up his captives. Their ticket to get out of the situation comes when he begins to draw manga. This idea for this movie actually came out of an idea to do the story in mange/anime form, so Sage is a perfect fit. Even so, Paul isn't quite adept at handling the situation in a way to make it come out in their favor even when given every opportunity.
When the three get out of that situation, they move on in their search even though they've discovered they've gone a bit astray from the intended destination. The journey itself sometimes takes on a dreamlike quality and the directors do a great job of making the viewer feel a bit like they are taking the same drugs as the characters! Each time you think the goal is about to either change or actually come to fruition, a twist adds to the insanity. What ultimately happens you'll have to see to believe, but what it may do is leave you wondering for a very long time what the words "Get Rich Free" really mean to each character by the time their journey trails off with the credits. For me, some of the characters DID end up "rich free" but I'll leave that for other viewers to consider!
Reading the movie title "Get Rich Free" I wondered if it would have a hidden promotional agenda or be a silly but straightforward comedy about a caper gone wrong. From the very beginning it wasn't what I expected and it kept surprising me all the way through. I would call it a dark comedy with some good young actors, an unusual premise and good cinematography, especially for a movie with only a $20,000 budget and a 23 year old co-director making his directorial debut. It takes place in a number of locations ranging from ordinary to nutty, although some of the grittier scenes are at a remote motel with that perfect offbeat atmosphere to keep you wondering what's around the corner. The movie also ends up taking on an almost mythical quality as the offbeat characters along the way may remind you of anything from an oracle in the form of a homeless man to a siren in the guise of the motel clerk.
Three young guys seem to have their lives centered around partying, sleeping and working for a typical sales-based company owned by a woman who seems to embrace the ideal of the seventies Kirby door-to-door vacuum sales but in a modern California setting. Paul is the character who seems to want to straighten up a little, get his life together and make some real money. He's not great at willpower, though, so he tends to follow his lazier buddies and other than have the charm and good looks to sell more, he drifts back into the party lifestyle easily. His friends Ty and Pockets are more laid back. Ty has a penchant for drugs and a "bad boy" approach, though he still has some interest in doing his job and making a little money. Pockets is a bit of a disaster and is a funny character to watch. Like all the other characters, though, there may be more depth to the character than it appears and you may not entirely decide until you've thought about the movie a while.
The movie is funny and entertaining even while the three start getting into some trouble. They encounter quirky people along the way which is part of what keeps things interesting. The trouble gets stepped up quite a bit though when they realize they've gotten in a little too deep. Rather than being successful salesman, none of them have any money left and Paul is stuck with a substantial financial problem that his friends helped him get into. When he heads off to do the right thing by taking some money to his boss, he is accompanied by Pockets. Unfortunately things take a bad turn when Paul and his female boss end up in a compromising position that infuriates her and make him seem downright criminal. Paul doesn't think it will come to anything since it's a misunderstanding, but it doesn't take long for him to find out that the boss hasn't taken it well at all. Paul ends up blackmailed in a way that made me laugh out loud even as I felt sorry for him.
As things get a little more sinister, you begin to realize that the movie has a darker comedic side that gives the whole thing a little bit of a Quentin Tarantino edge but with less "just for the shock" scenes. Once the friends head out on a strange quest to find a hidden treasure to solve the financial issue, you throw in a little "Deliverance" and you've got a recipe for still-funny but very unique film. Scene changes are often abrupt but only lead to a twist or turn that is worth feeling like you've had a blackout. There are a few of the darker scenes aren't for the squeamish. Once the trouble gets rolling there are some violent scenes although the movie isn't exceptionally gory. Enough is left to the imagination to make the hints of brutality even better as the mind plays out the potential. These scenes along with one particular character offers some insight on how this movie got it's start. The character of Sage first appears from the feet up, wearing a pair of Asian footwear that resemble wooden flip-flops. When he catches the three clumsy adventurers breaking into his house, he outdoes all three of them in a fight and they end up his captives. Their ticket to get out of the situation comes when he begins to draw manga. This idea for this movie actually came out of an idea to do the story in mange/anime form, so Sage is a perfect fit. Even so, Paul isn't quite adept at handling the situation in a way to make it come out in their favor even when given every opportunity.
When the three get out of that situation, they move on in their search even though they've discovered they've gone a bit astray from the intended destination. The journey itself sometimes takes on a dreamlike quality and the directors do a great job of making the viewer feel a bit like they are taking the same drugs as the characters! Each time you think the goal is about to either change or actually come to fruition, a twist adds to the insanity. What ultimately happens you'll have to see to believe, but what it may do is leave you wondering for a very long time what the words "Get Rich Free" really mean to each character by the time their journey trails off with the credits. For me, some of the characters DID end up "rich free" but I'll leave that for other viewers to consider!
