Crimes:
— Making
the daily robbery of loose cash from one of the country's most secure
institutions—the Federal Reserve bank—look as simple your average
smash-and-grab job
— Furthering Callie Khouri's descent from the
feminist edge of her script for Thelma & Louise to directing ensemble
fluff like this and Divine Secrets Of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood
— Allowing
Katie Holmes to go Tom-Cruise-on-a-couch crazy with her bug-eyed conception of
a curly-haired, free-spirited trailer-trash rocker
Defender: Director Callie Khouri
Tone of commentary: Gracious, a little bored,
often defensive. At various times, she seems to anticipate the criticism that
will be leveled at the movie, so she tries to cut it off at the pass. Because
the film was inspired by a real heist at the Bank Of England, Khouri says, "When
you hear critics go, 'It's highly implausible,' I would say, 'Yeah, you're
right, it's so implausible… But wait, it actually happened. Okay, you're an idiot, not me." (Never
mind that the implausibility comes from the script's ridiculous version of the
crime.) And don't even get Khouri started on the "e" word that's dogged her
since Thelma & Louise: "Here's a word I hate: empowerment. I always get
a little testy when people talk about the movies I make in terms of
empowerment. I'm trying to make something entertaining, and if people feel
empowered by having a story they can relate to, then great. But is it my goal
to go out and make women feel like they're strong, or recognize the obvious
strength that every woman on this planet must have to make it? Nothing could be
further from the truth." Ya-ya!
What went wrong: It took five years to
make, the budget and time constraints were too constrictive, and securing Diane
Keaton, Queen Latifah, and Katie Holmes for the lead roles was "one of the few
breaks that we actually got." Unlike more delusional CTOTD defenders past,
Khouri is refreshingly upfront about the movie's flaws: "There's never going to
be a day when I look at this movie and don't see the deficiencies brought on by
a lack of money and time. I could go through and point them all out, but it
might take longer than the actual movie itself." She acknowledges that the
heist "strains credulity for some people," and admits that officials at the
real Federal Reserve were "tickled at the notion of something attempting a
crime like this, because they knew it was absolutely impossible." Khouri also
mentions some scenes that were cut from the script, like a monologue from
Holmes about having diabetes when she was younger, and other bits of backstory.
But the ones she describes don't exactly raise longings for the three-hour
dream version of Mad Money.
Comments on the cast: Everyone's great! Ted
Danson is a "national treasure" who "can make 'yes' or 'no' the two funniest
words you've ever heard." Keaton is a "risk-taker," Latifah has the "ability to
be real," and don't get Khouri started on Holmes, who "brought scrapbooks"
filled with character details and "dances like a nut in every scene." Holmes
had "extremely strong ideas," according to Khouri, including "the idea to make
her hair super-curly." Apparently, there's nothing that primes an audience for
wacky fun more than super-curly hair.
Inevitable dash of pretension: Khouri keeps floating the
"very American" idea that "more is better," and that "we've all started to anesthetize
ourselves with stuff." Her high-toned comments about the culture's "voracious
appetite for consumption" would probably play better in a movie that isn't staked
on the triumphant image of thieves showering themselves with money.
Commentary in a nutshell: On the big twist in the
denouement: "Is that a good message? No, it's a terrible message. Live with
it."