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Money Monster starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Jack O’Connell

Posted on May 16, 2017 Written by Pinar Tarhan

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Money Monster starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Jack O'Connell.
Money Monster starring George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Jack O’Connell. Image via Amazon.

Money Monster Plot Summary – No Spoilers

Lee Gates (George Clooney) is the cocky and popular host of the finance show Money Monster where he puts on extravagant stage performances and sheds out investment out like the ultimate authority. And while he knows what he is talking about, an unexpected “glitch” at the investment company IBUS has him

cause a lot of people to lose money: a total of 800 million, to be exact. The company CCO Diane Lester (Highlander’s Caitriona Balfe) is apologetic and sticks to the talking points while the CEO Walt Camby (The Affair’s Dominic West) is nowhere to be found.

This doesn’t really affect the rich Lee or his director Patty (Julia Roberts) – until a blue collar victim named Kyle (Jack O’Connell) takes them hostage on live television. He puts a gun to Lee’s head and makes him wear an explosive vest. Kyle holds a deadman’s trigger and demands answers. He wants to know how a “glitch” could happen, how Lee could give such shitty advice so confidently, and most importantly, he wants a word with Walt.

The police get quickly involved, but they don’t count on Lee’s humanity taking over and deciding to help Lee. And the more Lee and Patty listen to Kyle, the less they buy Walt’s glitch story. Can they find out what went wrong before it is too late?

*

Money Monster Movie Review

Money Monster is a modern movie in the vein of Mad City. While the plots differ, there are several similarities that got me nostalgic:

Mad City starring John Travolta and Dustin Hoffman.
Mad City starring John Travolta and Dustin Hoffman. Image via moviepostershop.
  • An otherwise sane and decent man going mad when he loses his money. In Mad City, John Travolta gets fired from his job at a museum and takes the manager hostage, with the unexpected surprise of kids being there at the same time.
  • A not-so-empathetic reporter tries to control things (In Mad City, the reporter is played by Dustin Hoffman), but then he gets on the gunman’s side as he learns more about his situation.
  • We end up rooting for the wronged family man, but of course, ****spoilers**** they will tragically pay the price of taking justice into their own hands, even if we badly wanted them to win.
  • The police will make things worse.

The good things about Money Monster, apart from the stellar cast and director Jodie Foster, is that it feels like the emotional, humane drama/thrillers of the 90s. The not-so-great thing is it feels like we have seen this movie before.

And for some reason, while I was sad at the ending and enjoyed the time I spent on the movie, I didn’t feel as touched as I was when I watched Mad City.

And while Money Monster made more money at the box office and is a bit more highly rated at IMDB, I still prefer Mad City.

That said, as a 90s kid, I still feel Julia Roberts and George Clooney are more my generation than say Scarlett Johannson or Chris Hemsworth. I love seeing them on screen in lead roles. So for nostalgia and the love of cast and director, I still recommend giving Money Monster a shot. As familiar and predictable the story might feel, it still has more heart than a lot of stuff out there.

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Money Monster is a 2016 movie written by Jamie Linden, Alan DiFiore, and Jim Kouf. The movie made over 93 million dollars worldwide. It’s budget is reported to be around 27 mil.

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Alan DiFiore, Caitriona Balfe, dominic west, Dustin Hoffman, George Clooney, jack odonnell, Jamie Linden, Jim Kouf, Jodie Foster, John Travolta, Julia Roberts, mad city, money monster, money monster cast, money monster movie, money monster movie review

Larry Crowne starring Tom Hanks & Julia Roberts

Posted on July 12, 2011 Written by ripitup

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Larry Crowne starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts
Larry Crowne starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts. Directed and co-written by Tom Hanks. Image via collider.com

 

Larry Crowne (Tom Hanks) is a middle-aged guy working at a sales job he really likes. But when he gets fired due to his lack of university education, he is quite upset. And when his attempts at landing a job fail, he decides to go to the community college, with some inspriation from his negotiation-loving neighbor (Cedric The Entertainer).

The dean at school encourages Larry to take Enonomics, a speech & communications class along with one other.So along with nutty teachers, moped gang member classmates, exams and struggle to survive financially, Larry takes us on a very sweet, but incredibly familiar and somewhat ordinary journey.

And of course no Hollywood journey would be complete without some romance at stake. So Larry falls for his communications teacher Mercedes (Julia Roberts), who is not exactly happy with her blogger husband who spends his days at porn sites rather than write things that would bring home money…

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I believe sweet, ordinary and familiar are the perfect three words to describe this Tom Hanks film, where he directed and also co-wrote the screenplay. Larry Crowne flows like a day out with your good friends where you hang out at your favorite coffee shop or bar. It is not very eventful, there are no surprises and there’s  no adrenalin rush. It is sweet, and Tom Hanks is his usual likable romantic comedy self. But that’s about it.

Rated 5.9 on IMDB.

 

Fun notes:

–          That 70’s show’s Fez, Wilmer Valderrama, has a fun part as the jealous boyfriend of Larry’s newly found friend.

 

–          Tom Hanks’ wife Rita Wilson has a small role as the bank official.

 

 

–          Breaking Bad’s chemistry genius Bryan Cranston plays Julia Roberts’ loser husband.

 

–          Cougar Town’s Andy Ian Gomez plays Larry’s friend.

 

 

–          Larry Crowne was co-written by My Big Fat Greek Wedding’s writer and leading actress Nia Vardalos.

 

 

Also on Tom Hanks:

You’ve Got Mail starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks

 

Also on Julia Roberts:

Valentine’s Day starring Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba & more

Duplicity starring Clive Owen and Julia Roberts

Julia Roberts Trivia: 15 Facts About Julia Roberts Movies and Her Private Life

Something to Talk About starring Dennis Quaid, Julia Roberts, Kyra Sedgwick and Robert Duvall

Tall Actresses: Julia Roberts, Bridget Moynahan, Natascha McElhone, Liv Tyler and Charlize Theron

Pretty Woman: Movie Review of the Unrealistic Yet Adorable Romantic Comedy

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: cedric the entertainer, ian gomes, Julia Roberts, larry crowne, larry crowne cast, larry crowne movie, nia vardalos, rita wilson, tom hanks, tom hanks larry crowne, Wilmer Valderrama

Something to Talk About starring Dennis Quaid, Julia Roberts, Kyra Sedgwick and Robert Duvall

Posted on September 22, 2010 Written by ripitup

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Something to Talk About starring Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid, Kyra Sedgwick, Robert Duvall, Gena Rowlands and Brett Cullen
Something to Talk About starring Julia Roberts, Dennis Quaid, Kyra Sedgwick, Robert Duvall, Gena Rowlands and Brett Cullen

Grace (Julia Roberts)’s marriage to her high school sweetheart Eddie (Dennis Quaid) is not exactly in honeymoon period. They have a little daughter named Caroline (Haley Aull) and that seems to be the only thing they have in common. Grace works for her father (Robert Duvall), running the family barn and socializing with a local women’s committee.

Her life changes completely when she catches Eddie cheating. She takes Caroline and moves back to her family’s house, staying at her sister Emma Rae (Kyra Sedgwick)’s separate cottage. Her sister is eager to kick Eddie’s ass, but her father is a lot more concerned about the upcoming deal he will be making with Eddie’s dad than her daughter’s happiness. As for her mother (Gena Rowlands), she is being an old-fashioned, traditional mother who thinks men do stray by nature and it is OK to take them back as long as they are sorry. The only other ally in kicking Eddie’s ass is the “crazy” aunt.

Eddie is missing her daughter, but Grace has no intention of letting him off the hook so easily, especially after she finds out he has strayed a lot and well, strayed with her friends in the committee.

With the help of her upfront and snappy sister Emma, Grace starts to reevaluate all aspects of her life. And the handsome rider/trainer Jamie (Brett Cullen) is back. What’s next for Grace?

Something to Talk About is a lovely little romantic comedy/drama from 1995. I first saw it in the late 90s and loved it. I have seen it a couple of times after that. For me, it is just a nostalgic good time with some of my favorite actors and I also love the concept of “make the cheating bastard suffer”. There are many reasons to see this film but there are also many reasons why some people may not enjoy it. Here are both lists:

Reasons to Like Something to Talk About:

–          The Cast: Dennis Quaid, Julia Roberts, Kyra Sedgwick, Robert Duvall, Gena Rowlands and Brett Cullen.

–          The nostalgia: It is from 1995- and the actors are notably younger, especially Kyra, Julia, Dennis and Brett.

–          The story: Familiar but fun. Written by Callie Khouri.

–          The Director: This was directed by Lasse Hallstrom, the Swedish director that gave us Chocolat starring Johnny Depp and Juliette Binoche) , Casanova (starring Heath Ledger and Siena Miller) and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (starring Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio and Juliette Lewis)

Reasons Not to Like Something to Talk About:

–          The concept isn’t exactly original. There are no twists and surprises, just fun moments.

–          The ending. I kinda like it, but I would rather have it go another direction.

–          No, I wouldn’t watch this film without this cast.

Favorite Scenes:

–          The meal Grace cooks for Eddie

–          How Emma Rae keeps Eddie busy when he first drops by after Grace left with their daughter.

–          Grace’s going nuts in the committee

–          Gena Rowlands’ going rebellious on Robert Duvall

–          The very end scene, Julia Roberts’ funny suspicious look.

*Fun note: Dennis Quaid and Gena Rowlands also starred in Playing by Heart together, another romantic comedy drama, again from the 90s. Again, Dennis Quaid’s character is married to a daughter of Gena Rowlands, and there is cheating. But this time, it is the wife who cheats on Quaid.

Other Posts on the Cast

Kyra Sedgwick

Phenomenon starring John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick and Robert Duvall

The Closer starring Kyra Sedgwick

Dennis Quaid

Other Dennis Quaid Movies

In Good Company starring Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace and Scarlett Johannson

The Day After Tomorrow

Yours, mine and ours

Playing by Heart

Also recommended for Dennis Quaid fans: Trivia for Meg Ryan, Ex-Mrs.Quaid

Other Julia Roberts Movies

Duplicity starring Julia Roberts and Clive Owen

Closer starring Julia Roberts, Clive Owen, Natalie Portman and Jude Law

Pretty Woman starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere

Conspiracy Theory starring Julia Roberts and Mel Gibson

Brett Cullen

Damages TV Series Review

Life Before Her Eyes starring Uma Thurman, Evan Rachel Wood and Brett Cullen

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Brett Cullen, comedy, dennis quaid, drama, Gena Rowlands, Julia Roberts, Kyra Sedgwick, Lasse Hallstrom, movies, Robert Duvall, romance, something to talk about, something to talk about movie

Valentine’s Day starring Julia Roberts, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher and More

Posted on May 2, 2010 Written by ripitup

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Valentine's Day starring Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift
Valentine's Day starring Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Jennifer Garner, Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Patrick Dempsey, Eric Dane, Topher Grace, Jamie Foxx and Queen Latifah. There is a chance I missed some of the name. It is not my fault that the cast is so crowded. Image from: http://www.shockya.com/

I was so looking forward to this movie. I mean have you seen the cast? With the exception of Taylor Swift, the names are really impressive: Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Patrick Dempsey, Jennifer Garner, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Jamie Foxx, Jessica Biel, Anne Hathaway, Topher Grace, Taylor Lautner, Shirley Mclaine…

But it is like director Gary Marshall (Pretty Woman, Frankie and Johnny, Runaway Bride) knew he would have an all-star cast so no effort or whatsoever has been put into the script. There are many intersecting stories and ordinary dialogue. Yes, it takes place on A Valentine’s Day but nothing interesting happens- either in the comic or romantic sense.

The stories? Well, it is more like a bunch of characters:

–          Grandparents and their little grandchild in love and missing his mother and teenage granddaughter announcing she will have sex.

–          A married, two-timing doctor (Patrick Dempsey) and his clueless girlfriend (Jennifer Garner)

–          A nice guy working in the mailroom (Topher Grace) and his girlfriend ( Anne Hathaway)- who is secretly working as an adult phone entertainer. Yes, phone sex. And no, he doesn’t know about it.

–          A PR professional who hates this day – Jessica Biel

–          A football player whose future is in jeopardy- Eric Dane- oh, his PR gal is Jessica Biel.

–          Two strangers on a plane- Julia Roberts and Bradley Cooper

–          Two high school kids in love- Taylor Lautner and Taylor Swift- friends with the couple getting ready to have sex

–          A flower shop owner- Ashton Kutcher- who just proposed to his girl friend (Jessica Alba). Unfortunately for him, she is not that eager. And, oh- he also is friends with Jennifer Garner’s character Julia- who is a school teacher, also the teacher of the lovesick grandkid

–          An unhappy sports news guy-Jamie Foxx-given a Valentine’s Day assignment-trying to secure a sports gig, with the help of our PR girl Jessica Biel

2 hours with some fun moments.  Watch it if you have no better alternatives or if you just wanna see a movie where almost everyone is pretty. 5.7/10 on imdb. 5/10 from me. But hey, I will recommend other films and TV shows with the cast members for you- their other projects that are either more fun, that have more soul or both. Click on the red to go to the reviews.

*Jessica Biel: The Illusionist. She is the co-star the Edward Norton in once cool period drama/romance/thriller/mystery

*Ashton Kutcher: Butterfly Effect, What Happens in Vegas, Just Married, My Boss’ Daughter.

*Jennifer Garner: Watch her TV show Alias. Amazing, kick-ass show with the right amount of romance, action, drama and comic-relief. But more action than anything. She is playing the same characters in her movies over and over again. Same goes for Ashton Kutcher obviously. But the movies I recommended above for him are either really gripping or really funny so who cares?

*Patrick Dempsey- Watch the first 2 seasons of Grey’s Anatomy or Made of Honor. Made of Honor is a typical romcom but at least its comedy part is actually funny

*Eric Dane: Marley and Me where he stars alongside Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson.  But if its about giving him screen time, he has been a regular on Grey’s Anatomy since season 3 or so.

* Taylor Lautner: Twilight, New Moon

* Bradley Cooper: He also stars in Alias alongside Jennifer Garner. But he also played in awesome comedies like Wedding Crashers and The Hangover. And if you want Cooper in a romcom that is worth seeing, see He’s Just Not That Into You.

*Julia Roberts: She has done many good movies. Start with Conspiracy Theory, if you want original action/thriller.

* Jessica Alba: The Sleeping Dictionary, Awake. And for mindless entertainment and eye candy for girls, watch Into The Blue where she stars opposite Paul Walker.

*Topher Grace: That 70’s Show, obviously- where you will also see a very funny Ashton Kutcher. And please check out the solid comedy/drama In Good Company where he stars opposite Dennis Quaid and Scarlett Johansson.

* Anne Hataway: Becoming Jane

*Jamie Foxx: Law Abiding Citizen

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Filed Under: Movies and Actors Tagged With: Anne Hathaway, Ashton Kutcher, Bradley Cooper, Eric Dane, Jennifer Garner, Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Julia Roberts, Patrick Dempsey, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Valentine's Day

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