WHERE THE MONEY IS (2000) by John Sylva, associate of OFCS (www.ofcs.org)
Rating: B-
There are nurses who treat and care for their patients in nursing homes as if they were a part of their own family. There are nurses who volunteer extra time out of their life, just to be with their patients. Then, there are nurses who go around performing bank robberies with their patients. Well, not too many nurses do that, but that's what the unbelievable comedic caper "Where the Money Is" is trying to sell. Linda Fiorentino stars as Carol Ann McKay, nursing home employee responsible for watching over the home's newest patient, Henry Manning (Paul Newman). What results from a humorous, delightful setup is an unbelievable, over the top caper flick that is moderately entertaining, but never escapes the "been there done that" feeling that so many films of this genre carry.
Carol discovers that her new patient was once, or possibly still is, a well-known bank robber, who has supposedly suffered from a stroke, and as a result, cannot communicate or hardly move. Catching onto what seems to be a cleverly planned scheme, she eventually tricks him into snapping out of his stroke act, and starts to bond with the old timer, as the stroke routine was part of his plan to pull off his next big heist. From here, the two, along with Carol's husband, Wayne (Dermot Mulroney), decide to go on a series of robberies that will eventually land the team 2 million dollars.
As the film's lead, Paul Newman is hilarious in his comic portrayal of his aging bank robber, giving a performance that is unquestionably worth watching. The 75 year old actor has wonderful comic timing, and steals the show, turning what could have been a total flop into a pretty decent picture. The legendary Newman deserves better than "Where the Money Is," but it's apparent he wanted to travel into his older, crime caper days with this one.
Linda Fiorentino handles several of her scenes with comic pizzaz and energy, and falls flat as a pancake in others. The actress can't decide whether or not she's putting on a comedic performance or a mysterious one, changing Carol's personality from scene to scene, resulting in her character coming off dull, uneven, and unlikable others-which should probably be credited to the screenplay, which gave her an unclear character. As her husband, Dermot Mulroney is a complete misfire, ruining almost every one of his lines with a cocky, unrealistic tone of voice, and awful facial expressions.
Under the direction of Marek Kanievska, "Where the Money Is" is surprisingly good in some moments; surprisingly bad in others. Although flawed, some of the film's laughs cannot be ignored or go unmentioned, as a few choice moments are worth being rewound repeatedly when the flick comes to video. Kanievska wastes much of the film's screen time, especially with a totally unnecessary, 3 minute plus opening credit, and overly long scenes, present only to fill time. At a mere 88 minutes, one would think the screenplay would be from the desk of one, first time amateur screenwriter, but "Money"'s script gives credit to three screenwriters, E. Max Frye, Topper Lilien, and Carol Cartwright. The three pull off a satisfying enough work, but don't give any one actor enough to work with in their one-dimensional roles. Every character in the film is under-developed, and with a little more effort and time, could have been transformed into well rounded, likable beings. A lot more effort and time could have gone a long way in other areas of the screenplay as well, as the plot jumps from too many elements in such a short time to come off with any realism. The film is too unfocused to be very effective, but during many bright moments, you can tell a great movie is trying to squeeze through the cracks. Still, despite its few ups, "Where the Money Is" would have been better left for the video store.
The Bottom Line: "Where the Money Is" is where the money won't be at the box office; but it's a fine choice for a video rental.
Film reviewed: April 13th, 2000.
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