VOD film review: Spare Change (2015)
Review Overview
Food for thought
6Stealing from the poor
4Jerry Gergich
8Ruby | On 12, Sep 2015
Directors: Arturo Guzman, Jonathan Talbert
Cast: Lissa Lauria, Elyse Levesque, Curt Mega, Jim O’Heir
Watch Spare Change online in the UK: Apple TV (iTunes) / Google Play
Millennial Jane (Lissa Lauria) doesn’t take life too seriously. Her neurotic boss has had enough of her irresponsible ways and her roommate Lily (Elyse Levesque) is patience personified, even when Jane is fired from her job.
Unable to find work in Los Angeles with any employer who is not full of neuroses, she stumbles into homelessness. Not the real and all-too-often scary kind, but the fake kind where she gets to go home at the end of each day and count her spare change and numerous green notes. And yes, this a comedy.
At first, it’s a stretch to remind yourself not to take Jane too seriously, with her annoying goofiness and pretty awful attitude to taking money away from the people on the streets who actually need it, but with her best friend Lily balancing the argument against, they just about pull this off.
The front half of Spare Change is montage heavy, and a little silly at times, but stick with it: the drama that should have featured throughout arrives in the latter half. Jane realises that this money making venture has consequences, after the love of her life and ex-boyfriend Aaron (Curt Mega) catches her card hustling on the pavement. He’s been away doing good deeds in the Peace Corps and he just so happens to now work for a homeless charity. As life gets complicated, it gives Lissa and Elyse the opportunity to let their quality shine through. A cameo appearance from Jim O’Heir (Parks and Recreation’s Jerry) adds a little more depth and tone to the movie. All in all, it’s certainly worth renting – if you have a little spare change.