What it's about:
Lee Gates is a bombastic TV personality whose popular financial network show has made him the money wiz of Wall Street. But, after he hawks a high tech stock that mysteriously crashes, an irate investor takes Gates, Gates’s crew, and ace producer Patty Fenn hostage—live on air. Unfolding in real time, Gates and Fenn must find a way to keep themselves alive while simultaneously uncovering the truth behind a tangle of big money lies.
What we thought:
While waiting at the cinema to watch the film another moviegoer asks me what flick I’m about to watch.
Money Monster, I say. A blank expression is visible on his face as he tries to figure out if he’s heard the name before.
“It stars Julia Roberts and George Clooney,” I add to help the poor soul out of his misery.
“Oh wow!” he adds without even needing a split second to think.
“Oh wow” indeed.
Money Monster starring Clooney (Lee Gates) and Roberts (Patty Fenn) is exactly the type of movie I like going to the cinema for. It’s a “forget about my own life” type of movie. A “let’s have popcorn and chill” movie. A “OMG have you watch this movie” movie.
I really enjoyed Money Monster. It had a Panic Room suspense element to it. (Which totally makes sense as Jodie Foster is in the director’s chair.) It had a lot of great plot twists and of course the cast is the cream of the crop.
The film, like we saw in Bastille Day, takes a familiar plotline and comfortably drops it in a modern setting.
These days we can watch real-life tragedies play off live on air. Other people’s worst nightmares feed our inner-most voyeuristic needs.
Although it might seem like an over-the-top plot line we know, from horrific experience, that these type of on-screen dramas can play off on our TV screens at any time.
Money Monster also makes a rather big reference to South Africa that locals will really enjoy seeing on the big screen.
This flick is worth your bucks. Go see it.