Finder's Fee (2001)

Simply A Masterpiece

an ambitious but ultimately ineffective debut endeavor.

There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

If you are at all intelligent, if you like your movies to make sense, do not watch this movie. I won't spoil the ending. But it's the ending that spoils the movie. The first 85 minutes of this movie are great. The acting is excellent, and the story is interesting. It seems to really be going somewhere. But then at the end, things happen that simply cannot logically happen. And there is no supernatural or mystical element to this movie that could explain away the massive, glaring inconsistencies. In the end, you're simply left with a story that could not have concluded the way it does. If you're like me, you'll be left hacked off and wanting answers. But don't look to the director's commentary on the DVD. Because the first thing Jeff Probst tells you in that commentary is that they aren't going to discuss the movie. Instead, they're going to discuss how to make a movie! Imagine that. The creators of this absolute turd of a movie are going to tell you how to make your own movie. Wonderful!

A movie set almost completely in a New York apartment. Some younger and some older people are having a party, in a twisty plot over a mystery and many lies. That was Rope (1948), directed by Alfred Hitchcock.Now back to Finder's Fee. While not every twist and turn had equal plausibility, I enjoyed the suspense and suspicions coming from all sides. Interesting actors, nicely quick pace. And then..(Spoilers ahead) .. the final plot twist shocked me, and made me feel very frustrated. How can a scene of some 20 seconds ruin 90 minutes of well-done movie? Instead of the "Who done it?" question of many other movies, I started to rack my brain with "How could they do it?"A loses his wallet with the 6m ticket. B finds it, leaves a recorded message for C. Then D appears, claims to be A and seems to know a lot but shows no credentials, gets the wallet, but with not the right ticket... In the end, D leaves with the right one, and shortly later A appears and wants his wallet.My only theory is that D and A both heard the recorded message, which gave B's full address. But did both know the ticket was winning? Somehow, I'm still puzzled... I miss a closure that normally THE END should bring.

Despite the fact that this movie takes place in one location, it does not drag or get boring - that in and of itself is a HUGE accomplishment! I thought the story was great how it put the main character into a sticky situation. All the characters had distinct personalities, which kept their conversations entertaining. The psychological suspense was strong. It's a movie wrought with tension. I applaud an indie filmmaker (Jeff Probst) for pulling off a good movie on a budget that is tiny compared to the studio budgets.If you liked it, watch the director's commentary. Jeff Probst is very open about the process and how this film came into fruition (before he got his Survivor gig, by the way).If you are looking for an indie film with some humor, psychological suspense, and good acting, check out this film.

What you'll get with "Finder's Fee" is 100 minutes inside an apartment with four poker buddies, a bus driver who has come to claim his lost wallet (JE Jones), a cop (Forster), and a couple of minutes of Carly Pope and an old lady. This claustrophobic journeyman drama is chock full of unnecessary filler including lots of lame guy talk, an annoying cop who keeps popping up for no apparent reason, and a $6 million lottery ticket. At issues is, of course, who's going to get the six mil? A marginal small screen watch which Tivo gave an unusually high three stars which suckered me into the film, "Finder's Fee" will require some serious dumbing down to avoid taking issue with the many likely possible outcomes in favor of an unlikely outcome contrived for entertainment value. Apparently a failed attempt to be a tight, dialogue intensive, character driven, one set drama (eg: The Big Kahuna, Glengarry Glen Ross, etc.), this flick is couch potato fodder. Turn brain off before viewing. (C+)