Heist films have a built-in degree of viewer satisfaction. Since by necessity, they’re about taking from those who have, with the taking usually being carried out by have-nots, there’s a sense of sticking it to the fat cats, be they individuals or faceless entities.
“Mad Money” gets some mileage from that movie law. It also benefits from a likable cast. But while it’s perky and spunky and celebrates the shopping gene found in women of all economic stripes, after it’s over it’s nearly impossible to remember.
It’s not just a matter of where that $6 (or $8 or $10) for the ticket went. It’s about expecting more than the cinematic equivalent of dryer lint.
Directed by Oscar-winning “Thelma &Louise” scribe Callie Khouri, “Mad Money” shows how far women haven’t come in, oh, say, 17 years. While females become the breadwinners here, they’re also seen as losers unless they have men with whom to share their loot. Sure, Prince Charming is a nice concept, but what happened to the femme power of “Thelma &Louise”?
The movie begins after the criminals have been found out. It looks as though Bridget Cardigan (Diane Keaton) is leaving husband Don (Ted Danson) and cohorts Nina Brewster (Queen Latifah) and Jackie Truman (Katie Holmes) and their partners to face the music while she absconds with a bag full of cash. The film then flips between police interrogations and flashbacks beginning three years earlier.
After Bridget discovers that Don has lost his corporate job and they’re $286,000 in debt, she sets out to look for work. Her qualifications are shaky: She has no computer skills, and her years as a stay-at-home mom and dusty degree in comparative literature haven’t prepared her for the marketplace.
Bridget winds up working as a janitor at the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank. She quickly notices that stacks of bills are destroyed each day, and she tries to befriend Nina, who operates the shredding machine.
Nina, a single mother of two, balks when Bridget suggests they steal money destined to be shredded. Nina points out the tough security measures, not to mention the illegality. But after Bridget works on her and recruits Jackie, who pushes the carts full of doomed money to Nina, Nina gets on board.
It turns out that Bridget isn’t planning to stop after one heist. And each consecutive theft takes them a step closer to discovery. But as Bridget and Don reclaim their place in society, Jackie and husband Bob (Adam Rothenberg) collect new toys and Nina clicks with a handsome security guard, Barry (Roger Cross), the habit becomes harder and harder to break.
The screenplay by Glenn Gers is good for a few laughs, but the plot is so improbable that it makes the cartoonish defenders of justice as sympathetic as the thieves.
Keaton, Latifah and Holmes show varying degrees of chemistry, and they seem to be having fun. Still, that’s not enough to make up for the film’s broken moral compass or its fluffier-than-thou attitude.
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