Finder's Fee

To the person from Saskatchewan. "Would you put a (expletive) sock in it!" was what Palladino yelled. Heard it the first time and wasn't even paying attention that closely. Guess it got lost in the NYC/Regina translation. Although none of the 4 friends were raised anywhere remotely near NYC based on their generic handling of the dialog. Otherwise, my main problem with the flick is that Tepper should have made a much better effort to recover his girl's losing ticket. At least his ruse could have gone on longer. Since lots of people play the same numbers, he would have been smarter not to replace the ticket with another, but then again, we wouldn't have had a movie...

Despite the fact that this movie takes place in one location, it does not drag or get boring - that in and of itself is a HUGE accomplishment! I thought the story was great how it put the main character into a sticky situation. All the characters had distinct personalities, which kept their conversations entertaining. The psychological suspense was strong. It's a movie wrought with tension. I applaud an indie filmmaker (Jeff Probst) for pulling off a good movie on a budget that is tiny compared to the studio budgets.

If you liked it, watch the director's commentary. Jeff Probst is very open about the process and how this film came into fruition (before he got his Survivor gig, by the way).

If you are looking for an indie film with some humor, psychological suspense, and good acting, check out this film.

What you'll get with "Finder's Fee" is 100 minutes inside an apartment with four poker buddies, a bus driver who has come to claim his lost wallet (JE Jones), a cop (Forster), and a couple of minutes of Carly Pope and an old lady. This claustrophobic journeyman drama is chock full of unnecessary filler including lots of lame guy talk, an annoying cop who keeps popping up for no apparent reason, and a $6 million lottery ticket. At issues is, of course, who's going to get the six mil? A marginal small screen watch which Tivo gave an unusually high three stars which suckered me into the film, "Finder's Fee" will require some serious dumbing down to avoid taking issue with the many likely possible outcomes in favor of an unlikely outcome contrived for entertainment value. Apparently a failed attempt to be a tight, dialogue intensive, character driven, one set drama (eg: The Big Kahuna, Glengarry Glen Ross, etc.), this flick is couch potato fodder. Turn brain off before viewing. (C+)

I recently viewed Finder Fee (2001) on Tubi. The storyline follows a man who finds a wallet and brings it home with him on cards night with the boys. He calls a number he finds inside the wallet so the owner can come pick it up. When the owner arrives he asks if he can join the card game. What seems like an innocent night gets intense and possible deadly quick.

Directed by Jeff Probst (Survivor), the film features James Earl Jones (Star Wars), Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), Erik Palladino (U-571), Matthew Lillard (Scream), Frances Bay (Happy Gilmore), and Robert Forster (Jackie Brown).

Despite having the necessary elements for success, the film falls flat, with the cast delivering uneven performances-Jones and Lillard stand out while Reynolds is underutilized, and Palladino misses the mark. The storyline has moments of realism, accompanied by good twists, intense sequences, and a standout "bop on the head" moment. The ending, while fitting, solidifies the film as mediocre.

In conclusion, Finder Fee has some compelling elements but falls short of being good. I'd give it a 5.5/10 and suggest watching it once for its unique moments and assembled lol cast.

I saw this film last year at the Saugatuck Film Festival (and even got to meet the stars of the film Robert Forster, Dash Mihok, and Erik Palladino), and loved every minute of it. The place was sold out and everyone at the theater loved it.

What would you do if you found a wallet containing a winning lottery ticket worth $6 million? That's how the movie is set up in this fast paced film with great acting. James Earl Jones is great as always, Robert Forster has a small but memorable role, but I was very surprised that Matthew Lillard did such a good job in the movie. But the obvious star of the movie is the script. Written and Directed by Jeff Probst, there are so many great plot twists that keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens next. You won't believe some of the things you discover when watching this movie.

If you can find this movie somewhere, I highly recommend it.

**** out of ****