A twenty dollar bill gets passed on to a diverse assortment of folks over the course of several days. Director Keva Rosenfeld keeps the offbeat, original, and interesting premise moving along at a constant brisk pace as the characters from each individual segment overlap in subtle and surprising ways. The clever script by Leslie and Endre Bohem offers a nifty meditation on fate, chance, and destiny. The best and most absorbing anecdote centers on a pair of radically contrasting criminals who embark on an all night robbing spree: Christopher Lloyd contributes a superbly chilling and understated portrayal as a polite and soft-spoken buttoned down professional and Steve Buscemi does his usual live-wire bit with spot-on smarmy results as an antsy and scruffy punk amateur. Moreover, there are excellent performances from Linda Hunt as a flaky bag lady who's obsessed with winning the lottery, Elisabeth Shue as struggling writer Emily Adams, Brendon Fraser as hapless blue collar schmoe Sam Mestrewski, William H. Macy as a harried police property clerk, and Spalding Gray as a philosophical priest. In an especially inspired touch, Melora Walters appears in two segments as both a stripper and a funeral home director; this speaks volumes on how people sometimes have dual lives and further makes a provocative point on how some folks had to work a second part-time gig on the side in order to keep themselves afloat in the recession-stricken 1990's. Both the jaunty score by David Robbins and Emmanuel Lubezki's polished cinematography are up to speed. A real sleeper.

One of those strange little independent films that pops up late one night on your television set occasionally and makes you ask "where the hell has this been hiding?" That's not to say that it's a great movie or anything but it certainly is interesting. The premise is portrayed by some as genius but is in fact pretty simple. The film follows a $20 note around, sometimes deviating to follow characters who are not in it's possession , or at least have not had their hands on it yet. The film is directed in a sloppy fashion at times including a poorly edited scene involving the Gladys Knight character scaring some kids at a diner window and for the best part lacks the style its premise eludes to. I think it would have been a lot more memorable , though a hell of a lot less subtle, if the likes of Tarentino had got their hands on it but that I suppose is neither here nor there. As for Gladys Knight's involvement it acts as a useless cameo of which there are a few. Also the storyline involving her character's grandson added nothing but a poor attempt at humour by an over confident young actor and his unconvincing first love in a short story theme lifted from 'American Graffiti' about an underagers' eventful attempts to obtain alcohol. As has been acknowledged by most commentators Christopher Lloyd's scenes with Steve Buscemi(who must now be recognised as the patron saint of independent American pictures) , centering around a cold and calculated armed robber and his new , loose cannon, partner are the standout of the film. By the end of the picture you feel let down by Lloyd's character not re-entering the fray. However Elizabeth Shue is not far behind as she also gives an impressive account as a struggling writer. Also watch out for Ross Geller , yes I know that's not his real name, in an early pre-Friends role portraying a character who almost acts as a prototype for Shwimmer's most impressive outing in a film role as one of the slimy pioneer surgeon's of 'Breast Men'. What let the film down for me in the acting department was Brendan Fraser who produced an uninspired performance as an uncertain groom to be whose character admittedly suffered from a complete lack of explanation and development. Fraser seemed to be kind of sleep walking through a role which was supposed to be both sympathetic and misunderstood. Instead he just comes across as a loser who wasn't grateful for what he had.Some unnecessarily elaborate and quick plot developments which seemed designed to but failed to deliver any laughs , ie- a cocaine dealer organizing a fishing tournament for kids one of who ends up phoning a sex chat line, only helped to frustrate one into wondering what was happening to the main characters and when would we see them again? Though I must also note nicely executed little cameos by William H. Macy as a fidgety , bored cop and Linda Hunt as preachy , pretentious vagrant whose constant speeches ultimately cost her the destiny which she believes is about to be bestowed upon her, redeemed the scenes that included them and in Hunt's case tied the movie up nicely. Despite all of the famous stars a viewing of the film pretty much awakens one to why it never got any kind of major cinematic release. For in the end it's premise and casting somewhat flattered to deceive. A more ambitious and brave director could have elevated it above the average fair which it ultimately is. I give it 6 / 10. If you liked this or have an interest in similar low budget star packed features then check out the far superior 'Trees Lounge' which starred and was directed by one of this film's most notable names Steve Buscemi.

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 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!