$50K and a Call Girl: A Love Story

Even though I am a massive action movie fanatic, this film was incredible.

It tells the story of a man's brother who, after 2 years of treatment for a brain tumour, is told by doctors that he only has 1 month to live without treatment, and 6-12 months even with. So he decides to take a carpe diem ('seize the day') approach and creates a bucket list. Using his brother's savings, Ross, whilst attempting to complete task #1 on the bucket list - Sleep with a hooker - ends up falling for her, and they go on to get married.

On the road, Seth and his wife Lauren begin to bicker until he is finally talked some sense by his brother Ross.

Shall not give away the ending but it is very touching.

Filming wise, the film is shot in a documentary sort of style which is actually worked very well, but the only criticism I have of this film is that the bucket list could have been a bit more wild.

Found the title off putting (assumed sleazy bloke movie), read IMDb reviews, decided to chance it and……...very pleased I did. Found it a bit slow to get into but totally did get in to it … …and was sad when it ended. I don't know anything about the writer/director/actors etc and like a couple of other reviewers, was left wondering if this was actually a true story. Made me think about my own 'bucket list' and actually what I should be spending my time on … and may be more importantly, what I should STOP spending my time on. Also loved some of the sound track, particularly the last track ('Say no more') by The Cavemen (who I'd never heard of before) but now, thanks to Spotify, I have the album this is off. Great film - thanks IMDb reviewers as I wouldn't have bothered without the reviews.

For a film so off the radar of many viewers, I really wasn't expecting much. The title will also lead you to believe that this is some third rate slap stick comedy cobbled together by some filmmakers who didn't know any better but you are in for a pleasant surprise.

The cast consists of a real life married couple (Lauren and Seth) and a beloved brother who is terminally ill along with his "companion". All of them played their performances with warmth and authenticity. In fact, the performances were so genuine that at one point during the movie, I paused to Google this movie to see if it was actually real or based on a true story. Even though it isn't, this speaks volumes about the actors involved.

The tonality of the script was spot on and matched the theme of mortality and adventure - it even struck a nerve within me numerous times when I asked myself what I would if I was in this situation.

Overall, this film is endearing, sad and comedic at the right times. I highly recommend it, 9/10.

Watching this film was truly an incredible experience that I didn't want to end. I went in a big fan of Ross Patterson and Jessie Wiseman's collection of work, respectively, but this was a unique experience. Big fan of indie movies, but this one is different and certainly breaks the mold. Others have attempted similar styles of cinematography with the intimate and homemade, hand-held video feel, but this one captured a level of authenticity that I don't think can necessarily be replicated. The characters were so incredibly well written, and the acting was so genuine, perfectly capturing the difficult and strange roller coaster of events that take place. It's a testament to the skill of Ross and Seth as writers, and all four of them as actors. This is a film that I will watch again and again.

As I watched this film I kept thinking: this is like watching some reality TV show such as The Batchelor except that maybe it's real. Then again, maybe not. Nothing at the beginning or the end says "based on a true story" so you never know for sure. In that case this is a fair example of improv. Great premise. The whole thing smacked of America or Americanism or something. I kept thinking throughout: wow, is this ever American. I can't imagine such a film being made anywhere else.

Indeed at times I detected perhaps a bit of real emotion, though most of the time everything felt pretty contrived. But it's not amateurish, much. Just a bit. Is that on purpose or not? We'll never know. Not sure who these people are who made this film but maybe if they ever get a bigger budget they can make something really good. Otherwise, it was not a total waste of 90 minutes.