Review of Friends with Money (2006) by Dan J — 14 Jul 2009

Here's what I don't get about Aniston's character, Olivia, in "Friends With Money": Olivia quits her career as a schoolteacher, to work as a housecleaner, because her students make fun of the car she drives - shorthand for the economic snobbiness between students and teacher.

Even if we accept that premise, why then does Olivia clean houses for the same people whose kids offend her?These "friends" are offensive to Olivia to her face. Of course, if she changed friends as well as career, it would be a different story.

The movie is billed as a "dramedy", or drama / comedy. I would say that it's mostly drama: all dialog, with almost no narrative. The comedy, where there is any, comes from the dialog, not action. The friends are interesting, without becoming cliche, though at times the movie seems to drag. To enjoy this movie, you must listen carefully.