Twenty Bucks

I caught this on cable a few years back and was immediately intrigued. If you've ever wondered where your money has been, this movie will leave you a little more enlightened...and frightened! From the G-string of a stripper at a Bachelor's party to the hands of a ten year old in a fishing contest to the frantic hands of a homeless woman with Lottery winnings in mind - this bill's journey is surprising and hilarious. The stories around the main idea abound and are far from dull. Christopher Lloyd and Steve Buscemi's scenes are, in my opinion, the highlight of this film. I've never understood why this movie is so wildly underrated. I've never come across any acquaintance that has seen it when I ask. If you get the chance, watch it, you won't be disappointed.

Twenty Bucks is, quite simply, a movie about a $20 bill. You follow one bill in particular from one owner to the next since it first makes it into the general population from a regular ATM machine. This bill makes it's way through good people and bad, from homeless people to rich tycoons to drug dealers and back again. In this bill's life, it gets lost more than I would believe a normal $20 bill would. They are usually protected pretty well to be blowing around in the street constantly. Also, the bill stayed pretty much in the same area and even back and forth through the same hands a few times. All this may be unusual but when thinking on the subject, each bill's lifetime is as unique as our own and while unusual, not impossible.

Just like with our money, some people hold on to some bills longer than others and these people in the movie are the ones with the longer stories. Easily the most entertaining story was the one with Frank (Steve Buscemi) and Jimmy (Christopher Lloyd). Frank is a scam artist until persuaded by Jimmy he can make quite a bit more his way, robbing convenience stores. I felt like I wanted more from these two, which is probably why it was the best. It did not overdo it and make me sick of the characters.

This is is the type of movie you can recommend to those who have seen it all. It will keep you entertained for 90 minutes if nothing else. 7/10

The problem with movies that actually try not to insult your intelligence is that they are totally inaccessible and make you feel like you're sitting at a table in the high school cafeteria with the cool kids . . . they'll let you watch, but you should not be under any illusion that you belong. This is not the case with Twenty Bucks. I caught this one on UPN last Sunday and was amazed. It's a fascinating story of a $20 bill's journey in and out of the lives of people to whom it changes hands. Sometimes it's only there for a moment, sometimes it's there for days, sometimes it doesn't go where you might think it would go, but it's always an interesting story. This is a wonderful anthology film that manages to introduce many characters and get you brought up to speed on their lives in a brief period of time. And check out those credits! You know who these actors are, and it's obvious that no one was letting their ego get in the way of telling the story. It's a wonderful, lovingly crafted movie that is well worth your time to see.

If you love irony, this is a movie for you! This is an incredible movie with a great storyline. The plot seems obvious if you read the summary but it's far more developed. The characters are each gems, and the actors playing them are of course, all top-notch names. I'd have to put this in the same category as 12:01, Groundhog Day and Short Cuts as far as the time/space ironies as lives and events intermix. If you like any of these, you'll love Twenty Bucks! Worth a hundred!

This film was written in 1935 by screenwriter Endre Bohem shortly before his death. He never completed the script. It sat on a shelf in his archives for 55 years. Finally in 1990, his son, Leslie Bohem, found it and immediately fell in love with the concept. He completed the script, updated it for a more modern audience, and filmed it with director Keva Rosenfeld. In the film, a $20 bill is minted and sent to a bank. A mother with her hands full uses an ATM machine, drops the bill in her hassle, and the story begins. The rest of this film follows the bill through the hands of 12 complete strangers who, through various ways, pass the bill to one another. Along the way, the note weaves in and out of the lives of a street person, an aspiring writer, two thieves (a hilarious Steve Bucemi and Christopher Lloyd), and a stripper who also...well, I won't ruin it for you.

However, besides the inventive concept, it is fun to see many of today's brightest stars, when they were just starting out in the industry. Look for such faces as David Schwimmer(NBC's "Friends"), Elisabeth Shue(Leaving Las Vegas), William H. Macy(Fargo, Wag the Dog), Brendan Fraser(The Scout, George of the Jungle), and Steve Bucemi(Reservoir Dogs, The Big Lebowski).

This is a great film to watch with a group of friends. One tip, though. Don't keep pausing the film, or you might lose track of who has the bill.