'Money Monster' - Go for the discount....
Well cast, even well directed, 'Money Monster' has a lot going for it except for a compelling storyline that holds the viewer for the entire 90 minutes. Tapping into the now all too familiar sediment that Wall Street sucks and we are all getting ripped off, 'Money Monster' is just a few minutes too late to the party.
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'Money Monster' is a show hosted by the loud and crass Lee Gates (George Clooney, still searching for a hit movie), a highly popular financial management/advice show that is more 'infortainment' than news worthy. Lee tips his viewers on stocks that can gain them instant riches; however one of his tips, a company called IBIS, goes horribly wrong, with the company losing hundreds of millions of dollars in a single day; presumably because of some illegal actions. A disillusioned 'Money Monster' viewer, Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell) after losing his life saving, $60,000.00, sneaks into the 'Money Monster' studio and takes Gates hostage. Gates, his crew and his Producer/Director Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts) must work together to save Gates life while fulfilling the demands of Bud as they seek to uncover the truth behind the IBIS failure.
When stated like this, it has all of the pieces to be a very dramatic as well as interesting story. And while Clooney, Roberts and O'Connell all perform wonderfully, the story is just not up to par to match the powerhouse performers that have been cast. Directed by Jodie Foster, the film has some superior moments, most of which are all in the first half; once the film moves into the second act, the characters and story simply becomes a series of plot devices to move the film to its foregone conclusion.
Unlike 'The Big Short', a film that not only took Wall Street to task, but made it so the average viewer could be entertained by it, 'Money Monster' falls upon standard characters and a plot line that is often convoluted and less compelling than the screen writers, (Alan DiFiore, Jamie Linden, Jim Kouf) should have intended. More often than not throughout the film, their messages were more blunt slaps to the face than compelling drama driving the story forward.
That being said, those of us that may be a little weary from the explosive action of summer blockbuster films, may find this a nice little break. It's a 'C' film that is loaded with 'B' direction, and 'A' performances despite the week screen play. It is worth the $5 Tuesday at your local Marcus Theater or even the early bird discount showing.