Melissa Mosely Review in a Hurry: Three cleaning women at a Federal Reserve Bank—Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes—"recycle" millions of dollars in worn-out currency that's scheduled for destruction. Itself recycled from a British TV movie, Mad Money might not be the worst way to spend your time or moolah, but other current releases will give you more bang for your bucks.
The Bigger Picture: The guys of Ocean's Eleven (and Twelve and Thirteen) got to pull off the perfect heists, so the ladies deserve their due. But even with a trio of lovely, talented actresses, Money doesn't add up to much, shortchanging on plot and plausibility (hmmm, sounds like the title of a Jane Austen novel).
Again trading on her sunny-kooky persona, Keaton stars as Bridget Cardigan, an upper-middle-class housewife who panics when her husband Don (Ted Danson) becomes a victim of corporate downsizing. Hoping to hold on to their gorgey home, she reenters the work force with no marketable skills and takes a janitor job at a Federal Reserve Bank. Uh, sure.
Tempted by the cartloads of cash shredded daily, Bridget hatches a plan to smuggle bucks with the help of coworkers Nina (Latifah) and Jackie (Holmes). The unlikely accomplices originally intend to strike only once, but realizing crime really does pay, start using the bank as their personal ATM. Incredibly, the greedy gals don't stop after nearly being caught and even involve others in their spree: Don, Jackie's dim-bulb hubby (Adam Rothenberg), and a bank security guard (Roger Cross), who's also Nina's love interest in a hard-to-buy subplot.
As a working single mom raising two sons, Latifah lends welcome warmth and sass and plays well off Keaton. Holmes, however, adds little with her poorly drawn character—a gum-chomping, trailer-dwelling ditz who be-bops all day to her mp3 player.
Glenn Gers' script is peppered with a few funny lines but never takes full advantage of the premise's comedic potential. And—minor spoiler alert—the flashback structure, starting with everyone being arrested and testifying to investigators, diminishes interest and suspense; you're just waiting for the gig to be up. Fortunately, director Callie Khouri maintains a brisk pace, so you don't have time to focus on the many ways Money robs itself.
The 180—a Second Opinion: Money profits from Stephen Root's amusing turn as the overconfident bank manager. You might not recognize Root's name, but you know this prolific character actor's work, especially mumbly loser Milton from Office Space. Someone give that man back his stapler!