Runtime:
93 minutes
Release
Date: October 14, 2012
Rating:
NR
Director:
David Guy Levy
After
her parents die, Iris (Brittany Snow, "Prom Night") returns
home to take care of her little brother, but she has a number of
problems. The bills keep piling up, she can't find a job, and her
little brother is sick and desperately needs medical help. She meets
a man named Shepard Lambrick (Jeffrey Combs, "Re-Animator")
who offers her a deal. His foundation runs a special dinner event
with a game attached, and the winner gets all their dreams taken care
of by the foundation.
Though
Iris initially doesn't want to go, she changes her mind when she
realizes how much her brother needs her help. Once she arrives at the
event, she learns that there are a handful of other people competing
for the same prize. Over dinner, Shepard offers them a few prizes. A
recovering alcoholic wins $10,000 for drinking a bottle of scotch,
and Iris, who is a vegetarian, wins $10,000 for eating a steak. As
soon as dinner is over, Shepard announces that they must play a game
of would you rather, only this game involves sick choices like
electrocuting yourself or the person sitting next to you.
I read a
short synopsis of "Would You Rather," and it was enough to
let me know I wanted to see the film. Unfortunately, it took me over
a week to actually find a copy once it came out. I almost didn't rent
it, but I'm glad I did because this was a great little film. Combs
can bring a creepiness to almost any role, and he somehow manages to
be both creepy and helpful in this film. He's fully aware that what
he's doing is wrong, but he also thinks that he's really helping them
by offering to make their lives better.
The film
introduces us to way too many characters though. There's a woman in a
wheelchair, a veteran returning from overseas, a young woman who lost
her child, plus the Crab Man from "My Name is Earl." Two of
the characters, Lucas and Cal, form an instant connection to Iris,
which feels unrealistic at times. It feels even more unrealistic when
Travis, the former soldier, agrees to let them whip him multiple
times to save Iris and others from getting stabbed. There really
isn't any buildup to why they go to such lengths to save her, but she
is the star of the film.
The
other characters are a little more believable. When the old lady in
the wheelchair doesn't want someone to stab her even though she can't
feel her legs, it's a fun little moment. Amy is probably one of the
least sympathetic characters in the film. She's the first to realize
that only one of them will walk away from the game, but she comes
across as incredibly bitchy and rude at times.
"Would
You Rather" is definitely an interesting film. It sets things
up, asking how far you would go for the chance to take care of all
your hopes and dreams. Iris starts out as a woman willing to do
anything to help her brother, but she then spirals out of control,
caring about the people around her and wanting them to escape the
hellish nightmare too. It has a number of gory moments and some
scenes that left me wincing including a man forced to slice open his
own eyeball. Some people might walk away comparing it to the "Saw"
franchise, but I found that it offered a twist on that story.
No comments:
Post a Comment