'Money Monster' Review

Image from We Got This Covered

By Darian Scalamoni

When was the last time you saw a George Clooney film that impressed you? Over the last 3 years the superstar actor has starred in films like Tomorrowland and The Monuments Men leading to a lull and lack of success that he hasn’t faced since the failure of Batman & Robin; unfortunately you can add Money Monster to the list of recent disappointments in his filmography.

               Money Monster is a film that sees a gunman (Jack O’Connell) hold a television studio hostage believing that the host of the program with the same title as the film is responsible for him losing millions of dollars. Lee Gates (George Clooney) is one of the most popular television hosts and personalities in the country. His job is to sway viewers to make smart investments within the stock market but for a young man named Kyle Budwell (Jack O’Connell), it’s the fact that he felt betrayed by a piece of stock that failed with no real explanation from Gates. He is loud and obnoxious but also has charm and wit. It’s hard to believe that Gates would be anywhere though, if it wasn’t for his director Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts). Though the chemistry between Roberts and Clooney is believable, they aren’t able to save this film to stay afloat as an intense thriller as was shown in the trailer.

               The movie showcases a situation that would be incredibly intense for everyone involved yet, the film just falls flat. The film deals with trading stocks and the stock market in general which is a major controversy within not only Money Monster but also in the real world. The whole movie acts as a social commentary and is very current with the questions surrounding trading stocks but unfortunately for this film, The Big Short was an example of the right way this story could be handled successfully.

               This wouldn’t be a problem though if the film wasn’t so damn predictable. It seems as if from the beginning, everything is set up perfectly for the viewer to know the ending before you’re even within the second act. It’s truly a shame that such a lackluster movie has so much baggage that the performances from Clooney, Roberts and O’Connell are likely to be overlooked. Jodie Foster (Silence of the Lambs, Panic Room) shows her best effort with direction here which rings true through her actors performances’ but it is to no avail.

               The movie ends almost as quickly as it gets underway at a runtime of only 98 minutes and you’ll be disappointed mostly by hostage clichés that don’t work as well here as they did in a film such as John Q. The result of this film is an unsurprising format that doesn’t accomplish what it is ultimately aiming for. There’s no need to see this film unless it’s for the performances, otherwise you can just take a pass at this most recent attempt from Jodie Foster.

5/10