Years from now this is probably going to be remembered as “that film where George Clooney does the pimp dance.” Inevitably, memes and gifs galore will have celebrated his getting down while wearing bling and flanked by fly girls. Will this movie be remembered for its intention to shame greedy CEOs? Personally, I doubt it, especially as the wronged “good guy” (Jack O’Connell) takes up terrorism as a response to corporate greed … and this is where we come in.
Lee Gates (Clooney) is the ultimate modern day salesman; mostly he’s selling himself, which keeps his cable tv investing show “Money Monster” going. From my understanding, nobody is 100% perfect in market investment without cheating, hence, Lee probably has followed several bad predictions over the years with showmanship. Every episode, Lee Gates springs out from backstage, gyrates to music, and then discusses investments. The latter would be exceptionally boring were it
not for the fact that the RingLee brother circus here doles out advice exclusively in over-the-top terms, with fiery language and inflammatory video accompaniment. Consistently in his ear is his producer, Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts). Their relationship is symbiotic yet passive-aggressive at all times; the two may as well be married.
On the day in question, pedestrian Kyle (O’Connell), an everyman who couldn’t hide his thick Brooklyn accent with the help of a mountain of East River sludge and the Rockettes, sneaks into the studio with a gun and two C4-laden vests demanding to know where his money went and blaming Gates in the process. The anticipated Money Monster guest and head cheese of the no gouda company, Walt Camby (Dominic West) is MIA, leaving only a remote interview with an underling, fall-girl Caitriona Balfe.
Hence, we get a plot we’ve seen before – the mouthy guy has to talk his way out of death. This gimmick has been written better in films like Phone Booth and Cadillac Man (IMHO). The thing that makes Money Monster special – or should have – is the relationship to the still relatively recent and unresolved financial disaster that ended the W Presidency. As the angry everyman, Kyle is alternatively both simpleton and idiot savant, depending on situational need; shrewdly, he knows the Camby catchword explanation “glitch” is a false façade, and yet he didn’t figure out that you don’t invest every last dollar you own in somebody who prefaces all financial advice with a hip-hop video.
This exposes my frustration with Money Monster – for all that hostage-taking terrorism is entertaining, the film seems piss-poor in subject knowledge and has some surprisingly idiotic responses as expositional plot devices. For instance, Gates, Fenn and Lester (Balfe) all feign “I dunno” or “what’s that?” stances to basic investing and procedural questions. Now, I know the idea is to let the audience know what’s going on, but these are people who have (supposedly) made their livelihoods on understanding the mechanics of sound investment – it is ridiculous to imagine any of them truly dumbfounded when posed with a question like “how did the investment algorithm fail?” Yeah, we the audience don’t know, so we get a pass … but you don’t. Please introduce a way to tell us without making your leads look stupid. And for a film that advertises itself on “getting answers,” from Wall Street, Money Monster is surprisingly shallow – I learned nothing new about history or
investment or fraud or conspiracy or how hostage situations go or even how a television studio is run.
Beneath the fancy window dressing of Clooney and Roberts, Money Monster is a promotion of the Occupy Movement (A.k.a. “We are the 99%”). And much like the 99%ers, Money Monster correctly indentified where the financial ruin came from and what group is to blame … and just like the 99%ers, MM failed to pin down the true cause and true instigators before alienating a television audience. Jodie Foster and company are clearly rooting for the little guy, yet the result is less tribute to the underdog as a horrible mixed message – look, it doesn’t matter how many lives the greedy pigs at the top have destroyed through the market, the guy who introduces a bomb to a public venue or workplace is always the villain.
That all said, I’m giving Money Monster a slim pass; the drama is compelling, as are the performances from Clooney, Roberts and O’Connell. If you get anything less from these three, this Monster is, dare I say, both bull(s***) and bear. SELL! SELL! SELL!
♪Clooney, get away
Handsome as f*** even when turning gray
Clooney, he’s a star
Could make $10 mil reading the specs to your car
Check out his new flick — four stars? You wish
Think it is acceptable-ish
Clooney, get back
Playing a guy who puts you in the black
Clooney, he’s a hit
But better still when he gets to show his wit
If you like ham this guy is Porky
Cool as ice when he’s dorky
No way!♫
Rated R, 98 Minutes
D: Jodie Foster
W: Jamie Linden and Alan DiFiore & Jim Kouf
Genre: Explaining economic collapse …without naming names
Type of person most likely to enjoy this film: 99%ers
Type of person least likely to enjoy this film: CEOs
♪ Parody inspired by “Money”
