Friends With Money Movie Review
Friends With Money is one of those movies that just slowly meander along a set of circumstances that are neither remarkable nor particularly noteworthy. But the mundane tale of the goings-on of the decidedly average characters is so well told that one cannot help but to be utterly absorbed into the lives of these strangers.
Most movies have a hook (you can think of it as the special x-factor that they pitch to studios that will make the studio think, 'yeah! That's not been done before' or 'well, we've done that formula a million 
times in the past, but it's a proven money-maker!' before they green light the project) that either involves some clever story or dazzling special effects. The most classically successful movies have timeless themes and rely on a great script and outstanding performances by the cast. Movies that rely on special effects rarely achieve the status of a classic movie because those effects always become outdated and comical within a few years. There are, of course some exceptions to that rule and certain movies obtain a mythical status because of the sheer passion evoked from its original audience. Star Wars is one such exception.
Friends With Money has neither an outstanding, gripping story nor any special effects, but the script is so pure and so simple and the performances so realistic and deep that I couldn't help but to view the characters as acquaintances of mine and their story as non-fiction events being unfolded in some sort of reality TV show.
Watching this movie was quite an enjoyable experience. Now on with the grades… (see my movie review guide here.)
Legs 7/10. While I currently have no desire to re-watch this movie, I can picture myself tuning in if it made the Cinemax circuit of replays on days there are no other shows to watch. The script is smart and the dry humor is delivered by the truckload. I could definitely watch this movie again (and again.)
Agenda 7/10. There wasn't much of an agenda in this movie although the assembled cast could fit in quite well at a Hillary '08 fundraiser. There's no way to avoid the fact that these actors, actresses, and, indeed, their respective characters, are all democrats. Thankfully none of their political causes pushed themselves on me.
Script 9/10. An incredibly funny, witty, and realistic script is what carried this movie. Without the strength of this script, this movie would have been another disaster. (And when I say "disaster", I mean "About Schmidt".)
Acting/Directing 8/10. I can't review this movie without talking about the excellent performances put in by the cast. I especially can't get away with neglecting to talk about Jennifer Anniston. Watch me mix my sports metaphors: while Anniston has taken her fair share of lumps for mediocre performances in strike out films, she really scored a touchdown by bringing it home in the extra period with Friends With Money. OK, so the "bringing it home in the extra period" is sort of a stretch, but you get the drift. Anniston's portrayal of Olivia, the one friend in a quartet of girlfriends that doesn't have a six-(or seven)-figure household income, is so subtle and pinpointedly accurate that she sems like a real person. It's rare that an actor can convey as much as Anniston did with simple, subtle facial quirks and contortions. An eyebrow lift here and a slight squint there practically spell out what Olivia is thinking. There is one particular scene where Olivia's "boyfriend" - and you have to watch the movie to understand why I put that in quotation marks - asks her for a cut of her money and Olivia is reluctant yet unable to say no that is so well done that it solidified my thought that Anniston is actually a decent actress. This is also to the credit of the director, Nicole Holofcener, who also wrote the screenplay.
Production 6/10. This movie only earns a six because there isn't anything remarkable about the production. The lighting wasn't dramatic, just practical and realistic. The sound was just audible, the camerawork simply effective. Nothing groundbreaking happens in this arena, but it's not to the detriment of the film. In fact, if any of these elements were particularly overpowering, I imagine the movie would have left me flat. So this is an awkward "6" to give because it is neither good nor bad; it just is.
Overall 8/10. I thought this movie was excellent. I could, however, very easily entertain someone's opinion that it was "slow" and/or "boring" because it is also all of those things. But to me, the portrayal of the characters, their individual tales, struggles, and this snippet of their lives seemed so realistic and very much like many conversations I have had with my own wife that it's hard to find fault in it. On one hand, I have to laud it for its portrayal of Real Life, and on the other hand, who wants to watch a movie of real life? In the end, I think it is a matter of taste. If a quiet conversation with a few close friends is a fun evening for you, then you would probably appreciate this movie. If one of your favorite movies of all times is Titanic, you should probably steer clear and save your 88 minutes for Jet Li's Fearless instead.
(Not that I'm knocking Fearless at all… it's next on my Netflix queue. And, yes, I know that Fearless is actually 103 minutes in the U.S. release. I have IMDB bookmarked too.)
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