Mad Money Review
Mad Money is a lot more fun than it has any right to be. For this we can thank the cast, for its surprising comic compatibility, and the writing, for concocting a scam that's both clever and plausible. It helps this plausibility that the film is based on a British hit (Hot_Money), which itself was inspired by real events. But director Callie_Khouri and screenwriter Glenn_Gers deserve credit for adapting the story to the American Federal Reserve, showing how three determined conspirators could hatch a plan to "liberate" retired currency before it reaches the shredder. Diane_Keaton, Queen_Latifah, and Katie_Holmes might seem like a random selection of stars for these roles, but that's the point -- in order to fly under the radar of the Reserve's military-level security, they must seem like people who wouldn't know each other. These three develop a motley chemistry that propels the movie through some funny set pieces. In addition to functioning as a madcap caper comedy, Mad Money also works as a snapshot of corporate America in the late 2000s. Ted_Danson has a funny supporting role as a formerly rich businessman, whose downsizing has left him and his wife (Keaton) with an unsupportable lifestyle. This is what prompts her to take, of all things, a janitorial job at the Reserve, in a paradoxical attempt to remain upper-class. Perhaps inevitably, Mad Money runs out of steam and goes off the rails in its third act. Morally upright characters begin casually selling out their values, and one turn of events invalidates the film's running narrative device, which features various conspirators confessing the sordid details during prison interviews. But the fact that Mad Money is even two-thirds of a good movie is more than the trailers prepared us to expect. Derek Armstrong, Rovi
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