'Where the Money Is' (2000)
A movie review by Walter Frith
wfrith@cgocable.net
Member of the 'Online Film Critics Society' http://www.ofcs.org
Cast - Paul Newman, Linda Fiorentino, Dermot Mulroney Directed by - Marek Kanievska Written by - E. Max Frye, Topper Lilien and Carroll Cartwright Produced by - Ridley Scott, Charles Weinstock, and Chris Zarpas (Rating) > Motion Picture Association of America - PG-13 (Parental Guidance-13), Rated PG-13 for some sexual content Running Length - 89 minutes Distributor - USA Films
Paul Newman has announced that he will soon retire from the medium of film. He says he wants to make a couple of more films and will retire sometime in 2001. He also mentioned that he would like to do another film with his wife Joanne Woodward and that would be a great swan song in the career of the second greatest actor in the history of American cinema, behind Al Pacino. Newman has been nominated for the Oscar eight times as an actor and has also received a nomination for producing 1968's 'Rachel, Rachel', which he also directed. Newman owns three awards from the Academy, for best actor in 1986's 'The Color of Money', an honorary Oscar for his entire body of work and the Jean Hersholt humanitarian award for his charitable efforts. Newman is a stand up guy, a great role model for upcoming actors and lives the kind of clean Hollywood lifestyle others could take a lesson from. Newman is 75 and can still act with the best of them. His part in 'Where the Money Is' makes Newman look semi-retired and his work in the film, with all due respect, is something he could have made more of it but he is still fine nevertheless.
There's are two movies I kept thinking of while watching 'Where the Money Is'. The first one is entitled 'The Brink's Job' from 1978 and 'The In-Laws' in 1979, both starring actor Peter Falk. 'The Brink's Job' is sort of self explanatory by the nature of its title and is a better look at an armoured car robbery story and is based on a true story about a famous 1950 Brink's caper that rocked the city of Boston.
'Where the Money Is' is a docile attempt to weave a somewhat interesting plot about an armoured car robbery with the lives of those wishing for something better by collecting the loot from it. The film is also a cake walk for Newman, and the rest of the cast for that matter. This film probably would have gone straight to video if it wasn't for the charismatic performance by Newman who acts as the anchor for this movie and saves all of those in front of and behind the camera from being totally forgotten.
It tells the story of a convicted bank robber named Henry Manning (Paul Newman) who is living in a nursing home and he reportedly has suffered a stroke and is unresponsive to anything around him. Nurse Carol Ann McKay (Linda Fiorentino) believes that given the past of this colourful criminal that he's faking his ailment and she tries to prove it. She tries to turn on the charm by doing things like sitting on Henry's lap etc, etc. After getting desperate, Carol indeed proves that Henry is faking his condition by throwing him and his wheelchair for a special kind of ride. Carol wants to liven up her marriage by going along on a robbery caper with Henry and her husband Wayne (Dermot Mulroney) agrees, reluctantly, to go along with the robbery caper and together, this threesome embark on a night of posing as armoured car guards and heist a truck and carry out robberies by making merchants think they're the real thing, just filling in for the evening and their uniforms and acts of persuasion are very convincing.
The problem with 'Where the Money Is' is that it has no edge. It moves along well but has the look of a television movie and really has no excitement. It's not that it was intended that way but director Marek Kanievska and writers E. Max Frye, Topper Lilien and Carroll Cartwright (why did it take three people to write this?) have made a genteel type of movie that you can take your grandparents to see in proud fashion on a Sunday afternoon with little or few people in the theatre to bother you.
OUT OF 4 > * * 1/2
A film must receive a three star rating or higher to be eligible for a recommendation.
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