Movie Description
In this dark comedy from Peter Tolan (RESCUE ME), Matthew Broderick stars as Taylor Peters, a TV writer who has seen better days. Addictions to gambling and drinking have led to the destruction of his career and marriage, but he thinks he can save himself if he helps find his soon-to-be-ex-wife's niece who has run off...to Las Vegas. Maura Tierney (NEWSRADIO) plays Lorraine Peters, and Brittany Snow (PROM NIGHT) is her wayward niece, Amanda.
Though Matthew Broderick made it big in the 1980s playing cooler-than-cool Ferris Bueller, he's spent much of the 1990s and 2000s playing sad sacks, from ELECTION's Jim McCallister to THE STEPFORD WIVES' Walter Kresby. He continues that trend with the role of Taylor Peters in FINDING AMANDA. Taylor's luck as a TV writer is about to run out; his star, Ed Begley Jr. (playing himself), is unhappy with Taylor's unfunny scripts for his sitcom. Things at home aren't much better. Though he's been sober for several years, he sates his addictive personality with gambling, which doesn't please his long-suffering wife, Lorraine (Maura Tierney, NEWSRADIO). When he learns that Lorraine's niece, Amanda (Brittany Snow, PROM NIGHT), is earning a living as a hooker in Las Vegas, Peter sees a chance for his redemption. If he can find the young woman and take her to rehab, he can save his marriage. If only Amanda wasn't in the gambling and drinking capital of the world...
Written and directed by Peter Tolan, FINDING AMANDA is an autobiographical black comedy that can be painful to watch even if the audience doesn't know it's based on true events. But even so, this film is far closer to SIDEWAYS than to REQUIEM FOR A DREAM. Peter slides deeper and deeper into various kinds of addiction, but there's plenty of dark humor to be found when he tries to convince his niece of her troubles. Snow is bubbly and naive as Amanda, and Peter Facinelli is wonderfully oily as Amanda's loser boyfriend. In a small role, Steve Coogan (HAMLET 2) shines as a casino employee who keeps giving Peter money.
| Credits | | Producer: | Wayne Rice | | Cast: | Bill Fagerbakke, Peter Facinelli |
Editorial Reviews
"Matthew Broderick is low-key and droll....Snow is quite funny and is convincing....It's nice to see Broderick taking a more nuanced role in an indie film..."
USA Today - Claudia Puig (06/27/2008)
"Broderick and Snow display the ease of a veteran cinematic duo." -- Grade: B+
Entertainment Weekly - Entertainment Weekly Staff (09/19/2008)
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