$5 a Day (2008)

Director:

Nigel Cole

Writers:

Neal H. Dobrofsky (writer)
Tippi Dobrofsky (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

The best things in life are free!

Plot:

The conservative son of a thrifty conman begrudgingly joins his father on the road -- after being released from jail for one of his dad's earlier crimes. |

Plot Keywords:

Fake Driver's License | Leather Jacket | Dying Father | Road Trip | Father Son Relationship

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Christopher Walken	...	Nat Parker
Alessandro Nivola	...	Ritchie Flynn Parker
Sharon Stone	...	Dolores Jones
Dean Cain	...	Rick Carlston
Peter Coyote	...	Burt Kruger
Amanda Peet	...	Maggie
Beth Bailey	...	Real Estate Lady
Marya Beauvais	...	Realtor
Frank Bond	...	Bar Manager
Christopher Dempsey	...	Tim Webber
Christopher Hagen	...	Marty
Anne Johns	...	Kruger's wife
Diana Maimin	...	Desk Clerk
Mike Miller	...	Pharmaceutical CEO
Mandy Olsen	...	Hospital Nurse

Also Known As:

Five Dollars More (USA) (working title)
Five Dollars a Day (USA) (alternative spelling)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content, brief nudity and language.

Runtime:

Canada:90 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Company:

Capitol Films

Trivia:

During the 8 weeks of preproduction, they tried many others, before Sweet'N'Low finally agreed. But they didn't benefit otherwise from product placement.

Soundtrack:

Make It Easy

A tip-top lowball roadmovie with grifts galore - excellent indie flick

If the late 2000s are the new 1930s then this is the perfect movie. In a time of recession we need Christopher Walken's optimistic, unrealistic, opportunistic grifter...

This was a real surprise - and a very pleasant one. I was expecting deep and sorrowful, but got hilarious, thoughtful, and even belly laughs - and enough grifts to make me wonder how or why we pay for anything anymore.

By turns honest, hilarious, outrageous, and moving this is all wrapped up in a lowball low-fi package that smacks of good indie roots.

Definitely one of my favorite movies of the year. Walken's gives a masterclass in comic timing, and Alessandro Nivola is a great straight man as the son who never could. And some great cameos. This is at times snort your milk through your nose funny, at others tragic: but it is not buffoonish in your face slapstick and even better for it.

All in all a really great little road movie that constantly sparkles with fresh ideas and little touches of originality that puts most movies to shame - I hope the Dobrofkys have got another 20 scripts like this - they deserve awards for the writing - a wonderful mix and they deserve lots of work on the basis of this.

And if I'm raving it's because it deserves it - it stands out from the crowd by a mile: fresh, witty, sincere, slightly surreal and oddball, and by the end, exemplary.

Get to see, you'll be glad you did.