Straight to the DVD pile

Here’s a movie I had no idea existed until today. It’s a road-trip film called “$5 a Day,” and it was released on DVD on Tuesday.

According to HamptonRoads.com’s High-Def Watch section, the movie takes place partly on Route 66. Though it was a low-budget flick, it boasted several prominent actors. The synopsis:

Christopher Walken is hilarious as Nat, an eccentric con-artist and deadbeat dad dying to reconnect with his troubled son, Flynn (Alessandro Nivola, The Eye, Laurel Canyon). Diagnosed with a terminal illness, Nat shanghais his reluctant son into driving him cross-country for experimental medical treatment. Low on cash, they pull off increasingly ridiculous and embarrassing schemes along the way to reach their destination spending only $5 a day. Boasting a star-packed cast that includes Sharon Stone, Amanda Peet and Dean Cain, $5 A DAY is an irresistibly fresh and charming comedy about letting go of the past and choosing your own road.

Here’s the trailer:

According to IMDB.com, “$5 a Day” screened at several film festivals, but I found no evidence it made it to wide release. I wondered why. This tidbit is a big tell:

The project dates back to 2003 when Nick Cassavetes had signed on to direct, but a year later was replaced by John Curran. Three years later Nigel Cole is sitting in the director’s chair.

That shows all the signs of a troubled production. Another bad sign was that Sharon Stone appeared in it. She’s had the work taste (or luck) in films for about 15 years.

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