Stream it now Finding Amanda 2008

 

Please don't waste your time watching this boring movie. A great combination of poor acting and a poor script.

A not the least funny comedy about a slacker, gamble addict, former alcoholic and drug addict named Taylor Mendon (playes by Matthew Broderick) who in an attempt to impress his wife who just had have enough of him, travels to Las Vegas to save their 20-year old niece (played by Brittany Snow) from prostitution. But in fact it's just an excuse to gamble and party, even though he looks for and finds Amanda too who seems to be a nice and happy prostitute, and proud of her new profession. So they party all day long and Taylor gambles for thousands and thousands of dollars that don't really exist.
The humour in this movie is based on some lame witty lines delivered from Snow to Broderick. The niece is talking dirty with her uncle! So (un)funny!
And Broderick is supposed to be sooooo funny everytime he is calling his wife and lying about checks.

What have we learned from this, then? First, Matthew Broderick should stay away from comedy. And perhaps all the other genres too. He have to realise that he is not the same squirrel-looking rascal he was twenty years ago, and move on with his life.
Brittany Snow... Has she ever been in a movie worth to mention?
Anywayzzzz, this movie was a complete waste of time...zzzz.

Well, yesterday, Patrick and I had planned on going up to Portland for the night, doing Peacock Lane and I would return to Eugene today, but Portland was hit by a huge arctic blast and nearly a foot of snow fell on the city. Now to some of you in the Northeast, that doesn't seem like much, but it hardly snows here on the valley floor, and we're never prepared for two inches, much less 12. So the end result, I'm staying here, and Patrick is heading to Portland for Christmas with his family tomorrow afternoon now that the snow and ice is melting. So other than the constant phoning back and forth between people in Portland and here (where we are only having some small rain showers) not much else is going on. Christmas this year will be spent with both of my parents at my dad's house. Despite being divorced since I was 3, they have remained civil, and can handle being together for holidays and such. I hope you all have a great holiday!

You know when you rent that one kinda off-beat movie you get loads of off-beat movie trailers...usually I never pay attention, but one caught my eye, Finding Amanda.


Staring childhood fav Matthew Broderick as a recovering alcoholic, drug addict and gambling television writer, Finding Amanda is an off-beat original dramady with a few laughs. Trying to make amends with his wife over his gambling problem, Taylor Peters (Broderick) decides to run to Las Vegas where his niece, Amanda (played by Brittany Snow) is working as a hooker (and possibly with a drug problem) to talk her into going to rehab. Peters finds out that Amanda has seemingly no problems with being a hooker, she makes a good deal of money and has the home and boy of her dreams. Finding Amanda also stars Maura Tierney of ER as well as personal fav Steve Coogan. Tierney plays Peters' flat wife, and and Coogan plays a humorous casino pit boss.


There is no doubt that the story Finding Amanda waves is new, but it's a rather disturbing one with no character to really support, because they all either piss you off in one manner or another, or there simply isn't enough of them to care about. It's hard to watch films with hookers in them without looking at them with scrutiny. The film does a decent job of showing the horrors that come with being a whore such as men spitting you in the eye if insulted, and that you have to live with the dehumanizing you did to yourself for the rest of your life. Yet pregnancy or STDs are not addressed. Then when Amanda's boyfriend hits her, she says "Don't you dare hit me again." The boyfriend replies with "Don't make me" and later when the two get into a fight, he says "Is this because you made me hit you?" Amanda gives her boyfriend no beef such as "Can't you control your actions!?" Giving credit to the long, yet totally false belief that women are to blame for their abuses.

Despite being something totally new, Finding Amanda leaves its viewer kind of depressed on one hand, and plain frustrated.

Is this a comedy? Was this meant to be funny or sad? Well I guess both. Not a total p.o.s. but definitely glad I didn't see this one in the theaters. You can tell they didn't shoot any of this film actually IN vegas. Crappy backdrops that you've seen in other movies and very low budget. Script was decent enough but not knowing whether I should laugh or cry made me confused. Not one of Matthew Broderick's best and Brittany Snow was good enough.

Would I see it again? No.
Should you see it? Not unless you're forced to.

"When all is said and done, there is nothing marginally farcical about a man falling off the wagon."





Click below for the full review.

Maybe its just that I've been seeing a lot of crap lately - but my feeling is that this is a movie which would have touched me anytime. Some scenes made me want to both laugh out loudly and cry uncontrollably at the same time - and thats a good sign for any movie. Apart from being amusing, it is easy to realise that this is a serious movie, which has something to say - and it couldn't have been said better

Disappointing, sounder much better than it turned out. It mixes broad comedy and heavy drama uneasily. Matthew Broderick seemed to have no energy and sleepwalks through his role.

Who me ? Many of the characters the talented Matthew Broderick has portrayed kind of fall into the "stays under the radar" category. Ferris Bueller, Election to name a few. He has that "who me" I didn't do it look. A perpetual liar, womanizer, and in the new film "Finding Amanda" a boozing gambling addict, as well. Matthew plays Taylor Mendon, a fairly successful Hollywood TV writer, who can't seem to stay away from the ponies. His wife Lorraine played by Maura Tierney, has seen and heard it all from the lying, conniving Taylor and she has had about enough. The story goes like this, Lorraine's sisters daughter, Amanda, has taken up prostitution in Las Vegas and Taylor comes up with the idea that if he could bring back Amanda and take her to Rehab, he will score points with Lorraine, as she is filing for divorce. Problem is you don't send a gambling fool to Las Vegas for anything, After losing his job and wife ? Taylor goes to Las Vegas in search of Amanda.Brittany Snow plays Amanda, a fast talking Blondie, who likes the big money that a hooker can earn. She lives with her psycho boyfriend Greg, played by Peter Facinelli. Taylor spends quality time in the Casino while in Vegas and Amanda helps him along the way. She is not interested in going to rehab and has taken to being a prostitute. Taylor loses big in the casino and we are taken through about 30 minutes of hilarious situations that you can get yourself into while in Vegas, if you are an idiot. The Greg character is a trip, as he hates Taylor and is a weasel towards Amanda, only hanging around for the big money toys Amanda affords. Taylor gets beat up, swindled, black out drunk and thoroughly humiliated, so if this sort of movie makes you laugh, here you go? I enjoyed this movie, as this type of humor appeals to me. If you liked Election, this is a must see. Matthew Broderick is smooth throughout. Not a real long film, but many laughs are had 2 1/2 stars out of 4 DeleteReplyForwardMove... Previous | Next | Back to Messages Save Message Text | Full Headers