$9.99 is a 2008 Australian adult stop-motion animated drama film written and directed by Tatia Rosenthal, with the screenplay by Etgar Keret. The film marks the third collaboration between Rosenthal and Keret. It features a voice cast of Geoffrey Rush, Samuel Johnson, Anthony LaPaglia, Joel Edgerton, Ben Mendelsohn and Claudia Karvan.
Contents
Premise
Unemployed, 28 year old Dave Peck finds an advertisement for a book that will tell him the meaning of life "for the low price of $9.99." On his quest to find the true meaning of life, he crosses paths with a colourful collection of neighbours including an old man and his guardian angel, a magician, a bewitching woman, a brokenhearted man and a little boy.
Cast
Geoffrey Rush as The Angel / Homeless Man
Anthony LaPaglia as Jim
Samuel Johnson as Dave Peck
Claudia Karvan as Michelle
Joel Edgerton as Ron
Barry Otto as Albert
Leeanna Walsman as Tanita
Ben Mendelsohn as Lenny
Jamie Katsamatsas as Zack
Brian Meagan as Clement
Roy Billing as Marcus Portman / Policeman #1
Leon Ford as Stanton
Ursula Yovich as Camille
Josef Ber
Release and reception
$9.99 premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 4 September 2008. The film was then released in Los Angeles and New York on 19 June 2009 and then in Australia on 17 September 2009. Upon release, the film earned mostly positive reviews. As of February 2019, it holds a "Fresh" score of 73% on the film review website Rotten Tomatoes with an average rating of 6.5 out of 10, according with 55 reviews. The site's critical consensus states, "Its storyline isn't as wondrous as its visuals, but $9.99 has a sophistication and handmade charm that sets it apart from the animated pack." Metacritic gave the film 68/100 based on 15 critics giving it generally favorable reviews.
Box office
$9.99 took $47,300 at the box office in Australia. The film's worldwide total was $708,354.