THE FIRST $20 MILLION IS ALWAYS THE HARDEST

US, 2002, 105 minutes, Colour.
Adam Garcia, Rosario Dawson, Jake Busey, Enrico Colantoni, Ethan Suplee, Anjul Nigam, Gregory Jbara, Dan Butler, Chandra West.
Directed by Mick Jackson.

The First $20 Million is Always the Hardest is based on a novel by popular writer Po Bronson. It was adapted for the screen and co-written by comedian and director Jon Favreau (Swingers, Made, Couples’ Retreat – and director of Iron Man). Which means that it should be lighter, funnier and more insightful than it is.

It is a film about business, about inventions, about nerds, big business and marketing, double-deals.

Adam Garcia (Boot Men, Coyote Ugly, Riding in Cars with Boys) is a would-be inventor. He leads an odd group of nerds who are commissioned to make a laptop computer for under a hundred dollars. The group includes Ethan Suplee, Jake Busey, Anjul Nigam. The villain is Enrico Colantoni, seemingly an inventor, but someone who is out for gain.

The film is amusing in showing the characters, their interactions, their eccentricities – their being duped by the powers-that-be and by shrewd investors. However, they finally get their victory and the villains’ comeuppance.

The film was directed by British Mick Jackson, a good director of British television films including A Very British Coup in the 1980s. He went to the United States in the 1990s and directed such films as LA Story and The Bodyguard. He had a mixed subsequent career in film and television.

1.A little-known and little-distributed comedy? Its relationship to American economic situations? The dot.com collapse? Research and development? Recession?

2.The California settings? Universities, companies? Research centres? The authentic atmosphere for the light comedy touches? The musical score?

3.The focus on Andy Kasper, his earnestness, driving, at work, his ambitions, on the cell phone with the other driver? Remembering his father and having a hands-on achievement? His being late for the meeting? His relationship with Robin – and her being fickle, only wanting to be with him when he was rich? The discussions with the board, his resigning? His being assigned to the research centre? Driving, hopes? The meeting with Francis, Francis and his tone, mocking him? Sending him to the computer project? Andy and his disappointment, settling into the college, the meeting Alisa? His recruiting the group? Salman and his advice, Tiny and his being a nerd? Darrell and his talking about himself in the third person? The build-up of the group? His reaction to their light-hearted approach? Wanting ingenuity? The driving, the discussions? The hologram? The discovery of how to do the computer? Getting Alisa to design it? The relationship with Alisa, the meals, talk? Her putting him at arm’s length? His coping with disappointment, Francis and his dismissing them, his contacts with Hank and the authorities, their support? The agent and her getting fifty-one percent of the company, their money, selling it to Francis? The decision to get some vengeance on Francis? Their plans, the design, Alisa’s help? Their being locked in the room, getting out? The final demonstration, upstaging Francis? The demonstration of the hologram and the new computer? Success?

4.Alisa, sculptor, pleasant, friendly with Andy, keeping him at a distance, helping with the design, the triumph?

5.The group, Darrell and his eccentricity, third person descriptions of himself, driving the car? Odd genius? Curtis, his size, research, his hologram? Salman, his girlfriend? His being a support to Andy? Their work, play, final crisis, handling the press conference with Francis?

6.Francis, mean, his research, his firing the group, his resignation, getting possession of their copyright? The group tricking him with false subscribers? Upstaging him?

7.The company, research, the boss, the meetings, the possibility of collapse? Their being saved?

8.The particularly American tone? Silicon Valley and research? Economic situations – and the American dream of success?