5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A must-own film for Glenn Quinn fans!, May 2, 2001
This review is from: At Any Cost [VHS] (VHS Tape)
"At Any Cost" is an entertaining melodrama full of performances that almost make up for a weak script. The film is the story of Lance (Eddie Mills), Mike (James Franco), Ben (Glenn Quinn), three boys from Austin who share the dream of going to Los Angeles and making it big. One has an unquenchable love of music, the other a very expensive heroine habit, and the last a thirst for power. The film is ultimately about how those passions destroy or nearly destroy them. However the ride itself is a bit bumpy.
The main problem with "At Any Cost" is that the opening montage of Lance, Mike, Ben and Chelsea growing up in Texas the best of friends is meant to be an adequate substitute for an act I in which we actually get to meet these people are care about them before the melodrama begins. Instead, we go straight from the scrapbook to the band heading off to L.A., record contract in hand. Obviously, those ten or fifteen minutes covering the protagonists humble origins, budding friendship, and growing passion and ambition would have meant no time later in the film for several performances of Beyond Gravity in concert. It's difficult to have a film about a band and not actually show the band performing. Unfortunately, the songs themselves are merely mediocre, and in the end only seem to stall the film's momentum. Kudos are due, however, to Eddie Mills for performing all the original songs on teh soundtrack. It's obvious that this aspect of the film is a labor of love for Mills, and the passion for music he displays as Lance does ring true.
The true worth of the film is in the performances director Charles Winkler elicits from his cast, and the conflict between singer-songwriter Lance and manager Ben. Glenn Quinn turns in an excellent performance as Ben, particularly in the scenes leading up to and immediately following Mike's death by accidental overdose. The audience has to believe that this is a believable turning point for Ben, and that he feels true remorse. All of his subsequent action have their root in this event, and it's unfortunate that the audience never really gets to know the Ben that Lance and Mike grew up with and therefore cannot compare him to the ambitious and dangerous man he becomes after Mike's death.
For fans of Quinn's previous work on "Covington Cross," "Roseanne," and "Angel," the film is an excellent example of Quinn's range and depth as an actor. Ben is smart, vicious, and ultimately sells his soul for power. But even in his worst, there is still a sense of vulnerability and glimpses of remorse. The audience is Ben's only confidant; no one else in the film ever knows the sacrifices and choices he made, saw for a second any anguish, pain, or real human emotion. It's easy for Lance to condemn Ben, easier still for Ben to condemn himself. The audience is the only impartial party in possession of all the facts. The dramatic core of the film is Lance and Ben's relationship, and its heart is Lance and wife Chelsea's struggle to repair the damage done to their marriage by their brief foray into the world of professional music. Maureen Flannigan turns in a very strong performance as bassist and mother Chelsea, and like Mills and Quinn, rises above the material.
When all is said and done, "At Any Cost" could have been better, but as it is features an engaging dramatic performance by one of my favorite actors that I still enjoy revisiting, despite its faults.
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