Review of Money Monster (2016) by Thomas D — 14 May 2016

Money Monster falls victim to the same sort of problems that the TV show in the film does, it has many moving parts that don't work as a cohesive product if they aren't all working well together. While it has many things to say about our current world, it lacks the subtly and a consistent tone to really hit home on the ideas that director Jodie Foster sets out to propose.

Money Monster focuses on Lee Gates' show of the same name and the dire circumstances the showrunners find themselves in when an investor attempts to take over the show and take hostages. The film has plenty of good things working on its' side, including incredible talent on and off screen. George Clooney and Julia Roberts lead the cast as the host and director of 'Money Monster' respectively, while Jack O'Connell plays the upset investor, Kyle Budwell.

O'Connell is the clear standout, which is starting to become a sentence I frequently use. As extreme as he takes this situation coming from his inner frustration, there are moments where you feel legitimate sorrow and pity towards Budwell. Foster tries to play with those emotions of ours perhaps one too many times, but there's no denying they are there.

Another thing the film does well is its pacing. The entire runtime deals with the hostage at the 'Money Monster' TV show, and it managed to keep my attention throughout. I was always invested as to what would happen next, so Foster deserves some credit for that. Unfortunately, she also throws in a ton of unnecessary comedy without any subtly whatsoever. Comic relief is usually welcome, but I never felt like this story called for it. When people are on the verge of dying, I don't want the scene to cut to someone making sexual jokes or being caught in the act. Both happened during the course of the film.

So while Money Monster has some intriguing things to say about questioning authority and where your money is coming from, which I can appreciate, it lacked the full package in order to feel the true impact of a horrible situation. However, with the performances of O'Connell and the rest of the cast, there's more than enough here to make this a movie worth checking out.

+O'Connell once again kills it.

+Things to say about Wall Street.

+Pacing.

-Lacks subtly.

-Humor doesn't fit.

6.5/10.