VOD Releases: Dr. Cheapskate (2016) - Reviewed




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Most reasonable people know that the majority of the behavior portrayed in a romantic comedy is not really how love and the act of courtship really are and that nearly all of the characters are not very believable. The common tropes associated with a rom-com include a flawed female protagonist, who meets a cute future mate, at some point their relationship will stall, then there is some grand epiphany or event that brings them together, there is a supporting cast of friends, and the city is usually a character. Writer and director Jason Ancona steps away from most of these in this low budget independent picture and turns the focus onto the men seeking out relationships.

The story involves Dr. Dana Kelly who ends up getting divorced and is stuck with paying alimony and resorts to becoming an extreme cheapskate. He meets an old friend Beau who tries to help him get back into the dating scene and in the process a bet is made between them and Beaus’ lothario friend Hunter. It is all a unique and unusual take on the rom-com movie focusing on men in their forties trying to get back into the dating scene after getting divorced. It focuses on just three main characters; the one trying to get back into the dating game, the one who is a veteran of the dating game, and the hunk that hooks up with everyone. All three of them could be considered cliché movie archetypes, but they are written and acted in such a realistic manner that they don’t come off that way.

They compare the world of dating to being like living in the animal kingdom or competing in a sport and all of the dating situations that Dana gets put through are definitely realistic parts of having to meet people. It all feels authentic and almost documentary style, as if we were just following a group of guys around as they try to pick up women. The script has some good comedic lines, realistic dialogue, and relatable situations that I found to be rather hilarious. Each actor was excellent in their respective roles, especially considering that most of them have not appeared in many productions so far. There was nothing spectacular about the cinematography or score; this was basically a low budget take on a romantic comedy.

What do a nearsighted gynecologist and a puppy have in common? A wet nose.

I honestly went into this expecting something pretty terrible and ended up being pleasantly surprised at how funny and different this is compared to most of the romantic subgenre pictures.

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Score

-Raul Vantassle