Would You Rather? (2012)

Would You Rather? (2012)

            I recently had the opportunity to watch this delightful little movie in my increasingly growing spare time, and it helped me achieve exactly what I was looking for- an excellent waste of my time.  Would You Rather? Is a low budget film Directed by David Guy Levy (there is literally no reason to know this name) that I found to be a mildly pleasant surprise.  I stumbled upon it while I was browsing my Netflix cue, and was immediately drawn in by the cover art.  It depicts some poor soul holding a razor blade from his eyeball.  On Netflix cover art is everything, so that is why I ended up watching this movie. 

            I went in completely cold, knowing only that it was a gore/horror type of movie, basically a poor man’s Saw.  Now first off let me say that whoever cast this movie did a brilliant job, whether intentional or not.  It was like they shuffled the deck of D list actors and just played whatever hand they were dealt.  In this case it worked out superbly.  There will be a recognisable actor in here for almost every one; whether it be John Heard, who has been in literally every movie in the last twenty years, Crab Man from My Name is Earl, or Ricky from Trailer Park Boys, there is someone for you.  Even my girlfriend pointed out “Hey that’s that hyper kid from Accepted!”  My personal favorite was the somewhat surprising appearance of Sasha Grey.  That’s right, the pornstar Sasha Grey, who I’m guessing simply played a more clothed version of herself.  Though seeing her in this film brought back immediate happy memories, it didn't entirely mask the sinister tones of what is to cum…. See what I did there.

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The Plot

Iris (Brittany Snow) is a young woman who is willing to do anything to save her brother, who is dying of cancer.  Left with no other options, she accepts an invite to a dinner hosted by the wealthiest family in town, the Lambricks.  Upon arriving she meets the other seven guests who are all there looking for a handout from the seemingly generous Mr. Lambrick.  Once they are all gathered in the dining hall, Lambrick explains that the 8 guests are to participate in a simple game of would you rather?  with the winner receiving all the money they need to make their problems go away.  Initially Mr. Lambrick playfully makes it rain $bills on several guests following a few simple and harmless dares. Soon though, the game begins to turn sinister, testing the physical limits each guest is willing to endure in order to survive, the money is merely a bonus.     

          

My Take

            I’ll be honest, this is an entertaining movie, but it has its flaws.  The overall tone of the movie was very dark and colourless, which helped emphasize the doom and gloom atmosphere the characters experience.  Most of the actors delivered passable background performances, which you would expect from this cast simply by looking over it.  I did enjoy Mr. Lambrick (Jeffrey Combs) and his sadistic henchmen Bevans (Jonny Coyne).  They provided both comedy and cruelty which helped move this film along.  Rob Wells also managed to deliver a solid performance as a gambling addict looking to turn his fortunes around.

            The biggest problem I have with this movie was that it had such great potential, which it didn’t quite manage to live up to.  The 7 party guests (besides Brittany Snow), are for the most part one dimensional characters with little to no back-story or character arcs.  It is obvious, through character development heavily focused on a single character (Iris), which guest is inevitably going to leave this party alive.  If one or more of the characters had more compelling back stories or showed any kind of development throughout the film, the deaths of these characters would have had more of an impact on the audience.  That being said, a good torture/death scene is something any fan of this genre can enjoy.  The idea of looking forward to characters being eliminated one by one in increasingly disturbing ways is what draws viewers in, and they won’t be disappointed.

            There are a few scenes and a couple characters that felt unnecessary to the plot; basically anything involving Dr. Barden, a cohort of Mr. Lambrick’s who has a sudden, unexplained, change of heart and attempts to stop the party  These scenes felt like nothing more than time fillers or weak attempts creating a subplot, which this movie lacks entirely.  The film would have benefited greatly by cutting the scenes with the Doctor out entirely and focusing more on the Lambrick family.  Who are they? How did they get their money? Why are they evil sadistic fucks?  Sadly none of these questions will be answered in this film.   

The gore and special effects manage to hold their own against bigger budget movies of this nature.  It offers some memorable and brutal scenes with dialogue that is able to make you laugh through the characters pain.  The later rounds of elimination offer creative modes of dispatching hopeful contestants.

The Verdict

This film is a good time waster, probably one to watch with friends and a few drinks to wash down some of the acting and slower scenes.  It is a low budget film but the cinematography is passable so that you hardly notice.  There are flaws in the story and some of the scenes are a tad repetitive and boring but there is a good blend of gory and funny to this film.  Whether you want to gross people out, or just laugh at Sasha Grey getting drowned, this movie is very watchable and even, I dare say, enjoyable.  Consider Would You Rather? a guilty pleasure that you maybe don’t tell anyone about.

6.1/10