Billionaire Boys Club (2018 film)

Led by their fellow preppie friend Joe Hunt, a group of wealthy young men in 1980s Los Angeles come up with a plan to get rich quick with a Ponzi scheme. The plan ends badly for all involved when Hunt and friend Tim Pittman end up murdering investor and con man Ron Levin. ==Cast==

• Ansel Elgort as Joe Hunt, the group leader and a financial expert. • Taron Egerton as Dean Karny, his school buddy and closest ally within the BBC, who eventually becomes a witness against him. • Emma Roberts as Sydney Evans, the love interest of Hunt. • Kevin Spacey as Ron Levin, a Beverly Hills high roller. • Ryan Rottman as Scott Biltmore, Kyle's twin brother and one of the two handsome twins adopted by the owner of Maybelline, who first invested in the club. • Jeremy Irvine as Kyle Biltmore, Scott's twin brother and one of the members of the Billionaire Boys Club. • Thomas Cocquerel as Charlie Bottoms • Bokeem Woodbine as Tim Pittman, a bouncer who becomes involved in the club's doings. • Barney Harris as Reza "Izzy" Eslaminia, The Persian's son and Billionaire Boys Club member. • Waleed Zuaiter as The Persian (real name Hedayat Eslaminia), Izzy's Father • Suki Waterhouse as Quintana "Q" Bisset, the love interest of Karny. • Billie Lourd as Rosanna Ricci, the love interest of Biltmore. • Judd Nelson as Ryan Hunt, Joe's father • Maurice Johnson as Detective • Billy Slaughter as Loan Officer • Rosanna Arquette as Debbie Evans, Sydney's mother • Cary Elwes as Andy Warhol • Justin Arnold as Carter • Marc Mani as Dr. Marc Mani Jr. • Carmen Illán as The Persian's wife ==Production==

In May 2010, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that James Cox would direct the crime thriller film Billionaire Boys Club, the true story of a group of rich young boys in Los Angeles during the early 1980s who started the Billionaire Boys Club to run a Ponzi scheme. Cox wrote the script in four months after an exclusive research of the events with his brother Stephen, who spent another four months on it. Captain Mauzner also co-wrote the script along with Cox, while producers on the film would be Wiersma and Cassian Elwes. The film would be financed by Armory Films, and Good Universe would handle the international sales. signed on to play Ron Levin, a Beverly Hills high roller, Emma Roberts was added to the cast to portray Sydney, Hunt's love interest and Suki Waterhouse was cast to play Quintana, Karny's love interest. In December 2015, Variety reported that Judd Nelson, who originally played Joe Hunt in the 1987 miniseries Billionaire Boys Club, would play the role of Ryan Hunt, Joe's father. That same month, Ryan Rottman signed on to portray Scott Biltmore, one of the two handsome twins adopted by the owner of Maybelline, who first invested in the Club and Thomas Cocquerel joined the film. Bokeem Woodbine, Billie Lourd and Jeremy Irvine also joined the cast of the film, with Irvine playing Kyle Biltmore, one of the members of the Billionaire Boys Club, Lourd as Rosanna, his love interest, and Woodbine as a club bouncer who becomes involved in the club's doings. Principal photography began in New Orleans on December 7, 2015. The film wrapped on January 25, 2016, with re-shoots set for November of the same year. ==Release==

The film was initially released through video on demand on July 17, 2018, prior to a limited release in theaters on August 17, 2018, by Vertical Entertainment. Despite allegations of sexual misconduct being made against Kevin Spacey in October 2017, Vertical Entertainment stated that they would be going forward with the release of the film: == Reception ==

Box office Billionaire Boys Club grossed a total worldwide of $2.7 million and $1,349 in North America, TheWrap noted that the ten theaters where the film was shown were mostly located in areas which were not considered to be major markets, and that some of the theaters showing the film scheduled their screenings for off-peak times, such as early in the morning or late at night. The weekend total gross ended up at $618, with a final theater count of eleven. Critical response On the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of based on reviews, with an average rating of . On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 30 out of 100, based on 5 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable" reviews. Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle said that he has no doubt that "Spacey is very good at playing the bad guy" and that although only in a supporting role "dominates every moment of every scene in which he appears". LaSalle was unconvinced by the idea that Hunt made "bad decisions involving thousands [that] led to more bad decisions" but rather "the storm was of his own making" and concludes as his "life unravels, so does the movie". Eric Kohn at IndieWire called it a "wannabe Wolf of Wall Street" and said that it is "intermittently engaging as a B-movie" but "never finds a satisfying tone." John DeFore at The Hollywood Reporter called the film "a derivative bore" and accused it of being "creatively clueless" for "indulging in this period piece without finding some fresh critique". Awards and nominations == References ==