Movie Notes: Mad Money

March 20th, 2009

= 1 star

Starring Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes
Directed by Callie Khouri

Synopsis

Three Federal Reserve employees hatch an operation to steal wads of cash no longer in circulation.

The Good

Nothing.

The Bad

• Neither Keaton, Latifah, or Holmes makes any impression. Keaton’s yuppie wife comes off as completely materialistic, selfish, and wholly immoral — her family is hardly bad off and just need to “maintain their lifestyle.” Holmes attempts quirky / daffy, but doesn’t go far enough. Latifah has more reason than the other two to turn to crime, but by association with the other two nitwits shows a serious lack of character.
• You’d think a heist would be inherently exciting, but not this one. The three women basically sneak old money out of a mint little by litte — no car chases, glitzy casinos, crazy earthquake machines, or hot babes seducing smarmy characters. The most used location is a women’s bathroom. Yawn.
• If you can’t deliver glitz, glamor, or spectacle, how about humor? Well, the “jokes” contained within are very weak and spineless. It feels like the biggest joke is Diane Keaton in a mug shot.

Conclusion

This movie really annoyed me. It also encourages the now-passe thought that money is the answer to everything, and is therefore worth committing a crime to get it. To top it off, it’s told in an utterly boring manner. I wanted to visit the laundromat — not to launder some cash — but to wash away any memory of this cinematic travesty.

IMDB: Mad Money
Wikipedia: Mad Money
Rotten Tomatoes: Mad Money