Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

Fresh and Exciting

The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

After partying, groggy New York University freshman Lou Taylor Pucci (as Darren Giles) wakes up. He has lost his scholarship and is unable to pay for the next semester. But Mr. Pucci wants to stay in school, finish his paper on Dante's "Inferno" and lock tongues with pretty blonde Kristen Bell (as Gracie). Via answering machine, his perfectly eyebrow-plucked roommate John Hensley (as Coleman Anderson) offers Pucci an opportunity. Pucci must sell 50 hits of the drug "Ecstasy" for Mr. Hensley, at $20 a pop… We flashback four months ago, to see what happened to prompt this deal; Hensley had a party and, although Pucci didn't attend, he was blamed due to having a bottle of vodka in his refrigerator. Next, we see how Pucci endeavors to sell the pills..."Fifty Pills" is the kind of movie which fails as a whole, but has parts which are interesting. Director Theo Avgerinos and his team show they are capable of telling a good cinematic story – though this isn't exactly it. This may also be why "Catcher in the Rye" is not represented well on film. The drug peddling plot doesn't make much sense; of course, it's meant to be comic, but it isn't funny. Neither are the tame representations of deviant sex or the dumb gay references. The first segment that amuses is the scene with "Different Strokes" fan Eddie Kaye Thomas (as Ralphie), due to the absurdity of the film's themes reaching momentary cohesion. The crew's work on the "Cross the River" interlude is nice; musicians David Manning and La Rocca contribute well.**** Fifty Pills (4/26/06) Theo Avgerinos ~ Lou Taylor Pucci, John Hensley, Kristen Bell, Eddie Kaye Thomas

Darren attends NYU and is matched with a roommate who is a creep and a slimeball. Before he knows it, he is on probation and on the administration's radar. Everything seems to go wrong for Darren Giles, except he meets an attractive girl named Gracie (Kristen Bell).Because he desperately needs money, he spends a day selling ecstasy to the customers of his roommate. These quirky customers include a dominatrix, and a day trader who is passionate about the TV show "Different Strokes."I'm afraid I can't score this film very highly for these reasons:1. The romance is a secondary theme that is not well-developed.2. The primary story--the sale of the pills--is disjointed.3. The characters are weak. Some of their behavior is inappropriate to the character. I wish Monica Keene, who played Petunia, could have been used more. Kristen Bell's talents were wasted.4. Some jokes have obvious punchlines.5. The background music often does not fit the action.6. In the early part of the film, Darren talks to the audience, narrating the action, similar to Ferris Bueller. This is not carried throughout the film; the style of the film is inconsistent.Strangely enough, the ending has some congruity. If only the entire film possessed that same quality.

This had some really great moments. It reminds you of those movies, such a "lock, stock and..." where a clumsy guy has to do a "job", except that it's not trying to be cool (movie that is), and instead goes for funny. Thank god for that, I just can't stand those "cool" movies with slow motion and witty thugs. Unfortunately, it was stuffed with bunch of pointless things, like comedy of awkward situations, (each more predictable then the last one), stupid, stupid love story with a girl that couldn't possibly be any more flat and boring, which has a very fine roommate, who apart from making lead lady seem even more bleak, hardly has any purpose in the movie. And oh, some disturbingly bad acting. So, this was a combination of predictable and very unpredictable moments. Although you will be annoyed, there still are some good reasons to see it.

I saw the premier of Fifty Pills at the Tribeca Film Festival Yesterday. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from the movie, but since I know the directer I figured I'd enjoy it. And I was right. The characters were great and the plot was entertaining.**Possible Spoilers** The whole plot revolves around Darren, who lost his scholarship and financial aid. This leads him to a desperate attempt of money making. His roommate, Coleman has given Darren the opportunity to play drug dealer for a day. Fifty Pills of Ectasy, to be sold in one day at 20 bucks a pop. Darren, led by a beeper, travels New York, dispensing 'happiness' to those in need. This action leads to his being hunted by the "Soul Man", another drug dealer who Darren has stepped on in a way. Darren also faces a dominatrix, an avid fan of Different Strokes, and even a cousin. In the end he manages to sell a lot of E, not get shot, killed, beat up, arrested, or subjected to any more watching of Different Strokes. He also gets to keep the girl, who disapproved of his drug dealing ways.**End of Possible Spoilers**All in all I thought that this was a great movie, and worth seeing if you like Lou Taylor Pucci, Kristen Bell, John Hensley or the work of the director, Theo Avgerinos.