Five Dollars a Day
Encyclopedia
Five Dollars a Day is a comedy film directed by
Nigel Cole
, produced by Capitol Films
subsidiary ThinkFilm
and starring Christopher Walken
, Alessandro Nivola
, Amanda Peet
, and Sharon Stone
. 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. It premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
.
) is a successful, yet quiet man living in Los Angeles, California
with his girlfriend (Amanda Peet
). He has just been fired from his job as a health inspector when he hears his father, Nat, (Christopher Walken
) a thrifty con-man has a brain tumor
and that he is going to drive to New Mexico
to seek a potential cure. He grudgingly goes to Atlantic City to see his father who then explains he has been living on five dollars a day, going comedically far distances to do so. The odd couple hit the road in a Sweet'n Low
car Nat won off the radio
, (Nat constantly calls into various radio stations to get free things) and Ritchie calls his girlfriend to tell her about his life and the trip, using cell-phones with free minutes. They wind up in a vacant house
that is for sale to spend the night, and narrowly avoid being seen by a realtor and some people looking at the home. They proceed to drive to various cities, once staying at an open house for a retirement village. They then go to Amarillo, Texas
where Nat meets with Ritchie's old babysitter, who is now a professional model, who Nat has a thing for. They make it to New Mexico, where Nat begins to think about stopping in Vegas
, but by this time Ritchie finds that his dad got him fired by telling his boss of an earlier jail
sentence. (Ritchie took the fall to avoid his dad going to jail for one of his crimes). Nat only did so because he wanted to spend time with his son. Ritchie also realizes Nat is not actually his father, but at this time Nat winds up in the hospital
, sick. Before Nat dies, he takes him to a shack outside a small lake
, where the two swim. Ritchie and his girlfriend are then shown sitting in a boat on the lake, scattering Nat's ashes
from a makeshift urn
made from a pepsi
cup, something Nat got for less than five dollars.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Nigel Cole
Nigel Cole
Nigel Cole is a British film and television director.Cole began his career in the 1980s, directing current affairs shows and documentaries for Central Independent Television. Into the 1990s, Cole co-wrote the play Sod with Arthur Smith, which he also directed and presented at the Pleasance during...
, produced by Capitol Films
Capitol Films
Capitol Films is at the hub of David Bergstein's Pegasus Studios - a multinational Filmed Entertainment Group - with interests in production, post-production, library management and foreign sales....
subsidiary ThinkFilm
THINKFilm
THINKFilm is a privately held production and distribution company founded in September 2001. It has been a division of David Bergstein’s Capitol Films since 2006. Bergstein also serves as the company’s chairman...
and starring Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
, Alessandro Nivola
Alessandro Nivola
Alessandro Antine Nivola is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles in the films Best Laid Plans, Jurassic Park III, Face/Off, and the first two films of the Goal! trilogy.-Personal life:...
, Amanda Peet
Amanda Peet
Amanda Peet is an American actress, who has appeared on film, stage, and television. After studying with Uta Hagen at Columbia University, Peet began her career in television commercials, and progressed to small roles on television, before making her film debut in 1995...
, and Sharon Stone
Sharon Stone
Sharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
. The project dates back to 2003 when Nick Cassavetes had signed on to direct, but a year later was replaced by John Curran
John Curran (director)
John Curran is an American film director and screenwriter.Born in Utica, New York, Curran studied illustration and design at Syracuse University, then worked as an illustrator, graphic designer, and production designer in Manhattan before moving to Sydney, Australia in 1986...
. Three years later Nigel Cole is sitting in the director's chair. It premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
2008 Toronto International Film Festival
The 2008 Toronto International Film Festival, was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. This 33rd annual festival was from September 4 to September 13, 2008...
.
Plot
Ritchie Flynn Parker (Alessandro NivolaAlessandro Nivola
Alessandro Antine Nivola is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles in the films Best Laid Plans, Jurassic Park III, Face/Off, and the first two films of the Goal! trilogy.-Personal life:...
) is a successful, yet quiet man living in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
with his girlfriend (Amanda Peet
Amanda Peet
Amanda Peet is an American actress, who has appeared on film, stage, and television. After studying with Uta Hagen at Columbia University, Peet began her career in television commercials, and progressed to small roles on television, before making her film debut in 1995...
). He has just been fired from his job as a health inspector when he hears his father, Nat, (Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken
Christopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
) a thrifty con-man has a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
and that he is going to drive to New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
to seek a potential cure. He grudgingly goes to Atlantic City to see his father who then explains he has been living on five dollars a day, going comedically far distances to do so. The odd couple hit the road in a Sweet'n Low
Sweet'N Low
Sweet'n Low is a brand of artificial sweetener from granulated saccharin, dextrose and cream of tartar. It was invented and first introduced in 1957 by Benjamin Eisenstadt and his son, Marvin Eisenstadt...
car Nat won off the radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, (Nat constantly calls into various radio stations to get free things) and Ritchie calls his girlfriend to tell her about his life and the trip, using cell-phones with free minutes. They wind up in a vacant house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
that is for sale to spend the night, and narrowly avoid being seen by a realtor and some people looking at the home. They proceed to drive to various cities, once staying at an open house for a retirement village. They then go to Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
where Nat meets with Ritchie's old babysitter, who is now a professional model, who Nat has a thing for. They make it to New Mexico, where Nat begins to think about stopping in Vegas
Las Vegas metropolitan area
The Las Vegas Valley is the heart of the Las Vegas-Paradise, NV MSA also known as the Las Vegas–Paradise–Henderson MSA which includes all of Clark County, Nevada, and is a metropolitan area in the southern part of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Valley is defined by the Las Vegas Valley landform, a ...
, but by this time Ritchie finds that his dad got him fired by telling his boss of an earlier jail
Jail
A jail is a short-term detention facility in the United States and Canada.Jail may also refer to:In entertainment:*Jail , a 1966 Malayalam movie*Jail , a 2009 Bollywood movie...
sentence. (Ritchie took the fall to avoid his dad going to jail for one of his crimes). Nat only did so because he wanted to spend time with his son. Ritchie also realizes Nat is not actually his father, but at this time Nat winds up in the hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, sick. Before Nat dies, he takes him to a shack outside a small lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
, where the two swim. Ritchie and his girlfriend are then shown sitting in a boat on the lake, scattering Nat's ashes
Cremation
Cremation is the process of reducing bodies to basic chemical compounds such as gasses and bone fragments. This is accomplished through high-temperature burning, vaporization and oxidation....
from a makeshift urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
made from a pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
cup, something Nat got for less than five dollars.
Cast
- Christopher WalkenChristopher WalkenChristopher Walken is an American stage and screen actor. He has appeared in more than 100 movies and television shows, including Joe Dirt, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, The Prophecy trilogy, The Dogs of War, Sleepy Hollow, Brainstorm, The Dead Zone, A View to a Kill, At Close Range, King of New...
as Nat Parker - Alessandro NivolaAlessandro NivolaAlessandro Antine Nivola is an American actor, perhaps best known for his roles in the films Best Laid Plans, Jurassic Park III, Face/Off, and the first two films of the Goal! trilogy.-Personal life:...
as Ritchie Flynn Parker - Sharon StoneSharon StoneSharon Vonne Stone is an American actress, film producer, and former fashion model. She achieved international recognition for her role in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct...
as Dolores Jones - Amanda PeetAmanda PeetAmanda Peet is an American actress, who has appeared on film, stage, and television. After studying with Uta Hagen at Columbia University, Peet began her career in television commercials, and progressed to small roles on television, before making her film debut in 1995...
as Maggie - Peter CoyotePeter CoyotePeter Coyote is an American actor, author, director, screenwriter and narrator of films, theatre, television and audio books. His voice work includes narrating the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics and Apple's iPad campaign. He has also served as on-camera co-host of the 2000 Oscar...
as Bert Kruger - Dean CainDean CainDean Cain is an American actor. He is most widely known for his role as Clark Kent/Superman in the popular American television series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.-Early life:...
as Rick Carlson