Mr. Movie: ‘Money Monster’ features monster performances but little else
Money Monster attacks corporate greed. George Clooney is TV huckster Lee Gates, whose Money Monster TV show pushes viewers to buy the stock of a globally successful company run by Dominic West’s Walt Campbell. As the story begins, his firm suffers a computer glitch and $800 million disappears.
Kyle Budwell dumped his $60,000 inheritance into the company and lost it all. So Budwell grabs a gun, invades the TV studio during Gates’ broadcast, and with the whole world watching, straps a bomb to the host’s chest and starts demanding answers. No one can explain what happened to the $800 million, and Campbell can’t be found. His PR person — nicely played by Caitriona Balfe, the star of TV’s popular Outlander — has no explanation for his disappearance or what happened to the money.
What you get is Clooney, Julia Roberts, who plays his director, and Jack O’Connell (Unbroken) as Budwell, doing some great back and forth dialogue. However, what should have been edge-of-your seat drama is paint-by-numbers.
And you can’t blame Jodie Foster, who directs a feature film for the first time since The Beaver in 2011. She’s a great storyteller who works hard to sell the premise. For a while it works. Two TV writers, Alan DiFiore and Jim Kouf (Grimm), and the dreadful Dear John’s Jamie Linden penned a script that dissolves into drivel by the feel-good climax.
Their script lacks the tension demanded by a hostage-driven plot. You never feel like Clooney or his co-workers are in any kind of real danger, and you know in the end everything is going to be alright.
Thy yawning starts with early dialogue attacking corporate greed and a lack of accountability for tycoons, who lose millions for investors yet remain rich. Hollywood has been there and done that a lot. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. Money Monster sits somewhere in the middle. This isn’t to say it’s not worth watching, because it is. And until the semi-silly climax, you will be highly entertained.
Money Monster
Director: Jodie Foster
Stars: George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Jack O’Connell, Caitriona Balfe, Giancarlo Esposito, Lenny Venito
Mr. Movie rating: 3 1/2 stars
Rated R for language, mature themes. It’s playing at the Carmike 12, the Fairchild Cinemas 12 and Queensgate 12, and at Walla Walla Grand Cinemas.
5 stars to 4 1/2 stars: Must see on the big screen.
4 stars to 3 1/2 stars: Good film, see it if it’s your type of movie.
3 stars to 2 1/2 stars: Wait until it comes out on DVD.
2 stars to 1 star: Don’t bother.
0 stars: Speaks for itself.
This story was originally published May 12, 2016 at 2:49 PM with the headline "Mr. Movie: ‘Money Monster’ features monster performances but little else."