$30 (1999)

Teenage Scott (Erik MacArthur) is presented with thirty dollar teen prostitute Emily (Sara Gilbert) on his birthday, and she figures out why he is not interested in her. The final film is also a good effort, with MacArthur and Gilbert scoring major indie film points, and they have a really nice chemistry. Emily's character is not delved into much, because this is not her story. Cooke's direction is fine, if not a bit awkward here and there, and Christopher Landon's script is smart- watch for the inside joke concerning Emily's choice of TV viewing habits. A solid entry.

If you watch this in 2025 or later, be aware that it aged rather poorly. The premise alone is a huge red flag and violation of a child's privacy. I've seen this before though and it does make me wonder if in some families, it's seen as normal to hire a prostiture for your kid. For me it really isn't.

Even though this is a short film, it has a massive plothole. Emily / Michelle ends up telling Scott that she knew he was queer from the start - and yet tried to push him to have sex with her?

There's also an unecessary and offensive trans joke somewhere in the middle. Even in 1999, I believe someone should have vetoed this when reading the script.

It has its moments but considering the length, the moments are but a few seconds.