Romantic comedies can be a tough genre to crack. Male-oriented films of this nature often rely on juvenile antics and gross-out humor, eschewing morality and lesson-learning for farts and “bro culture.” Me, You and Five Bucks is a male-focused comedy that tries to rely on mature characters. It sometimes succeeds but is held back by a lack of focus and confusing plot choices.
Charlie Castillo (Jaime Zevallos) gets dumped out of the blue by his girlfriend Pam (Angela Sarafyan). Finally following through on his writing aspirations, Charlie writes a book called The 7 Steps of Healing the Male Broken Heart. The book becomes a smash hit, catalyzing the movie’s action.
Pam soon re-enters the picture, and then Charlie must contend with his newfound fame as well as his long-gone relationship. Zevallos and Sarafyan turn in strong performances, but the film is frankly all over the place and loses focus. The supporting characters aren’t memorable in any way, and the film, clocking in at 93 minutes, seems to drag on at points. Still, the chemistry between Castillo and Sarafyan will provide a lot of entertainment for those interested in romantic comedies. The film would work well for fans of that genre, as well as those who are aspiring creatives. An optional purchase for public libraries.