Finding Amanda

With such a Lifetime-esque title, I can easily see how one could mistake “Finding Amanda” for a trite, melodramatic sap-fest that appeals strictly to the estrogen crowd. But after listening to ten minutes of writer/director Peter Tolan’s profanity-laced venom masquerading as dialogue, it’s easier to see that any sense of sentimentality you may have been expecting has been openly checked at the door. This is a crass, free-spirited black comedy in which public indecency is just as popular as the slot machines inside the casino.

Matthew Broderick stars as Taylor, a smarmy television writer who’s struggling with just about every addiction you can think of yet promises to travel to Vegas and rescue his niece from prostitution. He vows not to gamble one cent while there, but the irresistible air of the track becomes too much to bear and soon enough the bank is prepared to thwart any major transaction he might be planning. When his wife discovers a check missing, she immediately catches on to his scheme and threatens to dissolve their marriage upon his return.

After a series of disappointments, Broderick makes a splendid return to the screen and delivers one of the most starkly funny performances of his career. No matter how despicable Taylor’s behavior becomes, he always seems to emit the ideal amount of humor and charisma to keep the audience on his side. The indelible personality that made Ferris Bueller such an iconic character is still very much in play even if on a more disheveled, self-conscious level.

When he finally spots Amanda (Brittany Snow), she appears to be in better shape than he is regardless of how many restroom rendezvous she’s been a part of. Her hair is bleach blond, her figure is tight, and she’s always perky enough to make you wonder whether her issues are indeed worthy of a stint in rehab. She does have somewhat of an anger-management problem, but Tolan doesn’t toil enough in that area, so I won’t bother discussing it.

Snow is desperately trying to shed her innocent girl image and, for the most part, her performance isn’t all that bad. She has a strangely honest on-screen connection with Broderick and her intensity level during some of the more critical scenes is commendable.

As the film sails toward its conclusion, the relationship between Taylor and Amanda is strained in more ways than one and the likelihood of anyone going to rehab diminishes by the second.

Their final encounter is endearing and evasive at the same time, but the last shot may frustrate those looking for a fairy tale ending. It’s not great, but it’s surely more enjoyable than “What Happens in Vegas” right?

- *** out of 4