The latest installment of Ly Hai’s Face Off franchise has an entertaining premise with some terrible plot twists. With this premise, it’s almost expected to see the worst of the worst of people when given a jackpot, and it’s easy to feel distraught when this happens, because the initial dynamic between the six friends feels genuine. However, the fun and wacky hijinks devolve into seriously messed up plot twists. Some of these work, but certain scenes feel like it was just added for shock value at the expense of other characters. The film couldn’t choose between vilifying some characters and celebrating their friendship. Because of this, Face Off 6 feels like it missed its mark.
Synopsis
A group of longtime friends suddenly received a chance to change their lives when they found out that the group's ticket won a jackpot of 136.8 billion. Suddenly, An, the ticket holder, had an accident and did not survive. Faced with the dream winning money that should have been easily available, the group of friends embarked on a journey to find the lottery ticket. But that was only the beginning of countless unexpected events. Where will this quest to find and share the lucrative dream money really lead the group?
Storyline
In one of their reunions, a group of six friends purchase a lottery ticket with all their birthdays. After the accident of the ticket holder, the surviving friends find out that they just won the jackpot. They all scramble to find the winning ticket.
TLDR
Cut the objectifying scenes, and it’s decent. Unfortunately, these scenes still exist.
What stands out
Ultimately, the film suffers each time it mistreats its female characters. There are too many shots lingering on women’s body parts every time some of them stare at his dead friend’s wife. These scenes hint at their later fates, making their upcoming plot twists understandable. While it’s great that the film gives them their just comeuppance, each time the camera falls on her, it makes the audience complicit in her totally unnecessary objectification. Their plot twists feel earned, but there are better ways to show their wrongdoing. These scenes also make the protagonist’s imagined friendship reunion feel icky.
