Directed by: Jeff Stephenson
Written by: Adam Bradley, Robert Budreau
Genre: Comedy
Starring: Laura Vandervoort, Alan Thicke, Michael Seater, Joe Dinicol, Nicholas Campbell, Lara Daans, Brandon Firla, Ron Lea, Grace Lynn Kung, Jamie Lyle
Neal and Isaac live in their dreams, until the moment, when the dream comes true. Both friends get their dream job with a top investment bank. Everything goes well for them; they are surrounded by an employee with the looks of a model and have their own cubicle in the bank. But one day everything changes when Neal accidentally overhears that his boss is planning a crooked student deal, so the best friends team up to stop their corrupt boss, and his henchmen.
Bank$tas, directed by Canadian filmmaker Jeff Stephenson, begins with two friends, Neil (Michael Seater) and Isaac (Joe Dinicol), who are about to present their own video version of how the banking field should work. Despite the fact that the auditorium full of people does not appreciate the student’s effort to impress Peter Hoss (Alan Thicke), Hoss still likes graduates’ enthusiasm, and gives them the job they have dreamt of, but with probation.
This film takes on a modern topical story – student loans and the banking crisis, where the financial world is trying to cheat in any way possible in order to save money. Bank$tas is a goofy, buddy type, comedy, set in the mid-80s and 90s. Even though the genre of the film is comedy, sometimes it`s very hard to laugh at the jokes that are used in the film, but still interesting enough to watch; it is made simple and uncomplicated, with a predictable ending. However, in this case, this is not a bad thing.
Adam Bradley and Robert Budreau manage to include a few memorable lines in the film, with only some ridiculously hilarious moments, which are not enough to help this independent film gain more viewers. But, it`s still impressive that with the given budget, and talented cast, Stephenson and the entire crew made something more interesting than “Horrible Bosses”.
With saying that, Bank$tas is an interesting film to watch, but only when there is nothing else left to see. That does not mean that Stephenson`s film does not deserve our attention. This film has potential; a good story that could be developed much deeper. However, the way the characters were introduced at the beginning of the film, it was unconvincing to see our heroes hired by one of the biggest investment banks in the city. Despite all of this, I am sure some young viewers will find this film amusing and hilarious. And why not, since it’s loading them with unnecessary information?