Fifty Pills

Fifty Pills
2006
Directed by Theo Avgerinos



SYNOPSIS

Darren (Lou Taylor Pucci) is a college freshman. He loses his college scholarship after his roommate Coleman (John Hensley) throws a huge party while Darren is away. Now in order to pay his tuition, Darren must sell 50 pills of Ecstasy, brave some unusual customers, and confront angry drug dealers... all while trying to get the confidence to ask out the girl of his dreams (Kristen Bell.)



MY THOUGHTS

High school and college films are cranked out by the studios and from independent filmmakers like an assembly line, rarely producing a great product. The independent production Fifty Pills is no exception... and we get to see many 'exciting' indie film cliches.
Bland alt-rock soundtrack. Check
Character's names written on screen when they appear. Check.
Vague ending. Check.

The direction gives the film a very bland feel. This was Avgerinos' first feature and it shows. It feels like you're watching a student film, which is rarely a good thing. The lighting, shots and editing were equally bland as well.

The script is lackluster. For a comedy, the film is short on big laughs, though there are a very few good ones. Many jokes and situations you see coming because you've seen them before and done far better.
Darren begins the movie by talking directly to the camera several times. In the history of film and television, the only time this has ever worked effectively was on Malcolm In The Middle.
The conversation with the audience is then completely abandoned halfway through the film. Maybe he found us boring?
It's a college film, yet we never see the characters even crack open a book let alone go to class. The only time it's ever mentioned is when Darren says he has a paper to write.
The scenes with the Eduardo character and his two pals seemed completely unnecessary and the film would have been better without them and a chance to further develop the characters already present.
Also, Darren's character has the same awkward reaction every time he encounters a crazy while dealing, which gets old quick. There's only so much an actor can do to save a mediocre script.

The film's strongest element are its performances. Lou Taylor Pucci is very down to earth and is just as likable as he was in his breakthrough performance in 'Thumbsucker.' He has a bright future as an actor if he gets better material. His and Kristen Bell's characters seem to be the only sane ones. Her character never gets to shine much. It was a blandly written role that reminded me of Mary Jane in the Spiderman series.
It's a wonder the character of Darren turned out so normal with his parents. Played by Jane Lynch (most famous for being in the Christopher Guest mocumentaries) and John Kapelos, they make the most of their brief screen time and have great chemistry, though they aren't very important to the plot.
Eddie Kaye Thomas (of American Pie fame) is also funny as the Diff'rent Strokes - obsessed ecstasy customer.
The real highlight of the film is Monica Keena. She plays a dominatrix who runs her operation from her grandmother's basement. She's only in two scenes, but steals them.

Despite the strong performances, it's basically just a completely average movie.