Money Monster Parent Guide

Investigative journalism is in critical condition and business ethics are a mess—those are the messages director Jodie Foster appears to want to convey in her real time thriller Money Monster. George Clooney plays Lee Gates, a financial talk show host who is much more interested in theatrics, goofy dances and tacky props than he is about careful economic analysis. A few weeks prior to the show he’s just about to open, Gates gave a glowing buy signal for investing with Ibis Clear Capital. But, as is often the case, his prediction turned sour when the trading company’s algorithm had a mysterious glitch and stocks plummeted. Today one of his viewers, Kyle Budwell (Jack O’Connell), is determined to hold Gates responsible.

Budwell makes his way into the secure studio by posing as a courier. Once inside, he hijacks the live show and holds the TV personality at gunpoint while forcing him to don an explosive vest. Meanwhile the program’s producer Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts) watches helplessly from the control room as Gates now hosts an angered guest demanding to know why and how he lost his life savings. With Fenn still able to communicate with Gates through a discreet earpiece, she begins to remember what “real” journalism is and starts to track down the elusive CEO (Dominic West) of the offending company to see if there is more to the story than what the public has been told.

Part of the film’s tense conflict is derived from having the action play out in real time—or at least that’s what the promotional materials imply. The movie is barely an hour and a half long, so that means super-producer Patty Fenn has to dig up sources, find answers to tough questions and make miracles happen in minutes—a process that would typically take days or weeks to complete. This time compression contributes to the unconvincing conclusion that is too dependent on serendipity. Then there’s Gates ongoing satirical verbiage (Clooney in his typical role) which would be unlikely to release pressure if this were an actual situation.

Even more unfortunate is that the themes of media’s lost integrity and business’ broken principles are obscured behind needless profanities, brief but overt sexual content and a couple of scenes of recreational drug use. Like the recent Oscar nominated The Big Short, the good lessons that could be learned here are sacrificed for supposed artistic benefits and comedic gains. A joke surrounding a newly released sample of erectile cream results in a moment of spontaneous sexual activity between a man and woman (lots of sound and thrusting are depicted without explicit nudity). The more than 70 uses of a sexual expletive in this script (one used in a sexual context) appear to be a gratuitous attempt to reinforce the seriousness of the crisis.

By the time the police are at a stand-off with the armed madman, the story has unfolded in such a predictable way that neither the audience sitting in the theater nor the one depicted on the big screen, seem very concerned about the outcome. While the posed public appear to lose interest because they’ve seen this sort of sensational thing on TV too many times, those paying for their seats are more likely to disconnect because the promising premise has dissolved into yet another mediocre thriller. Sadly, the script barely addresses the culpability of the media. It never explores the issue of television programs like Money Monster, which may be seen as entertainment by the companies that produce them, yet are often interpreted as serious financial advice by those who watch. And bad business practices get off with just a reprimand. In the closing moments of the movie Fenn and Gates muse about what they should do on next week’s show. I find it hard to believe that in-depth reporting or calling companies to account will be on the top of the priority list.

About author

Rod Gustafson

Rod Gustafson has worked in various media industries since 1977. He founded Parent Previews in 1993, and today continues to write and broadcast the reviews in newspapers, on radio and (of course) on the Internet. His efforts also include writing and researching media in all its forms and observing how it effects society and culture. He and his wife Donna have four children.