Mad Money
The number of movies detailing bank robberies organized by women are not exactly many and that’s what director Callie Khouri hopes will make Mad Money so special and appealing to viewers. Produced by Robert O. Green, Avi Lerner and Trevor Short, the movie was released this January. It stars Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes, Roger R. Cross with Adam Rothenberg.
The movie is a comedy about three women who decide to do something extraordinary — to rob one of the most secure banks in the world. Bridget Cardigan is shocked to discover that she is on the edge of losing her comfortable house and upper-middle class life since her husband has lost his job.
Armed only with a decades old English degree, Cardigan is forced into the unfamiliar labor market with no job skills and understanding of the work market. However, she later discovers that she has more skills than she ever thought she had before. Cardigan, Nina and Jack team up to smuggle soon-to-be destroyed currency out of the supposedly airtight Reserve.
Cinema Blend.com reports that what makes Mad Money more interesting is that the movie doesn’t end well for the women.
They keep going, walking out with more and more “to be destroyed” money, robbing their employer over and over, with no one the wiser. It’s been awhile since I saw that in a heist movie. Much of the film is spent watching them and their spouses, a bunch of “Ted Dansons” argue over when they should call it enough and cut it out. Keaton’s character doesn’t feel she’s filled enough suitcases, Queen Latifah’s character doesn’t want her kids to become orphans, and Katie Holmes’s character won’t be happy until she can afford to dance her way out of Tom Cruise’s life and down to Cabo.
According to the New York Times, the demographically oddball threesome of Cardigan, Nina and Jack is calculated to appeal equally to the Woody Allen, Oprah Winfrey and Jerry Springer crowds.
Having grabbed some loot without being caught, the women go wild and deliriously toss it into the air. As the movie invites you to share their delight, you may feel a tad unclean. Is wealth, ill-gotten or not, the answer to everything? Yes, yes, yes! proclaims the movie, directed by Callie Khouri from a screenplay adapted by Glenn Gers from the British television film “Hot Money.”
Most reviews of the film were generally very negative, but for those who want something a little different from the usual heist movie, here’s the official trailer.