$50K and a Call Girl: A Love Story (2014) User Reviews (12)

OK cinema vérité

[shell-79 · 6/10 · 15 January 2014]

As I watched this film I kept thinking: this is like watching some reality TV show such as The Batchelor except that maybe it's real. Then again, maybe not. Nothing at the beginning or the end says "based on a true story" so you never know for sure. In that case this is a fair example of improv. Great premise. The whole thing smacked of America or Americanism or something. I kept thinking throughout: wow, is this ever American. I can't imagine such a film being made anywhere else.

Indeed at times I detected perhaps a bit of real emotion, though most of the time everything felt pretty contrived. But it's not amateurish, much. Just a bit. Is that on purpose or not? We'll never know. Not sure who these people are who made this film but maybe if they ever get a bigger budget they can make something really good. Otherwise, it was not a total waste of 90 minutes.

A different perspective

[extremyo · 7/10 · 27 November 2020]

As with other reviewers, for the duration of this movie I was unable to identify whether it was fiction or real life captured on camera. Which really points out to the excellence of the script writers and the actors. It's quite unbelievable at times, seems as if life is happening in front of you. You can really see inside the characters and even empathize at times, it's mighty well written.

It questions your perspective as to what a movie really is! I almost convinced myself that it was a reality show or something. Very realistic and subtle representation of story. Consider it as a film project, which in fact it is. But man what a success.

Conclusion: Definitely watch

Great movie! Recommend!

[ruskiypotz · 8/10 · 31 January 2014]

i usually don't write reviews especially for all the 'romance' in this movie. with that being said the movie has an incredible plot and i think its an absolutely fantastic movie.. (can really put things in perspective)... certain scenes get pretty sad thinking what if it was you or something.....there's really no one genre for the movie and honestly there was good amount of comedy too....i highly recommend anyone 16+ to see it. i personally don't know much about the cast and what not what they did an absolute marvelous job acting.. this movie definitely deserves nominations for some type of awards...........GO WATCH THIS MOVIE IT WORTH IT!

everyone dies, it is not an excuse for living stupidly

[omayfield · 1/10 · 27 January 2014]

the first thing the terminally sick character in this fictional film does is to steal a comfort dog from the children's cancer ward of a hospital. the second thing is to declare loudly, that he wants to "fuck a hooker". now you know the intellectual and spiritual level of the people portrayed herein. no one here has escaped from their spoiled childhoods. neither the dying man nor his brother seem to have the slightest inkling of how to try to understand life, or to love someone other than by indulging themselves, striking a pose, spending unearned money, and having a frat party. i can certainly feel sorry for them, living or dying so pointlessly, but without any worthwhile qualities to offer, i found it impossible to care.

and of course, of course, this fake documentary is a fake documentary.

My first review, and I am lost...

[jimpa-lau · 10/10 · 15 January 2014]

Being 40+, it goes without saying I have watched my fair share of movies. This one, pushed me to write a review for the first time. Despite being pushed to write something, I have difficulties putting it all in to words. But I will try.

It is quirky, odd, at times light and at times dark. It was inexplicably hard to immerse in to it from start. Having that said, in the end, it was for good reasons.

It took me through a roller coaster of emotions. It made me laugh, smile, open my eyes in disbelief, sad, heartbroken and brought tears to my eyes... Most of all, it made me think, and,,, feel. And I can not recall last time a movie made me feel what I am feeling right now.

I wholeheartedly recommend this to anyone.

Especially knowing this will probably not be a mainstream blockbuster, although I hope it will be recognized as one for the love the creators have put in to it...

A good movie... except it is NOT

[krirks · 3/10 · 18 October 2015]

It was supposed to be a diary film for his dying brother, so the shaky camera, poor lighting, uneven sound and low quality footages are constantly found along the movie. It is understandable but unnecessary because you always know it is not a real story. Trying to make it low quality make it annoying rather than convincing. The storyline is not much more than a crazy stupid road trip. They wanted to do something dumb before his brother die and burn the wedding money of the living brother. Hiring a call girl to the road trip does not make it more entertaining or touching at all. That seems to be just for a "click bait" title. I rated 3 just for the beautiful Lauren Aboulafia who looked like a great combination of Anna Kendrick and Tina Fey. Her acting when she was bored seems convincing. Or maybe it was really boring when she was on set. She should have made it much better in Hollywood.

Endearing Dramedy

[hothotdisco · 9/10 · 17 January 2014]

For a film so off the radar of many viewers, I really wasn't expecting much. The title will also lead you to believe that this is some third rate slap stick comedy cobbled together by some filmmakers who didn't know any better but you are in for a pleasant surprise.

The cast consists of a real life married couple (Lauren and Seth) and a beloved brother who is terminally ill along with his "companion". All of them played their performances with warmth and authenticity. In fact, the performances were so genuine that at one point during the movie, I paused to Google this movie to see if it was actually real or based on a true story. Even though it isn't, this speaks volumes about the actors involved.

The tonality of the script was spot on and matched the theme of mortality and adventure - it even struck a nerve within me numerous times when I asked myself what I would if I was in this situation.

Overall, this film is endearing, sad and comedic at the right times. I highly recommend it, 9/10.

Surprised me

[email-caroline · 8/10 · 14 March 2014]

Found the title off putting (assumed sleazy bloke movie), read IMDb reviews, decided to chance it and……...very pleased I did. Found it a bit slow to get into but totally did get in to it … …and was sad when it ended. I don't know anything about the writer/director/actors etc and like a couple of other reviewers, was left wondering if this was actually a true story. Made me think about my own 'bucket list' and actually what I should be spending my time on … and may be more importantly, what I should STOP spending my time on. Also loved some of the sound track, particularly the last track ('Say no more') by The Cavemen (who I'd never heard of before) but now, thanks to Spotify, I have the album this is off. Great film - thanks IMDb reviewers as I wouldn't have bothered without the reviews.

Breathtaking

[florin-radu-343-900094 · 10/10 · 3 May 2014]

It touched me to tears, I can hardly find the words to describe the feeling. Plenty of meaningful message and a lot of attention to detail. It felt so real and painful, but sparkled with smiles and a sharp sense of irony. The Top Gun scene and the request to be 'Swayzed' were among the best. The team behind had a lot to communicate and have undoubtedly done their homework thoroughly, with a mind-blowing impact. It started in a low pitch, testing your receptivity. Then it grew exponentially and you could hardly keep the pace with the overwhelming flow of emotions. Whoever thought that The Bucket List was emotional might wish to reconsider. Possibly the best movie of the year.

Incredibly Touching

[Baghdaddy · 8/10 · 16 January 2014]

Even though I am a massive action movie fanatic, this film was incredible.

It tells the story of a man's brother who, after 2 years of treatment for a brain tumour, is told by doctors that he only has 1 month to live without treatment, and 6-12 months even with. So he decides to take a carpe diem ('seize the day') approach and creates a bucket list. Using his brother's savings, Ross, whilst attempting to complete task #1 on the bucket list - Sleep with a hooker - ends up falling for her, and they go on to get married.

On the road, Seth and his wife Lauren begin to bicker until he is finally talked some sense by his brother Ross.

Shall not give away the ending but it is very touching.

Filming wise, the film is shot in a documentary sort of style which is actually worked very well, but the only criticism I have of this film is that the bucket list could have been a bit more wild.

Went in not expecting, Left speechless

[lukesmithplp · 10/10 · 27 January 2014]

The film, the say the least, was breathtaking. Rookie writers and real life brothers Seth and Ross did an absolutely phenomenal acting job in this movie. I went into the movie knowing that it was not an actual documentary (after reading several reviews online) and I paused the movie to do more research on if it is indeed a real event, that is how good the emotion of the characters are portrayed. The screen writing was also excellent, showing beautiful portraits, massive landscapes,and faces full of emotion and despair. This is the first review I have written and as mentioned above, the movie pushed me to write one.

I would indeed call this movie one of the best of 2013.

This film breaks the Indie mold

[ryderselmi-10486 · 10/10 · 2 September 2016]

Watching this film was truly an incredible experience that I didn't want to end. I went in a big fan of Ross Patterson and Jessie Wiseman's collection of work, respectively, but this was a unique experience. Big fan of indie movies, but this one is different and certainly breaks the mold. Others have attempted similar styles of cinematography with the intimate and homemade, hand-held video feel, but this one captured a level of authenticity that I don't think can necessarily be replicated. The characters were so incredibly well written, and the acting was so genuine, perfectly capturing the difficult and strange roller coaster of events that take place. It's a testament to the skill of Ross and Seth as writers, and all four of them as actors. This is a film that I will watch again and again.