Money Monster

While most associate her with her magnificent performances, Jodie Foster is one of those actor-turned-directors that have really turned out well. She hasn’t directed much, but when she does, the material she gives us is very well done. “Home for the Holidays,” “Little Man Tate,” “The Beaver,” and even episodes of “Orange is the New Black” and “House of Cards” are handled really damn nicely. Today, we’ll be looking at her newest work, “Money Monster.”

            The film tells of a TV personality named Lee Gates, who hosts a show called “Money Monster,” talking to his audience about Wall Street and commerce. When he talks about the IBIS Global Capital Stock losing $800 million, a bankrupt viewer named Kyle Budwell takes the studio hostage, and demands answers in justice or else he’ll set off a bomb vest that Lee wears.

            What “Money Monster” delivers is a tense and intriguing film that satirizes those schmucks with get-rich-quick schemes and mock the unlucky ones, who may end up at their breaking point, and addresses that even guys like those are suckers to the corrupt bastards of Wall Street. Foster shows us just how far things can be taken and how dire this kind of situation can be in the eyes of the public.

            George Clooney delivers a great performance as Lee Gates, keeping the smug attitude and egocentric personality that most TV hosts like these are known for being, but still keeps the sense of humanity. Sure, he mostly tries to do this to keep himself alive, but there is that point where he wants to do some good and fix what was wronged. Julia Roberts as Lee’s director, Patty, also gave a good performance, trying to put the pieces together on this situation as fast as possible for the sake of her dear friend. You can definitely get the sense of dread that fills Patty’s head as the situation goes on further, and the audience feels that too with every passing minute. Other cast members like Caitriona Balfe, Christopher Denham, Giancarlo Esposito, and Lenny Venito are all very good as well.

            However, the performance that truly steals the show is Jack O’Connell as Kyle Budwell. O’Connell really nails this performance as a young New Yorker who had his trust broken and lost all his finances. As the film goes on, you feel the desperation in his voice, not to be paid back, but just to understand why all of this happened to him and millions of others who were cheated. I’m really happy to see O’Connell do well in a much better film, especially after the disappointment that was “Unbroken.” If anything, I wouldn’t mind if O’Connell got a Best Supporting Actor nomination. Yeah, that’s how good he was in this film.

            Now if I had any complaints with this film, it would be with Dominic West as the CEO of IBIS. The character was a corrupt businessman and he played it straight…and that’s it. There’s not much else to it that really sticks out to me. I guess with how great everybody else was in the film, he’s the only one that didn’t really stick out that much to me.

            Overall, “Money Monster” is a film that I happily recommend. The tension works strongly, the story is very investing, and the performances from our three main actors are very strong. If you get a chance, definitely give this film a watch.

Rating: 9/10