Twenty Bucks - Geld stinkt nicht oder doch?

I caught this on cable a few years back and was immediately intrigued. If you've ever wondered where your money has been, this movie will leave you a little more enlightened...and frightened! From the G-string of a stripper at a Bachelor's party to the hands of a ten year old in a fishing contest to the frantic hands of a homeless woman with Lottery winnings in mind - this bill's journey is surprising and hilarious. The stories around the main idea abound and are far from dull. Christopher Lloyd and Steve Buscemi's scenes are, in my opinion, the highlight of this film. I've never understood why this movie is so wildly underrated. I've never come across any acquaintance that has seen it when I ask. If you get the chance, watch it, you won't be disappointed.

Twenty Bucks is, quite simply, a movie about a $20 bill. You follow one bill in particular from one owner to the next since it first makes it into the general population from a regular ATM machine. This bill makes it's way through good people and bad, from homeless people to rich tycoons to drug dealers and back again. In this bill's life, it gets lost more than I would believe a normal $20 bill would. They are usually protected pretty well to be blowing around in the street constantly. Also, the bill stayed pretty much in the same area and even back and forth through the same hands a few times. All this may be unusual but when thinking on the subject, each bill's lifetime is as unique as our own and while unusual, not impossible.

Just like with our money, some people hold on to some bills longer than others and these people in the movie are the ones with the longer stories. Easily the most entertaining story was the one with Frank (Steve Buscemi) and Jimmy (Christopher Lloyd). Frank is a scam artist until persuaded by Jimmy he can make quite a bit more his way, robbing convenience stores. I felt like I wanted more from these two, which is probably why it was the best. It did not overdo it and make me sick of the characters.

This is is the type of movie you can recommend to those who have seen it all. It will keep you entertained for 90 minutes if nothing else. 7/10

If you ever decide to doubt the power that one incredible idea can do for a movie, you have desperately got to see this! Twenty Bucks is one of the most creative ideas ever made into a movie and will definitely earn a few laughs for the writing alone. While there is no one main character here, the story revolves around a twenty dollar bill. The movie opens as the money enters circulation, and ends when it is mangled and ready to be burned. The life of the money is the story of the movie, and it's just delightful! As it changes hands from one person to the next, it has a profound impact on some people, and no impact on others. At times, it appears that it is a good luck charm, and at others a curse sent from God. Steve Buscemi, Brendan Fraser, Gladys Knight, Elizabeth Shue, Christopher Lloyd, and William H. Macy all get their hands on the money, and there are several others as well.

Apparently, this screenplay was written several years ago by Andre Bohem and nothing was ever done with it. After quite a long period of time, Andre's son Leslie got ahold of the script and modernized it a bit, and the end result is magnificent! While there aren't any acting performances here that are going to melt your hearts, each star is really enjoyable to watch in one way or another. The casting director did a fantastic job of lining up so many recognizable faces, and I found it hilarious that the stripper at the bachelor party (Melora Walters), also played the funeral director near the end of the movie! I knew I had seen her face somewhere before and couldn't see it until I saw the credits. When I realized they were the same person, I busted out laughing, and yet was still able to see the incredible irony of the whole situation.

If you are watching this because you like one of the actors, then you very well could be disappointed by what you see. No one of the actors here has a tremendous amount of screen time, but all are quite good to watch. If you just want to see something different than the normal hollywood crap, then this is absolutely perfect!

"Twenty Bucks" focuses on a $20 bill getting passed around from person to person, and how we get to see the people's lives: a man whose travels have consisted of a trip to the bowling alley, a drug dealer hosting a summer camp, some crooks plotting a robbery, and some people's attempts at relationships. It's a lighthearted but authentic look at the world of today (well, the world of 1993). And it always shows how people are determined to keep going no matter what happens.

Does the movie have any problems? Maybe some of the characters' lives work out too conveniently. But that really doesn't drag the movie down at all. They did a very good job with this movie, and I recommend it. Starring Linda Hunt, Brendan Fraser, Elisabeth Shue, Christopher Lloyd, Steve Buscemi and William H. Macy (happy birthday, William!).

If you love irony, this is a movie for you! This is an incredible movie with a great storyline. The plot seems obvious if you read the summary but it's far more developed. The characters are each gems, and the actors playing them are of course, all top-notch names. I'd have to put this in the same category as 12:01, Groundhog Day and Short Cuts as far as the time/space ironies as lives and events intermix. If you like any of these, you'll love Twenty Bucks! Worth a hundred!