According to 86 percent of the critics at Rotten Tomaotes, maybe Jeremy Piven should have stuck to the small screen and his role as Ari Gold on HBO’s “Entourage.” “The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard” movie reviews are in, and they are not good for “The Goods.”

This film has been in the works for a few years, and unfortunately director Neal Brennan might have nothing to show for it. I couldn’t find out how much it cost to make this film; maybe the filmmakers are embarassed to say because they know they might not be getting a good return on those cash advances. Here are some of the movie reviews for “The Goods.”

Ed Gonzales, Slant Magazine:

Exiting the press screening for director Neal Brennan’s The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard, I got the sense that Hollywood might never make another great comedy if it sticks to its current model of releasing schlock by conveyor belt. Seemingly picked straight out of Will Ferrell’s discard pile (questionably, though, he produced this train wreck and makes a forgettable, cringe-worthy cameo), The Goods starts out with a promising premise but quickly devolves into a mean-spirited nightmare of throwaway gags. …

The off-the-wall characters (or caricatures) that inhabit the world of the film come off as tired, mean renditions of the same, trying Ferrell formula. Fully cured of his bout with mercury poisoning, Piven serves up another exhausted take on his Entourage super agent Ari Gold, while other supporting players replicate past performances from better, and more side-splitting, films.

Christy Lemire, The Associated Press:

Enduring the soul-sucking process of buying a used car is bad enough. Watching a movie about soulless used-car salesmen is even worse – especially when it’s a comedy that strains desperately for raunchy, politically incorrect laughs.

In theory, the pieces were there for something slightly more inspired with “The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard.”

“Chappelle’s Show” co-creator Neal Brennan directs for the first time (from a script by Andy Stock and Rick Stempson), and the large ensemble cast features Jeremy Piven, David Koechner, Ving Rhames, Ed Helms, Tony Hale and Ken Jeong. A lot of improv supposedly went on, as well, as you might expect in a movie from Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Gary Sanchez Productions. After all, these are the people behind “Anchorman” and “Talladega Nights.”

But this time, except for a couple of amusing lines here and there, the results just feel flat and generally unpleasant. Every character is singularly unlikable, but beyond that, they’re drawn so one-dimensionally that they’re not even interesting.

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe

The government recently decided to subsidize the purchase of new automobiles for Americans driving alleged junk. The program is called Cash for Clunkers. But anyone looking for a cheap, timely vicarious alternative might try “The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard,’’ a comedy set on a used-car lot in Temecula, Calif. You put up the cash, the movie clunks.

Elizabeth Fairchild, Personal Money Store

Despite these awful reviews, I will probably still go see this movie. I don’t really know why. Maybe it’s because I am a big fan of Ed Helms. Maybe it’s because my boyfriend wants to see it. Maybe because I only seem to like comedies when it comes to movies, so I have to take what I can get. Or maybe it’s because this guy liked it:

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

“The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard” is a cheerfully energetically and very vulgar comedy. If you’re okay with that, you may be okay with this film, which contains a lot of laughs and has studied Political Correctness only enough to make a list of groups to offend. It takes place after a failing car dealer calls in a hired gun and his team to move goods off the lot over the Fourth of July.

Is Will Ferrell's star power fading?

After a sad start for his movie “Land of the Lost,” all Will Ferrell can really do is hope his next movie, “The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard” hits a little closer to home with audiences in August.

Perhaps it was because of “Up” and “The Hangover,” but “Land of the Lost” didn’t perform very well at the box office this weekend.

‘Up’ still tops at box office

Despite new movies opening this weekend, “Up” sold the most tickets once again this weekend, pulled in $44.2 million this weekend on top of the fast cash it made last weekend as the No. 1 seller for that weekend. America’s favorite brand-new release turned out to be “The Hangover,” making $43.3 million.

“Land of the Lost” came in third with $19.5 million. That doesn’t sound too bad until you factor in the budget for “Land of the Lost”: $200 million. Most of Ferrell’s movies in the last decade have had far smaller budgets and pulled in closer to $30 million on opening weekend.

Looking forward to ‘The Goods’ movie

Perhaps “Land of the Lost” suffered because it wasn’t aimed at Ferrell’s usual audience. Although it is listed as “adventure/comedy/sci-fi,” marketing for “Land of the Lost” seems to have emphasized the “adventure/sci-fi” aspects while its star, Ferrell, has a long history of drawing audiences to comedies.

Luckily, “The Goods” movie is listed as strictly a comedy on Internet Movie Database. My prediction is that a comedy with an economy-based theme with Will Ferrell at its center will appeal to more everyday Americans than a sci-fi movie about time travel and dinosaurs.

‘The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard’

“The Goods” movie focuses on an entity that has been a staple of everyday news this year: the car dealership. Will Ferrell has top billing for the film, but his character’s name isn’t yet listed. “The Goods” movie is slated to hit theaters Aug. 14.

The movie stars Jeremy Piven, who is hired by a flailing auto dealership to make their Fourth of July sale a success. Many American families have been affected by the dwindling auto industry. Any who seek solace in the form of satire will likely find it in “The Goods” movie.

Limited information on ‘The Goods’

I couldn’t find the budget for “The Goods” movie, but from all I’ve seen about, it seems to follow the same formula as many prior Will Ferrell movies. It should also benefit from other big names included in the cast, such as Ed Helms and Rob Riggle.

Strangely, although Will Ferrell is listed first under “cast,” he doesn’t appear in the trailer for “The Goods” movie, which you can watch here. Will Ferrell also produces the movie along with Adam McKay. The two make up Gary Sanchez Productions.

There’s nothing secretive or deceptive about payday loans. Terms are listed up front, employees will explain them to customers and the repayment schedule – particularly with the installment loans variation – is flexible.

However, recent developments in the financial headlines have shown that many people – famous people, sophisticated people and organizations, including Elie Wiesel, Steven Spielberg, and the Gift of Life Foundation  – are prone to a scam that’s nearly a century old. A recent Google search even revealed more than 100 such schemes being investigated all over the world. Wall Street money manager Bernard Madoff has fooled investors worldwide to the tune of $50 billion dollars. It is believed to be the largest scam in Wall Street history.

He got them with a modified Ponzi scheme

Named after Charles Ponzi (1882-1949), who raked in $15 million in nine months in 1919 and 1920. Ponzi was considered by those he was swindling as the greatest Italian ever. “You’re wrong,” he said, “there’s Columbus, who discovered America, and Marconi, who discovered radio.” “But, Charlie, you discovered money,” his marks exclaimed.

A Ponzi scheme works something like this

If you go to a friend, let’s say it’s Jeremy Piven, and convince him to invest $500 in a business opportunity, you promise that you will double his money in one month. Next, go to actresses Rachel Weisz and Lisa Rinna and convince them to invest at $500 apiece. Use that $1,000 to pay off Jeremy Piven, and he’s hooked. He goes on to tell all of his “Entourage” friends, and four of them come around and make deals with you at $500 a pop. That $2,000 you rake in is then split between Rachel Weisz and Lisa Rinna, doubling their money as promised.

Now you are the hottest thing since sliced bread and everyone wants a piece. Take money from eight more, then 16, then 32, and so on. Once the pot is thick with cash, run off with the profits instead of paying back investors in the pyramid scheme. You are now Bernard Madoff, you have broken the law and payday loans won’t bail you out.

Not all Ponzi schemes are illegal, however

Social Security, where the younger members of the population pay part of the retirement benefits of the older, is a legal Ponzi scheme. Asset pricing bubbles, where a middle man takes a cut every round, is another type of legal Ponzi scheme. To illustrate how the latter works, people take out mortgages they can’t afford, but assume their home increasing in value will offset this. These homeowners are engaging in legal Ponzi activity.

Madoff’s scheme was a little bit different

According to Peter J. Henning in the New York Times, Madoff “1) preyed exclusively on very wealthy investors and 2) offered steady returns of 10 percent a year rather than a quick, spectacular gain.” But ultimatley, it’s still a Ponzi.

The federal government is going to try to pick up the pieces, in its fashion. They may spend billions to bail out the last-round players in Madoff’s scam to protect the overall economy. Participants will get some of this bailout, but they will still lose significant cash overall. Taxpayers foot the bill for the bailout, which may generate greater net losses than the people who were duped.

Be angry. Be very angry. No more bailouts

Unfortunately, bailouts have a tendency of reinforcing riskier Ponzi schemes. Let’s hope that the $700 billion federal bailout doesn’t create a monster that swallow’s Madoff’s Prometheus Unbound whole. This may not mean much to the average consumer, but it supports our culture of victimization and greed, which is in no way a world in which children should be raised. Payday loans are not to blame for what these game-players have done to the economy.

Jeremy Piven

After Piven’s doctors informed him that he had a “very high mercury  count” and instructed him to leave immediately, he did just that. He had been complaining of exhaustion.

The job

“Speed the Plow” began its run Oct. 23. Piven made about $15,000 a week at the gig. (Now that’s some serious extra cash.) Performances were scheduled for this week, but Piven hasn’t shown up for work since Tuesday.

David Mamet’s play targets Hollywood power brokers with a vengeance, kind of the way the media attacks payday loans companies. The show is scheduled to run through Feb. 22. The director has not yet named a permanent replacement for Piven, but he says the show will go on as planned despite Piven’s absence.

The illness

According to Wikipedia, a “high mercury count,” known more commonly as high mercury levels, can cause mercury poisoning. Mercury is a heavy metal and is often found in fish. Consuming too much mercury through eating fish is the most common cause of mercury poisoning. But humans can also be exposed to mercury by eating plant or livestock that contain it or by breathing contaminated air.

Mercury causes damage to the central nervous system. This can impair hearing, vision and speech. Other symptoms include itchy skin, kidney damage and, in extreme cases, brain damage or death. Treatment includes taking prescription drugs to remove the toxin.

Side show

Piven has been in headlines recently for another reason, too. Earlier this month the actor deleted Barack Obama’s phone number from his cell phone. Piven says he has no idea how it happened. He just went back to recheck the message Obama left him and it was gone.

Piven had raised lots of extra cash for the President-elect during his campaign. Obama called to thank him and, according to Piven, left him “five phone numbers.” I guess Piven should have saved them to his phone sooner. (Like, immediately? He’s the President.)

But instead he just saved the message on his BlackBerry. Piven blames said BlackBerry for the infraction, but when he called Obama’s people to explain that the President had left his number and said BlackBerry had erased it, they didn’t believe him. Go figure.

So just who does this guy think he is?

Piven is best known for his role in the smash hit HBO series “Entourage.” He plays Ari Gold, a brash Hollywood agent. The show follows Gold’s client, a budding Hollywood actor, as he battles between earning street cred and earning extra cash.

The show hit the air in 2004 and immediately gained a young adult, hipster following. Piven’s performance on the series has won him the Emmy for “Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series” the past three years in a row.

And?

Piven, 43, began his career in 1986 in the film “Lucas.” His first role in a cult hit was in 1989’s “Say Anything,” starring John Cusack. Recently, he has played roles in “Scary Movie 3,” “Smokin’ Aces” and “Keeping up with the Steins.” He’s also done voice work for several animated films, including “Cars” and “Scooby Doo Where Are You.”

After all that, he finally made it to Broadway only to cut his run short. The play’s investors are reelng after looking at the refunds the box office has issued. So far the play could have made $20,000 in extra cash if it hadn’t been for Piven’s absence. Too bad the theater can’t take out payday loans.