Finding Amanda (2008) Movie Information:

Finding Amanda (2008) Directed by: Peter Tolan Finding Amanda (2008) Written by: Peter Tolan Finding Amanda (2008) Cast: Matthew Broderick, Brittany Snow, Steve Coogan

Finding Amanda (2008) U.S. Distributor: Magnolia Pictures Finding Amanda (2008) U.K. Distributor: Not available at this time

Our Rating: User Rating:  Log in to rate this movie

Finding Amanda (2008) Synopsis:

It follows a TV producer seriously down on his luck, not to mention a recovering drug addict and alcoholic. His past is littered with incidents, such as the day he both vomited on stage at the Emmys and lost $150,000 betting on a horse race.

Finding Amanda (2008) Movie Review:

Finding Amanda is a troubled dark indie comedy that has rough time trying to find its pace and more than anything clarity. Writer/director Peter Tolan garners a few one-liners, a few chuckles, but hardly anything in Finding Amanda is worth reminiscing over.

Taylor Peters (Matthew Broderick) is a Hollywood sitcom writer, who has won Emmys in years past, but his current show’s ratings are sinking drastically due to its weak writing. He is also not in good graces with his wife, Lorraine (Maura Tierney), who has him seeing a therapist for his compulsive gambling problems. Taylor sneaks off to the horse racetrack between his sessions, which have led Lorraine to taking away his credit cards and checkbook. After being Lorraine dumps him due to being untrustworthy, Taylor plans to win her back by completing a good deed of going to Las Vegas to find their niece Amanda (Brittany Snow) and get her to enter rehab. Amanda is a spunky 20 year old who fled from home and has become a prostitute in the city of sin as well as having her family thinking she is addicted to drugs. Once finally locating Amanda, after a few games at the tables, Taylor learns that she is making numerous amounts of money and shows no signs of being unhappy, even with her questionable boyfriend Greg (Peter Facinelli). A journey of self-discovery ensues as both Taylor and Amanda struggle through their difference and learn that both have a more in common that initially thought.

Tolan (Analyze This, Stealing Harvard) has had some success in the past with scripting on dark comedies, but Finding Amanda seems to be running in place. The characters are put into some humorous situations, but the backbone and depth to the characters are non-apparent. The film moves a swift pace, but the story is stuck in quicksand the entire film and it finally is sucked under after its clumsy climax. The parallels between the Taylor and Amanda characters work, but one yearns for more attention to this dynamic between the two, instead of just a brief couple of scenes of past troubles. Tolan’s delivery with some of the emotions and secrets of the film are awkward and full of static, instead of being revealing or heartfelt. One example is the way Amanda explains her first prostitutional job to Taylor.

Brittany Snow also misplays this scene among others as Amanda. Her performance is sugar-coated, though she a different realm to work with. She is so happy and perky, and then when the script calls for her dramatic or emotional side, she almost delivers her lines like she is reading them. Snow is a beautiful young talent, but she may need a strong director to help more range out of her. However, she is very impressive in a little movie that was release out on DVD this week called On the Doll. No one has seen this film centered on characters of child abuse, but Snow delivers a solid performance and is involved in a brutal scene that will make audiences cringe.

Matthew Broderick is commendable at best in his role as the compulsive gambling Taylor. He has been a reliable actor in past dark indie films, such as Election, even though some audiences still see him only as Ferris Bueller. Broderick has an effective delivery in his comedic moments, even though he and Snow do not have the best of chemistry. ER’s Maura Tierney plays his wife Lorraine and the scene stealer of this entire film is Steve Coogan’s performance as casino liaison named Michael. Coogan garners the most laughs in the film as also shares some amusing scenes with Broderick’s Taylor.

Overall Finding Amanda is pretty much a misfire despite a few laughs here and there. Brittany Snow is a young actress on the rise that should get better with better roles. Writer Peter Tolan’s script just flunks and is really brought down by its supposedly clever ending.

Our Rating: User Rating:  Log in to rate this movie

Finding Amanda (2008) review written by: Bailey Henderson