The re-teaming of George Clooney with his OCEAN’S 11-franchise co-star Julia Roberts sure built up my hopes…
So when MONEY MONSTER came along my expectations were sky high—a bit TOO high.
What I got out of it was an interesting hostage thriller that eventually turns into a typical melodrama—one that even with a relatively short running time of just 98 minutes sure SEEMED longer.
Co-produced by Clooney and directed by Jodie Foster, MONEY MONSTER has Clooney playing a bombastic financial talking head with more bells and whistles than Jim Cramer could ever hope for on his Mad Money show.
But Clooney takes risks.
When one of his highly touted stocks takes a giant dive, irate investor (Jack O’Connell) takes some drastic measures.
Seems he’s invested everything into what guru Clooney proclaimed a sure bet—and now he’s lost everything.
So the poor fool dresses up as a delivery man, sneaks into the TV studio and takes Clooney hostage: explosive vest and all.
Meanwhile Clooney’s producer Julia Roberts is trying desperately to defuse the situation while the volatile situation plays out on live TV!
So what really lies BEHIND the stock’s default? Was it a glitch in the trading system or high-tech manipulation of the worst kind?
If you think this is a twist on last year’s THE BIG SHORT, you’ll be disappointed because it’s far from it.
So keep your expectations in check.
The story unfolds in real time and does a decent job in combining tense thriller action with today’s fast paced global financial markets.
Buy a large box of popcorn when you get to the theater. Then squirt a lot of that yellow goop on it and don’t try to read too much into the proceedings.
That’s the best way for you to enjoy MONEY MONSTER, trust me.
My grade: B-
JACK GOES TO THE MOVIES Friday mornings at 7:40 a.m. and 9:40 a.m. during Kansas City’s Morning News on 98.1 FM, KMBZ.
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I had high hope this would be a fun drama/action/thriller, but I guess not. Oh well.
It’s OK. Just No “OCEANS” FEEL TO IT…. 🙂
I am missing this movie altogther, based on its perception of Wall Street, that someone has to lose money when another makes it. Sometimes yes, but not always. In fact, there are few banks headquartered on Wall Street. The NYSE is there, but Bank of America is in Charlotte, North Carolina. Apparently, the self investor forgot rule one, know your client, and it probably resulted in the police taking action that Darwin would approve of. Not impressed.