On the
face of it, director Jodie Foster’s Money
Monster might seem like a classic hostage situation, reminiscent of films
like Phone Booth. However, George
Clooney as TV host Lee Gates and Julia Roberts as Patty Fenn, the producer of
his show, succeed in repackaging a generic plot into a witty 98-minute
thriller.
Lee Gates
initially comes across as callous, uncaring and capricious as he recommends
investment positions on his show Money
Monster without being mindful of the consequences. Patty contrasts him by
taking responsibility on set and ensuring the show runs without a glitch. She
continues to do that even when Gates is taken hostage by a desperate gunman
who’s lost all his savings on a stock market tip he took from Money Monster. Soon, the TV host learns
a lesson in humility and brandishes the cause of the ‘little men’ who get
overlooked on account of corporate greed. Patty’s guidance through Lee’s
earpiece helps smooth over his character transition and lends credibility to
his U-turn.
The
plot’s novelty lies in the fact that the antagonists constantly change
throughout the movie. NYPD is depicted as glaringly inefficient, which comes as
no surprise given previous films made in this genre. The focus thus remains on
Patty’s smart devices to prevent gunman Kyle Budwell from blowing up the quick-witted
Lee Gates. Power, human compassion, culpability, and true measures of success
in life are on the drawing board to help the audience shift their perceptions
of who the true aggressors and victims are. Is it loser Kyle with gun in hand
whose investment went down the drain? Is it IBIS Clear Capital, the company that
lost 800 million dollars of its investors’ money and blamed it on an algorithm
glitch? Is it Lee Gates and his show?
A
mysterious corporate entity with suspected illegal trading practices and a
street view of New Yorkers eagerly crowding to get a better view of a man
wearing a bomb vest is the coup de grace. It’s relatable yet far-fetched enough
to be sheer cinema.
For
raising pertinent questions on the corporate world while retaining its flair
for fun, Money Monster gets a 3*
rating.
Reviewed by
Bharathi S Pradhan
Senior Journalist & Author