Finding Amanda

This is a fun movie to watch if you're a Mathew Broderick fan. There are lots of great lines, especially from Mathew's character.

It also takes a light hearted look at addiction of many varieties. While Matthew's character is likeable enough, he's got some serious problems that he won't really accept responsibility for, but learns the hard way. The movie is set mostly in Las Vegas, and has a lot of casino action, fun hookers, crazy characters and a lot of other fun stuff. Lots of bad language so you probably don't want to watch with the kids. If you like Matthew Broderick, and Las Vegas, you ill like this movie. Thank you.

Harried sitcom writer Taylor Mendon is a recovering addict and compulsive gambler who heads to Las Vegas to rescue his ditzy twenty-year-old niece from a career in prostitution and to get her to enroll in rehab. The problem is that Amanda (Brittany Snow) is more than happy with the choices she's made and finds it rather hypocritical and presumptuous of her uncle of all people to be on his high horse regarding how she's living her life.

Matthew Broderick has always excelled at playing the well-meaning, bumbling nebbish, but here, playing a well-meaning, bumbling nebbish who also happens to have alcohol and drug-dependency problems, he defies credibility. Moreover, writer/director Peter Tolan never quite strikes that proper balance between the lighthearted and the serious that he's so earnestly striving for (and which he often achieves on "Rescue Me").

That being said, "Finding Amanda" does have a nice feel for its settings, a partially unexpected resolution, and enough goodwill to almost make it an enjoyable experience.

I enjoyed this movie and think that it should find an audience in theaters. This movie is described as a comedy and while it is funny, it is also kind of sad at times. I don't understand the other review that totally trashes it. It's not the greatest movie but certainly above average in most areas.

There are some great comedic moments primarily because of Matthew Broderick's expressions, timing and his overall lovable loser persona. Brittany Snow gives a strong performance as well. The supporting cast also gives very good performances. I found some of the more serious moments very touching. The writing is a bit off beat and at times, misplaced, but the actors do a wonderful job trying to compensate for that. There is also great chemistry between Matthew and Brittany, reminded me a lot of Election with Matthew and Reese Witherspoon. Go see it!!!

Though not his best work, (see: Election, and of course the classic Ferris Bueller's Day Off) Matthew Broderick still shined in "Finding Amanda" as a degenerate, somewhat-recovering gambler/drug user/drinker. His counterpart, Brittany Snow – sometime eerily looking like his former counterpart Reese Witherspoon from Election – also did a fairly good job as his prostitute niece. Though not as funny as I thought it would be, Broderick certainly delivers some pretty snappy lines (such as the kitchen knife) and truly shows what goes on for someone truly addicted and trying their best to convince their loved ones they don't have a problem, everything's under control. This is coming from someone who lives near Broderick's character in his lifestyle – minus the drugs and gambling other than horse races, that is – so, though biased, it is more clear to see that stories, lives, end up the same way as this (more tragedy than) comedy does. It's not a family movie, though – they don't just tell you about the prostitute's life, they show you. Absolute recommendation, but a solid four out of five (this scale is doubled, so I selected 8/10) stars as some of the predictable scenes you can see coming from the Mandalay Bay to the Stratosphere. (Side note: I read some reviews as this is the worst of 2008. Though they still might not like this film, I challenge those individuals to see: The Happening, 88 Minutes, Indiana Jones 4, Deal, Funny Games, Jumper, Speed Racer, I could go on…)

Let me start by saying that this is an excellent film in almost every respect - clever dialogs which underlie a mature understanding of the psycho-dynamics of the characters, brilliant directing and overall very good acting. The main theme of the movie is denial - all characters lie to each other and especially to themselves about almost every respect of their lives. This is a fresh breath of air relatively to all those formula Hollywood movies where all characters only act according to some ridiculous higher ideology. I feel that for the first time in a long while I am actually watching the story of real people. Although the story in the movie comes to a solution, this is by no means a corny Hollywood like solution but actually is able to reveal some new insight into the story - which is always the sign of a great work of art. I am quite sure this movie deserves a larger audience than it got, I am certainly going to follow the next works of the creators of this film. Great job everyone.