NET WORTH — ** — Direct-to-video feature starring Michael T. Weiss, Craig Sheffer, Daniel Baldwin, Todd Field; not rated, probable R (profanity, violence, vulgarity, brief sex, brief drug use, brief nudity); available exclusively from Blockbuster Video locations.
Among the most clichéd movie premises is the "What if?" scenario. It's led to hackneyed fantasies, comedies and thrillers, few with the imagination to pull it off.
Yet that hasn't stopped filmmakers from trying. The latest example is "Net Worth," a direct-to-video feature made by Utahns, filmed here and available only through Blockbuster Video rental stores.
And while this erratic but entertaining drama is prone to clichés, it's better than it has a right to be. Of course, the cast has at least a little to do with that, considering that filmmaker Kenny Griswold managed to attract such actors as Michael T. Weiss (TV's "The Pretender"), Daniel Baldwin and Craig Sheffer.
The plot is pretty straightforward: Four pals agree to a friendly wager — they'll give up everything and move to a different city, each with only $100 to his name and the clothes on his back. The winner is the one who amasses the most money in 30 days.
Their target community? Salt Lake City, where former real-estate agent Michael (Weiss) quickly finds romance and a job as a waiter in a restaurant.
Hapless Thad (Todd Field) isn't so lucky. Leaving behind his life as a seemingly happily married restaurant manager, he quickly gets robbed and then finds himself scraping up window-washing jobs just to stay off the streets.
Of the bunch, the early favorite would have to be Robert (Baldwin), a slick-talking stock broker who quickly endears himself to an LDS family and scalps tickets on the side.
Then there's the always-between-jobs Woody (Sheffer), who manages to land work as a bike-tour host and spends his days and nights either on bike trails or in clubs.
Again, this isn't anything new, and it doesn't completely hold together. But Griswold does throw a few refreshing plot swerves our way and gets decent performances from his cast, especially from the "name" actors.
Also, there are a variety of recognizable Utah locations used in the movie.
"Net Worth" is not rated but would probably receive an R for strong profanity, two violent beatings, crude sexual humor, brief sex scenes, simulated drug use (marijuana) and brief female nudity. Running time: 100 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com