Highly Overrated But Still Good

Admirable film.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Not since the Wayans masterpiece of Mo' Money has a movie with the word "money" in it commanded such attention. Diane Keaton plays a matron with a lovely home with a thirst to steal lots of money. This is really a fairly funny movie with a strong plot and a capable cast. Keaton is amazing as the conniving housewife with a thirst for thievery. The leads' combined talents and charisma have a lot to do with this movie's success. While it may not be an Oscar winner, it has its moments. I finished this film, thinking, "I too have a thirst to steal lots of money from the man!" Great performances help enhance a story of friendship and thievery.

I have to say, I wasn't very excited to see this film in the least. I didn't expect very much from it at all. I felt this film was strangely cast. I love all of the actors that were in this movie but I didn't like them all in this together. I didn't like the plot and I couldn't tell if it was supposed to be a comedy or not. So I wasn't all too thrilled to see this movie in the first place.After seeing Mad Money, my assumption that I was going to dislike it was proved correct. I was very bored, not amused in the least, I hated the characters as well as the plot all together. The plot didn't even make sense to me. I don't know if I missed something because I was day dreaming half the time or what but I didn't think it made sense. It seemed too simple for them to steal this money and I didn't understand how they were let off if they pretty much admitted that they stole it. Maybe I missed some major point in the plot but I didn't think much of this movie mad sense. Diane Keaton is one of my favorite actresses. I was sorely disappointed that she took this part. She is a billion times better than this role.

Sometimes you can see the genre engineering. It is better if you do not, but many of these are mass produced chum, and what we have is the Spielberg-supported "high concept." Take the woman who wrote a couple of women's movies with simple appeal and make an Oceans' 11 but for women. That's the pitch. Have lots of squeals of joy, toilet and sex humor (but of the supposed women variety). Well, you can read about these failures from others. The thing that interested my here were the men in the story. When you make, say an Oceans' 11, it is all about the men. They need to be cool, ultracool, some of them. There are mechanics of plot that are essential, but it is all about that feel of natural cool.When you make a woman's film, it also about the men. Look here at these men. You have basically four men, the three partners of the women, plus the head of security at the Fed. In this writer's mind, these are the four cardinal points of male partnership. We shouldn't put too much credit on this, because the movie was a huge flop. But it did pass Hollywood's engineers, and was re-engineered late in the game to suit what some committee thought would work, man-wise.You have the inspector: cocky, intrusive, too proud to admit his own inadequacies. (Remember that this was released at the end of the W Bush era.)The primary husband just wants a job because he feels inadequate. He is "smart" in a women's magazine sense, meaning he knows lots of facts.The secondary husband is a dullard, probably a school dropout who performs manual labor at a meat plant. His wife is the pretty/sexy one in the bunch, and we are supposed to get the picture that his meat is worth it. The third "husband" is the one that fascinates. A huge audience for these movies is black women, and this social engineering seems more mature. We have the Latifah character who is just fine on her own without a man. She manages her sons well enough — we are told multiple times how well they are turning out. The guy in question is introduced as a lout, a dog who hassles women sexually. Watch the careful way that he is transformed and how he becomes both her sexual partner (about which much is made) and one of her sons.Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

Bloody awful! A career low-light for Diane Keaton - what was she doing in this? I understand there are not enough solid roles available for "serious" actresses - but this poorly written and even worse acted heist comedy should have been avoided at all costs by any top actresses - especially former Oscar Winners!I typically enjoy heist movies - dramatic or comic - but this film was so weakly plotted it took all the fun out of it. The only thing worth while was the impetus for the heist - the current woeful economy we are all suffering through.That being said - don't throw away your precious dollars to rent this one. If you need a comic heist lift - pick up Woody Allen's classic, "Take the Money and Run". That one ALWAYS delivers!