Finding Amanda (2008)

39% of critics liked it
(44 reviews)
28% of users liked it
(2,272 ratings)

Rescue Me co-creator Peter Tolan makes his feature directorial debut with this comedy starring Matthew Broderick as a moderately successful television writer whose addiction to alcohol, gambling, and drugs make dealing with the latest family crisis especially difficult. Taylor Peters (Broderick) is… More Rescue Me co-creator Peter Tolan makes his feature directorial debut with this comedy starring Matthew Broderick as a moderately successful television writer whose addiction to alcohol, gambling, and drugs make dealing with the latest family crisis especially difficult. Taylor Peters (Broderick) is the writer and producer of a low-rated television sitcom that gets repeatedly bashed by critics and fares only slightly better with the viewing public. His career thrown off the tracks years ago due to his penchant for compulsive gambling, heavy drinking, and frequent recreational drug use, Taylor struggles to keep his additions under control. Sure, he still plays the horses every now and then, but the less that his wife Lorraine (Maura Tierney) knows about that, the better. When Lorraine's sister discovers that her 20-year old daughter Amanda (Brittany Snow) has been working as a Las Vegas prostitute, she calls the family together for an emergency meeting. Later, during the ride home, Lorraine discovers Taylor's racing stubs stashed in the glove compartment and announces that she is filing for divorce. Desperate not to lose his wife, Taylor hatches an ingenious plan to win back her affections and prove he's a changed man: he'll travel to Las Vegas, locate Amanda, and take her to rehab in Malibu. It's a noble plan indeed, but can a man given to such vices truly exercise the Herculean restrain needed to avoid the blackjack tables and accomplish his noble mission while traveling through the sordid streets of a city built on the very foundation of temptation? ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Peter Tolan
Written By: Peter Tolan
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Apr 1, 2008 Wide
On DVD: Sep 16, 2008
Studio: Mitropoulos Films

Critic Reviews

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader
Offers a steady supply of clever lines but suffers from the patina of self-loathing common to industry lifers and the unfortunate miscasting of straight-arrow Broderick as a depressed, cynical hack.
Ronnie Scheib, Variety
Matthew Broderick regains his cinematic stride as a morosely wise-cracking television producer on the skids, ably abetted by Maura Tierney as his much-put-upon wife and Brittany Snow as his perky prostitute niece.
John Anderson, Newsday
A very darkly humorous film.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Broderick's sunny spin on the deeply flawed Taylor is interesting but eventually defies belief. In the third act, Finding Amanda loses steam altogether.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
Finding Amanda has some of the good and a lot of the bad aspects of a first film written and directed by the same person.
Lou Lumenick, New York Post
Much of Finding Amanda doesn't stand up to close scrutiny, but at its best the still-boyish Broderick suggests his most famous character, Ferris Bueller, going through a midlife crisis.
S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
Mature, uneven prostitution dramedy loses its way.
David D'Arcy, Screen International
Offers up some zinger lines in the trenches of Sin City but fails to live up to its ingenious concept.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
Hopelessly uneven yet admittedly entertaining...
Jules Brenner, Cinema Signals
This unromantic comedy is something less than a sure bet. For some reason, you get the impression that it doesn't live up to the promise of its premise.
Tony Medley, tonymedley.com
This vulgar film, replete with vile language and graphic descriptions of sex acts, degrades our culture. Even George Carlin might find it offensive.
Katey Rich, CinemaBlend.com
Though Finding Amanda's story reaches a reasonably satisfying conclusion, the empty characters at its center make the whole thing feel like a waste.
Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
Doesn't have a nuance in it, but it's pretty consistently amusing in its latter-day Woody Allen way. For most of the way, its morals are happily, believably wrong, but all bad things must come to an end.

Read all 13 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

♥˩ƳИИ &

CAST: Matthew Broderick, Maura Tierney, Brittany Snow, Peter Facinelli SUMMARY: A television producer with a penchant for drinking and gambling is sent to Las Vegas to convince his troubled niece to enter rehab. MY THOUGHTS: "It was much funnier then I had expected it to… More
CAST: Matthew Broderick, Maura Tierney, Brittany Snow, Peter Facinelli SUMMARY: A television producer with a penchant for drinking and gambling is sent to Las Vegas to convince his troubled niece to enter rehab. MY THOUGHTS: "It was much funnier then I had expected it to be. The topics are pretty heavy, but talked about in a dark humor kind of way that makes the issues less serious then what they really are. I guess if you want to find humor in prostitution, gambling, and alcoholism then this is the movie for you. I will say in the end he does say some deep meaningful words to her and that's when it's not so funny anymore. The ending is what I expected and predicted it would be. So see this for a good laugh if nothing else. Matthew Broderick was funny, and Brittany Snow really made the Uncle and Niece relationship extra special awkward. Good rent for a lazy day."
Nicki M

This was much better than I expected. Funny in a dark way and quite moving as well.
Leigh R

Hilarious and awkward. My kind of funny...
Alice S

I have just one word to describe this movie: nice. It's a really nice movie. And I mean that without a trace of irony. Brittany Snow is darling. No irony in that either.
Luke B

This film works so wonderfully every bit of it is successful. First of the script is alive with punchy witty quips especially from Broderick. Broderick is fantastic in his best role since Election, it's also quite similar in tone. Snow is also incredible in probably her best role… More
This film works so wonderfully every bit of it is successful. First of the script is alive with punchy witty quips especially from Broderick. Broderick is fantastic in his best role since Election, it's also quite similar in tone. Snow is also incredible in probably her best role to date. Her Amanda is not the average miserable prostitute. She's happy in her profession, enjoys the life she leads and so forth. She's so damn cute as well and the chemistry she shares with her Uncle is spot on with the correct amount of uncomfortable anter and genuine affection. The film is a morality tale but one that gets the chaarcters to judge themselves rather than manipulate us into how we shoul feel. Steve Coogan also has time to pop in for some hilarious banter with Broderick. Smart, enjoyable and certainly moving.
Sol C

While the trailer for the film looks really good, the film itself disappoints. The film needed a major rewrite. There was a few funny scenes in the film. Matthew Broderick, Maura Tierney, and Brittany Snow were wasted in this film. The best thing in the film is Steve Coogan. He is… More
While the trailer for the film looks really good, the film itself disappoints. The film needed a major rewrite. There was a few funny scenes in the film. Matthew Broderick, Maura Tierney, and Brittany Snow were wasted in this film. The best thing in the film is Steve Coogan. He is hilarious in ever scene that he is in. He steals the film.
Deb S

A somewhat-recovering drug user/drinker/ gambling addict Taylor (Matthew Broderick) hoping to redeem himself in the eyes of his fed-up wife (Maura Tierney) takes a trip to Vegas to ostensibly "rescue" his niece Brittany Snow (the titular Amanda) from a life of prostitution… More
A somewhat-recovering drug user/drinker/ gambling addict Taylor (Matthew Broderick) hoping to redeem himself in the eyes of his fed-up wife (Maura Tierney) takes a trip to Vegas to ostensibly "rescue" his niece Brittany Snow (the titular Amanda) from a life of prostitution and instead heads straight for the casino, after having promised his wife that the trip was "NOT" about gambling. He soon discovers that bubbly and cheerful Amanda is deliriously happy with her life of prostitution and living with her leech of a boyfriend (Peter Facinelli) who cheats on her. Also starring Steve Coogan as a sleazy casino host who becomes Taylor's chief enabler! The main theme of the movie is denial - all characters lie to each other and especially to themselves about almost every respect of their lives. This movie is described as a comedy but I actually found it kind of sad as our main character is sliding down a slippery slope, even as he pounds down drinks on the casino floor and is eventually cut off from his cash source by the Coogen and Amanda seems far too happy and carefree to be a person from a traumatic background; it seems the actual horrors of prostitution-drug addiction, abuse, poverty hasn't afflicted her.
Yinalí R

A gambling addicted uncle, and a niece who's all into working as a hooker. Maybe you think that it could mix up into some kind of a dark humor style in it, like an indie for example; well you're wrong. I have to say that Finding Amanda had very little significance in… More
A gambling addicted uncle, and a niece who's all into working as a hooker. Maybe you think that it could mix up into some kind of a dark humor style in it, like an indie for example; well you're wrong. I have to say that Finding Amanda had very little significance in general. It started off as if it could have been an interesting and entertaining movie. But overall, it blows all it's chances away. It became boring; making no sense at all. I don't recommend it to anyone.
Leo L

Crazy funny! Here's an interesting movie with a bit of a twist. Matthew Broderick stars.