It’s a common question in Horror, Thrillers and Comedies. What would you do for money? How far are you willing to go? Cheap Thrills mines absurd comedy out of the tense circumstances. I would never believe such a thing as joyful torture porn exists, but here it is and it does have a likable rambunctiousness to it. As for the dare/dollars/repeat cycle of the plot, there’s a definite escalation of stakes along with reveals and moments where the characters pause and decide if it’s time to call it a night. I’ve seen many a one-note film and this ain’t it.
Much credit to David Koechner, who does here what Sandler did in Punch-Drunk Love. Take his usual character, tweak it just a bit and place it into new circumstances. His Colin is a very convincing salesman when he needs to keep to night from falling apart. Stand back and look at all that happens, it requires some very adaptable glue to hold all the emotions together and Koechner does it with ease.
The most interesting performance is Sara Paxton as Colin’s wife, Violet. Though this night is supposed to be all for her, she often appears completely disconnected, yet always able to jump right into the mix. You’re never sure if she’s being shallow or if she’s the real puppet master. There’s a lot going on internally. The other two guys do all the external character development and they’re both strong, but there isn’t the same mystery to them as with the rich couple.
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