Two Dollars
By Pete Bauer • Dec 11th, 2005 • Category: ComedyTwo Dollars is a story about two men, deep in debt and only two dollars to their name, who cross paths with a gangster, his sidekick, a hitman, a homeless woman and two detectives as they try to resolve their money woes. Like Finitsis’ other work, Truant, the production quality of this project is sloppy and below average, with inconsistent audio and camerawork. However, the script for this story is geniuinely funny with a lot of wit and an appropriate amount of political incorrectness. The scope of the project is also quite ambitious, as the cast is large and the locations are many and varied.
One of the funnier moments of the story involves a makeshift sword fight between two overweight characters who are quickly winded and end up calling “Time” like so many kids would do. Other memorable characters include Adam Curren as the overzealous Detective Stanley Penndington and Matthew Lister as Richard “Slippery Dick” Slipton. Curren, who was also very funny as the kneeless Dweedle in Finitsis’ Truant seems to be a good, raw talent that should continue to grow as an actor. He fully commits to his character and, even though the characters and/or events are often extreme, he never comes across as “acting.”
Some of the actors are miscast, such as Steve Pieroni as Jacob, who never quite comes off as the idiot he’s meant to be. I hope that Finitsis takes a lot more time and care in the future in his production work. After all, the only thing we have to look at is what he allows to be put on the screen. Anything that interferes with the success of the scene and/or movie needs to be addressed.
Finitsis has a lot of fun with this project as the characters wear odd wigs and the comedy is broad. The script is funny and everyone seems to be having a good time making the film, but the production value of the project undermines the effectiveness of the comedy.
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