MovieChat Forums > Price Check (2014) Discussion > Chasing Sleep vs. Price Check

Chasing Sleep vs. Price Check

posted 10 years ago by abby8
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When cable TV first became popular and widespread in the 1980s, a few films that didn't do well theatrically but became wildly popular on cable served to define the uniqueness of the format. (A popular joke of the time was that HBO stood for "Hey, Beastmaster's On!")

As far as online streaming of films is concerned, I now associate Netflix and Hulu with the discovery of quirky indie films I missed when they were released in other formats. Films like "Session 9," "The Perfect Host," and "Chasing Sleep" are all titles I now associate with streaming movies.

In particular, "Chasing Sleep" has become one of my all-time favorite films. I couldn't tell you how many times I've watched it, but I do see something new with each viewing. I have a soft spot for surreal or absurdest films that are not afraid to puzzle or end ambiguously, and "Chasing Sleep" continues to intrigue me. That's why I recently gave "Price Check" a shot.

Light spoilers follow:

OK, so the first time I saw "Price Check," I rewound and rewatched the ending five times before I felt satisfied that I *got it.* And then I said, "Ew. What a horrible, depressing story about horrible, depressing people!"

I've watched "Price Check" again, and now I think it's a very good movie about horrible, depressing people. I don't know much about director Michael Walker, but he's a savant when it comes to getting exquisite performances out of his actors. He's an excellent writer, too. And the soundtrack to "Price Check" is great.

One thing that strikes me as interesting is that both films share a bleak and somewhat utilitarian view of marriage and relationships. Both films focus on unhappy marriages and infidelity. And in both cases of infidelity, one spouse is aware of the partner's indiscretion, but turns a blind eye to maintain order.

I think the temptation to write off Susan as a heartless harpy is real and strong, but on second viewing, she's not as loathsome as I originally thought. Oh, she's ruthless, and even though I'm a woman, I certainly wouldn't want to work for her. I have worked with (less competent) women like her in the past, and I ran away screaming. But this film might be a Rorschach test when it comes to perceptions of women in positions of management. Often, when men have complained to me that a woman in charge of them is a "ball buster," it turned out that the man simply didn't like answering to a woman under any circumstances.

Susan's office affairs and the weird histrionic tantrum she throws on the floor of corporate headquarters are wildly unprofessional. But otherwise, she does manage to inspire better work and effort from her employees. This is not to excuse her shortcomings (NO woman should ever cite PMS as an excuse for bad behavior under any circumstance)... she's on par with Michael Scott or Jan from "The Office" in terms of personalities I never want to work with.

But seriously, she guides Cozy to a level of professionalism and skill that he didn't seem capable of before Susan came aboard. Bringing out the best in employees is a necessary leadership skill. It's too bad Susan doesn't have a mentor to help her work through her not-so-good qualities... the lack of mentors for professional women in corporate western cultures is real, often results in perpetuating bad workplace behavior like Susan's, and will continue to be a problem for another generation or two.

Compared to Susan, Cozy is the bigger jerk to me. The infidelity is bad. It's worse because it's with his boss, and he had already seen what happened to coworkers who slept with Susan. It super-double worse that he was (presumably) having unprotected sex deliberately and could be responsible for child support. And then there's the BIG LIE about Dartmouth. Lying about earning a degree is HUGE. I would say no matter how talented he was at his position, in reality he'd never work in that industry again if he was caught lying about earning a degree when he hadn't. In fact, a self-aware person would make it a priority to finish his degree after an outing like this, and that topic is never even on the table.

And also, I don't think Cozy really grows at all from his experiences. He takes the better paying job for his family's sake, but I don't think his days of sowing wild oats are over.

Lastly, speaking as a grown-up, the process of editing youthful dreams to better suit adult demands and expectations is something that everyone goes through, except maybe a few rock stars and those born with lots of money. This idea is not often put forth in films or television, because we look to film and television to distract us from our mundane disappointments. Now, once children are involved, all bets are off, and all priorities should be shifted into providing the best for said children. But allow me to remind anyone who might interpret the film as "Cozy sells out, awww, poor Cozy" that with a lot of energy, you can have your cake and eat it, too. You can work a high-power gig AND run an indie label out of your garage. You can also invest yourself in your work so that you enjoy it more. View "Price Check" as a cautionary tale, but not as a blueprint of a life squandered in an occupational rat-race. I have grown to dislike a lot of 80s movies that depict characters who are wasting their time at some dead-end job, only to have some zany free spirit convince them to give everything up and "live in the moment." Ambition is not a bad thing. Really.

Anyhow, would love to hear more about "Price Check" from other fans of "Chasing Sleep!"

Oh, and Susan's kid? Yeah, that's totally Pete Cozy's baby.

[–] abby8 10 years ago

I'm also not sure whether the wife's pregnancy serves to make her character seem more awful, or if it's an example of poor plot construction, because the film spends more time outlining the couple's financial woes than it does family planning.

The wife mentions that she stopped taking the pill when Pete is looking at a car brochure. She tells Pete she's potentially fertile, he says, "Well, I don't really have any say in the matter," then BOOM she's pregnant (all this happens in the span of like 60 days from the time Susan starts working at the office).

Basically, the Cozy "family planning" session takes up ten seconds of screentime (compared to the 60 seconds of bill collectors and auto repair conversation).

Moreover, are we to really believe that men are absolutely powerless when it comes to sticking their dingle-dangles into ladyparts?

Or, is Pete just a lying dog? I mean, he would have slept with that web designer woman had Susan not intervened. He seemed to beam with manly pride when the cabbie applauded his hot women. And then there's the post-coital scene of him trying to sneak out of Susan's hotel room after they first have sex. His instinct was to run, but then he remembered the woman he boinked was his boss, and he returned to the room. Can we assume he would have sneaked away without saying goodbye had the woman he slept with been more anonymous, like the designer gal?

Lastly, I cannot even fathom a wife who didn't know what her husband's occupation is. I know there are people like this in the world, but it's not a perspective I can ease into. Combine the lack of interest in her husband's career or happiness with her ability to become immediately addicted to Pete's brand new salary, and it's possible Pete's wife is actually my least favorite character of the entire movie.