Bracing bevy of hunks in bleak ‘Billionaire’

Taron Egerton plays the ambitious Dean Karny.

They want to be billionaires “so freaking bad,” as the song goes, that the idea of becoming super rich with minimal effort is successfully dangled by two young men in front of wealthy party animals, in the bleak crime film “Billionaire Boys Club.”

Based on real events and set in early ’80s California, the film by James Cox centers on best buddies from middle-class families, Joe Hunt (Ansel Elgort) and Dean Karny (Taron Egerton), who reconnect some time after high school to work on possible businesses. Both silver-tongued and people-savvy, Joe and Dean decide to pursue their own dreams of becoming wealthy and influential.

Despite some initial hiccups, Joe is able to convince Dean’s young acquaintances, scions of wealthy families, to be part of their new endeavor—luring them with a get-rich-quick scheme that appeals to the affluent ones, who wish to prove themselves to their kin that they’re no mere heirs.

Joe, however, is exceptionally driven and easily the “smartest man in the room.” He brazenly lies about certain pertinent details, while Dean backs him up to make sure their new “investors” are in it, a hundred percent.

Things get even more complicated when a self-styled and well-connected con man, Ron Levin (Kevin Spacey), gets involved in the inexperienced group’s Ponzi scheme.

A tale of inevitable betrayal and unreliable comeuppance, “Billionaire Boys Club” benefits from its mostly young and handsome cast, but it may confuse viewers with little to no knowledge of the business practices depicted and terms used here. Still, with little spoon-feeding, the characters’ actions and reactions are clear, if not always unexpected.

Ansel Elgort’s character dupes rich kids.

There still are unpredictable parts that involve darker, graver crimes when things spiral out of control for the main characters. But, despite the aesthetically pleasing cast (which includes underused “Scream Queens” costars Emma Roberts and Billie Lourd, as well as “War Horse’s” Jeremy Irvine), attention can waver from time to time. It could’ve shown a more compelling look at the rich’s lifestyle and the duo’s moneymaking plans more absorbingly, to make it more intriguing and comprehensible, a feat done before by “insider”-perspective films such as “Moneyball.”

That occasional “disconnect,” however, is made bearable by the tag-team charisma and onscreen presence of Elgort and Egerton. They’re good, though not entirely super-memorable with their performances here. That distinction goes to Spacey, who plays the manipulative Ron with characteristic ease and verve. Although, it has to be said, it gets difficult to separate his smarmy and sly character now from real-life sexual misconduct allegations he’s currently embroiled in. The disgraced actor also gets to sit around or verbally show off in his scenes while surrounded by some of Hollywood’s bankable hunks, so it gets surreal, real quickly.

One subtle performance is Cary Elwes’, who plays pop art innovator Andy Warhol briefly but unforgettably. The actor is unrecognizable as the artist, who is depicted as the meek friend of Spacey’s practically shape-shifting grifter.