Review of Money Monster (2016) by Sherrie W — 12 May 2016

"Money Monster" is the definition of a cinematic love/hate relationship for this viewer. On the surface it is a punchy movie about an interesting (and very much in the Zeitgeist) topic, with an excellent cast and a seasoned director. The movie makes fodder of strange bedfellows Wall Street financiers and investment tv programs (and their hosts) and the far-reaching effects of financial witchcraft on *regular* folks' investment accounts and life savings.

Unfortunately, the movie's tone wavers and falters throughout the story. Sometimes comedic, sometimes a thriller, sometimes a would-be serious commentary that unfortunately does not go the all the way in its indictment of Wall Street, our appetite for scandalous news (much better explored in the British TV series "Black Mirror"s first episode "The National Anthem") and the citizenry's collective apathy in the light of outraging news.

The cast is for the most part on point, yet it feels as if we are watching two different movies at times: There is the movie that takes place in the Money Monster studio with George Clooney, Julia Robert, Jack O'Connell and a very much a caricature of a supporting cast - more funny than it should be really, considering the premise of the movie is a hostage situation; and the movie that features Catriona Balfe, Julia Roberts and Dominic West - grittier and tense but not as much as one would hope.

In the end, Money Monster is a movie that tries too hard to tick all the boxes, never truly taking a stand either way (is Wall Street a con? Is the 24-hr news network to blame for our apathy? Are we sheep? Can we make a difference? Should we even try? etc etc). But one box it does not miss is that of cynical product placement: A movie that berates the investment establishment, yet mentions a prominent online investment platform in a key scene is just too meta for its own sake.