This fitfully amusing comedy gleans laughs from a situation that isn't really funny at all. Tightly wound sitcom producer Taylor (Matthew Broderick) is forced by his long-suffering wife (Maura Tierney) to make a whirlwind trip to Las Vegas to pick up his teenage niece Amanda (Brittany Snow), a dancer supporting herself as a prostitute and living with a redneck knucklehead (Peter Facinelli) who's cheating on her. Amanda has been booked into a rehab facility, but the one who really needs an intervention is Taylor, who uses the trip as an excuse to indulge his own vices, including an addiction to gambling. Aided by a sleazy, opportunistic casino owner (Steve Coogan), Taylor goes from one embarrassing situation to another, digging himself into such a hole that before the credits roll, Amanda is the character who seems most well-grounded. Director Peter Tolan's Finding Amanda is tonally uneven, although Broderick is solid as the beleaguered schnook whose bad choices and worse luck drive him to progressively desperate measures, while erstwhile “good girl” Snow is surprisingly effective as well. A strong optional purchase. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by star Matthew Broderick and writer-director Peter Tolan, a Q&A with Broderick, Tolan, and costar Brittany Snow (15 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a so-so comedy.] (E. Hulse)
Finding Amanda
Magnolia, 96 min., R, DVD: $26.99, Sept. 16 Volume 23, Issue 6
Finding Amanda
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