Mad Money (2008)

star power barely carries weak plot

This movie just didn't keep me. The star power alone carried the weak, difficult to believe plot. IMO the purpose of a "heist movie" (like ocean's 11) is to make you think that you really could do something like that and get away with it, this movie didn't pull that off. I never got used to seeing Diane Lane in a janitor's jumpsuit. Katie Holmes was plays a looney tune, probably the only type of character that she would be good at nowadays. There is no moral to the story. No "come to Jesus" moment at the end. Instead you're left with the feeling that if you can steal from the government, everything's gravy. Not terrible, but worth a little less than face value. July 16, 2008

Lotta Laughs & Tension in this Feel Good Movie

With our economy in the dumps, gas going through the roof, people losing their homes, can you blame a girl if she wants to skirt the law and steal a few bucks? Well, a lotta bucks in this case.

Bridget Cardigan (Diane Keaton) is forced to go into the work place because her unemployed husband (Ted Danson) isn't looking like he's going to find work anytime soon. They are knee deep in debt and about to lose their home.

Bridget gets a janitorial job at the Federal Reserve Bank and immediately falls in love with all that money, especially the cash that gets burned. She devises a scheme to steal some of the loot, it's untraceable after all. However, she needs to involve a couple other clean up girls in on her plot and they are played by Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes.

Much of the movie revolves around the girls stealing the cash and it's pretty funny, at least I laughed a lot. I like Diane Keaton and Katie Holmes, but I absolutely love Queen Latifah, so perhaps I was programed to like the movie, which is good, because I really did.

Plenty of laughs and tension in this film and it's got a feel good ending that surprised me and if you see this movie it might surprise you, it's very good and I highly recommend it.

Reviewed by Vesta Irene, Number One fan of Ken Douglas, writer of Tangerine Dream, Desperation Moon & Running Scared. July 16, 2008

This Movie Should Definitely "Tip" Now!

Hey, since now we're all talking about Freddie Mac and Ginny Mae, this is a movie whose time has come! Are more banks gonna close now?

I have long been a Diane Keaton fan, and here she is in all her glory. It almost brings you back to "Annie Hall." In fact, this film could sort of be "Annie Hall Hits the New Millenium."

Money comes to money, they say. When you've had money and then had to do without it, there can either be rare introspective personal insights and a transformation of the individual's existential position.

Or it can be this movie! Viewed from that perspective, it's delightful.

Say, it's two a.m. - do you know where your money is? July 15, 2008

Quirky....Twisted....Entertaining.

If you can get beyond the totally amoral characters who let justified/rationalized greed run rampant within their lives, you might enjoy this movie. Especially if you are a fan of Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes and/or Ted Danson.

Mad Money is kind of a girlfriend/chick-lit version of Oceans Eleven without all the skill and slickness. The characters pull off the impossible, but it helps that the head of the "bank" is a complete idiot (think single-minded focus stapler guy from Office Space.)

There is clever dialog and there are some fun moments. The movie carries a quirky charm and the actors seem to have a great time with their parts and interaction.

If you can't suspend disbelief you might not want to go there. But if you don't mind a few sexual innuendos, some expletives and the whole moral "why not take it, it's just sitting there?" thought process, you might enjoy the quirky humor. July 12, 2008

More Holes Than A Box Of Fruit Loops

This is probably the worst movie I have seen this year, a failure on so many levels. It's a comedy without laughs and a crime caper without drama. To say the story is not realistic would be a gross understandment.

The characters played by Diane Keaton and Katie Holmes are not only ridiculous but downright irritating. Queen Latifah's character, a single mom who wants a better life for her sons, is somewhat more sympathetic. But really she is the only bright side in this cinematic disaster. Avoid at all costs. July 11, 2008

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