Mad Money Movie Review
February 5, 2008
Queen Latifah, Diane Keaton and Katie Holmes make an unlikely team of bank robbers in the comedy caper Mad Money directed by Callie Khouri from a screenplay by Glenn Gers. In fact, everything about this film can be neatly summed up with the word ‘unlikely’. The set up, the characters, the dialogue, and the finale – every inch of this film screams for that ‘unlikely’ label. And not even the charming Queen Latifah can bring this tepid comedy to life.The Cardigans are used to a cushy lifestyle, but that all changes when Don (Ted Danson) loses his job and the pile of bills overtakes the funds in their bank accounts. Bridget (Keaton) is stunned to learn they’re now $268,000 in debt with no income coming in and no real prospects on the horizon. The final straw is a bounced check to their maid. Not only will the upper-class Bridget have to do her own dishes, she’ll also have to find employment or risk a life on the streets.
Fortunately, the maid turns Bridget on to a position with the Federal Reserve Bank. Bridget can’t use a computer and has no real employable skills, but apparently she is talented enough to be hired as a janitor. Almost immediately upon accepting the job, she figures out a way to rob the place. No one else has ever done it, but Bridget comes up with a plan seemingly within hours of being on the job. Yeah, right…
