1998, 2 hrs, Rated R for violence and language. Dir: Sam Raimi. Cast: Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton, Bridget Fonda, Brent Briscoe.

I've been anticipating A Simple Plan for a few months, now, and finally it's in wide release. But I wasn't expecting what I saw; the movie really freaked me out, as best I can explain in my 23-year-old college graduate vocabulary.

Bill Paxton, Billy Bob Thornton and Bridget Fonda deliver flawless performances of normal people confronted with an almost magical gift that promises happiness and financial comfort beyond their means. But their values become immediately tested as each makes a crucial and fateful decision that unravels this supposedly "simple" plan.

It begs the question, "What would you do if you found millions of dollars that is most likely drug money, and therefore, not going to be missed?" Do you turn it in to local law enforcement? Do you keep some of it and turn in the rest? Or do you keep it all and hope no one comes looking for the money? By the end of A Simple Plan, if your conscience doesn't tell you that not to turn it in would destroy you, then you need a refresher course on human nature.

A problem with a film like this is that once these decisions and consequences are set in motion, how do you end the picture? It would be almost impossible for it to have a happy ending, unless the filmmakers made the characters more in a black comedy manner. I read a review that called A Simple Plan a black comedy, and began to wonder what movie the reviewer saw, or what drugs he was using.

There is very little comedy, and great amounts of Shakespearian tragedy in A Simple Plan, which should give you a hint as to the fate of many characters, and the ending which is most certainly not a celebration of life.

The film won't get four or five stars because it's not for everyone. Many people will not like it, or will be very uncomfortable throughout as I was. Great acting and character development only makes me more uncomfortable as I try to sympathize with the people, but just can't give them my heart.

Bill Paxton is worthy of nomination for an Academy Award, as the decent hard-working man corrupted by so much money. Paxton is only as good, though, as his wife, played by Bridget Fonda, who only wants the best for their new daughter. She's tired of the normal life, and wants just one week to plan a meal without having to cut coupons to save money for the little things such as eating in a nice restaurant because it you want to, and not for a special occasion.

Billy Bob Thornton is superb in a supporting role as the conflicted older brother of Paxton, and the best friend of immature and broke Lou, who wants his share now. Thornton must choose sides, a troubling and harrowing decision for an uneducated man who claims Lou and his dog Mary Beth as his only friends, a man who has never kissed a woman, a man who only wants to buy back the family farm as a way to reach out to his dead father.

Another kudo besides the acting for A Simple Plan is the cinematography in this winter wonderland. The amount of snow makes me glad to be in the south, where a few inches a year is more than enough. But I'd love to vacation for a couple of weeks in such beauty. It must have taken a lot of patience and bundles of clothing to get through the shooting.

What made me more uncomfortable is that there are several instances where blatantly stupid actions are taken, mainly by Jacob (Thornton) and Lou (Briscoe), actions which I despise. I don't care to be around stupid people who have no common sense, and even more don't like to be around when those people make bad decisions. I can't even watch television shows that showcase these characters--most notably any episode of "Family Ties", Matthew of "NewsRadio" or George Castanza of "Seinfeld."

The entire film, and especially the ending, was about the "freakiest" I've felt watching a movie that wasn't a horror film. But in a way it is a horror film, one for grown-ups who want badly to get out of debt and live the good life, but aren't sure if they're prepared to make the evil decisions made in A Simple Plan.