_Where_the_Money_Is_ (PG-13) ** (out of ****)
Well into his 70s, Paul Newman still has a vim and vigor that burns incandescently on the silver screen. But as he ages gracefully, the projects he chooses to make are less so. Latest case in point: _Where_the_Money_Is_, a mechanical caper comedy that is more of a tedious watch than the breezy lark it aims to be.
Newman is well matched with co-star Linda Fiorentino, who plays Carol, who unhappily works at the nursing home Newman's Henry is staying at. Henry, a convicted thief, is transferred to the home after suffering a stroke--or, rather, faking one, a fact that only Carol is quick to pick up on. Instead of turning Henry in and thwarting his escape plans, Carol decides to make a deal with him: she will help him make a getaway if he will help her with one big heist. Henry agrees take part in Carol's big plan, as does her husband Wayne (Dermot Mulroney, in a thankless role), who has reservations about the whole scheme.
The meat of _Money_ is simple enough, but it takes forever to cut to it. The film runs a compact 89 minutes, but about 60 of those minutes are buildup filler featuring a mass of misfired jokes. Some racy gags involving Carol's use of her sexuality to awaken Henry from his "stroke" are overdone, and the dialogue the two eventually exchange is not as witty as it would like to be. Only Newman's magnetism, Fiorentino's sultry spunk, and the undeniable chemistry between them keeps this section watchable.
Theoretically, when time comes for Henry, Carol, and Wayne to stage their heist, _Where_the_Money_Is_ should really kick into gear. While this section is certainly more interesting than anything that preceded it, there's nothing terribly exciting about it. In fact, the scheme itself is fairly by-the-numbers, without any imaginatively quirky twists that one would expect from such a light comedy. Director Marek Kanievska plays the big robbery straight in every possible way, meaning not just taking it fairly seriously but also adding nothing beyond what's on the page, such as suspense or tension.
Maybe Newman's relaxation in front of the camera was just so infectious that everyone behind the camera on _Where_the_Money_Is_ felt the urge to work in a lower gear. But they mistook his effortless ease for laziness, for while one sees the fire behind Newman's cool, one can see nothing behind this film's glacial slickness.
Michael Dequina twotrey@juno.com | michael_jordan@geocities.com | jordan_host@sportsmail.com | mrbrown@iname.com Mr. Brown's Movie Site: http://welcome.to/mrbrown CinemaReview Magazine: http://www.CinemaReview.com on ICQ: #25289934 | on AOL Instant Messenger: MrBrown23
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