Review of One for the Money (2012) by Stoo B — 11 Mar 2012

The only problem with this romcom action movie is it isn't funny. Or romantic. Or exciting.

Other than that though there's nothing wrong with it. Well, that is, apart from the miscasting of every single character. And the script ("We're ancient history; like the pyramids, baby!"). And the total absence of chemistry between the two leads. Oh, and some of the worst Noo Joizy accents I've heard in a long time. But apart from that, it's fine.

Actually, I confess to quite liking Katherine Heigl and to be fair, she's not actually *that* bad in this, although she does come dangerously close. She has had better roles than this though and just wasn't convincing here at all as Stephanie Plum, a lingerie saleswoman turned reluctant bounty hunter. Still, when you're the executive producer and you've bought the rights to the novel, who's gonna stop you casting yourself as the lead..?

However, even if Heigl had put in an Oscar-winning performance, it still wouldn't be enough to cover up some of the laziest character stereotyping I've seen since the 70s. Amongst others, we get a big-haired gum-chewing secretary from New Jersey, a slimy cousin running a shady business, a 'comedy' senile grandmother, a neurotic over-bearing mother, a hen-pecked beleaguered husband and two gaudy bickering prostitutes ("We've got this good cop, bad cop thing going on... Except we're hookers").

If this had been a one-hour TV episode in a series of the adventures of Stephanie Plum, they might just have got away with it. As it is, there's not enough script to stretch to even 90 minutes and what plot there is, is all far too disjointed and tedious.

Apparently there were (wisely) no advance screenings given for critics in the UK. Maybe they should have had the courage of their convictions and not bothered showing it here at all.