Twenty Bucks (1993)

That was an excellent one.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

A woman withdraws money from an ATM but a $20 bill gets away. Homeless Angeline (Linda Hunt) chases it down. The serial number strikes her as the winning numbers for the $14 million draw that night but a kid steals the bill. The story follows it passing from one person to the next. There is the groom Sam Mastrewski (Brendan Fraser) and a stripper (Melora Walters). There is the grandson and his girlfriend both underage trying to get alcohol. There is petty criminal Frank (Steve Buscemi) recruited by Jimmy (Christopher Lloyd) to go on a robbery spree. There is waitress aspiring-writer Emily Adams (Elisabeth Shue) and her boyfriend Neil. These and others characters are all connected by the $20 bill.This is a high-concept film. It's more compelling as a concept than an actual film. The problem is that the $20 bill is nothing special. There is a reason why this story written so long ago has been sitting around. It's hard to make the story consistently compelling when the characters keep changing. Lloyd and Buscemi are a memorable duo but this is mostly a bunch of random people's stories. With such a flimsy piece of paper tying the movie together, it eventually falls apart. This is more of a writing exercise than a compelling watch.

Twenty Bucks is a story about a twenty dollar bill. Rather then focusing in on plot, the movie trades in the "same ole same ole" genre, and tries something different...following the path of an ordinary, twenty dollar bill, and seeing how the money is transfered from person to person. Sometimes, it will just fly up to you, and we'll find out how that money is spent, influenced, and even disrupts your life. It's interesting to find out who will wind up with it next, and how it will affect their life. From the minute it comes out of an ATM machine, to then end of the film, when the twenty dollars finally gets...ummm....well, it's torn up enough lives, I think it had it coming! This is an incredibly unique film, I cannot say it is a film for everyone, but for those who want a dose of something different, I strongly encourage this one

This script was mildly original when it was written in 1935, but the poor performances and the inconsistent quality level make it impossible to recommend. Some of the vignettes are absolutely terrible and the dialogue is never natural. A few of the plot twists were creative, but I was very surprised to see it so highly rated here at the IMDB. A few scenes are worthwhile, it's as a film that if fails completely to entertain. If you like this sort of montage, run don't walk and get "Tales of Manhattan" (1942) a marvelous film that follows the life and times of a topcoat.

This film was written in 1935 by screenwriter Endre Bohem shortly before his death. He never completed the script. It sat on a shelf in his archives for 55 years. Finally in 1990, his son, Leslie Bohem, found it and immediately fell in love with the concept. He completed the script, updated it for a more modern audience, and filmed it with director Keva Rosenfeld. In the film, a $20 bill is minted and sent to a bank. A mother with her hands full uses an ATM machine, drops the bill in her hassle, and the story begins. The rest of this film follows the bill through the hands of 12 complete strangers who, through various ways, pass the bill to one another. Along the way, the note weaves in and out of the lives of a street person, an aspiring writer, two thieves (a hilarious Steve Bucemi and Christopher Lloyd), and a stripper who also...well, I won't ruin it for you. However, besides the inventive concept, it is fun to see many of today's brightest stars, when they were just starting out in the industry. Look for such faces as David Schwimmer(NBC's "Friends"), Elisabeth Shue(Leaving Las Vegas), William H. Macy(Fargo, Wag the Dog), Brendan Fraser(The Scout, George of the Jungle), and Steve Bucemi(Reservoir Dogs, The Big Lebowski).This is a great film to watch with a group of friends. One tip, though. Don't keep pausing the film, or you might lose track of who has the bill.