Film Title: Mad Money
Director: Callie Khouri
Studio: Alliance Films
Principle Actors: Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes, Ted Danson
Length of Feature: 104 minutes
Release Date: January 18, 2008
Rating: PG 13 (sexual content, language, brief drug reference) 

Reviewed By: Emily Wall (Vancouver Correspondent - Canada)

Mad Money matches the directing talents of Callie Khouri (who brought us the classic women-centric films Thelma and Louise and Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood) with the humorous take-no-nonsense attitude of Queen Latifah, the confident grace of Diane Keaton and the energetic charm of Katie Holmes. The story begins with Bridget and Don Cardigan (Diane Keaton and Ted Danson), a middle-aged, upper middle class couple who have become penniless and deeply in debt after Don was "down-sized". On the advice of her housekeeper, Bridget applies for a job as a janitor at the Federal Reserve Bank because it is the only job she is eligible for that offers benefits. She hatches a plan to steal money that is on its way to be destroyed, with the help of Nina and Jackie, two women she works with. The three women steal in small increments over the course of three years. Predictably, they encounter problems when they get greedy and decide not to stop after clearing enough money to cover debts and school payments.

Nina (Queen Latifah) is a working-class single mom with two young children. We see just enough of her life (the neighbourhood she lives in, her kids talking about weapons at school) to understand her motivation for taking part in the plan. Jackie (Katie Holmes) is a quirky young woman who we learn very little about, except that she lives in a trailer with her sweet but not overly intelligent husband. Bridget and Don's characters are the most developed, following Bridget from the impending loss of her home to her money-making plan. Though the three women have a charismatic and dynamic relationship to one another, overall their roles in this movie do not match up to their previous work. Diane Keaton's performance is at times confident and ballsy, but at others overly timid, leaving the audience to question how she failed to attract notice from her colleagues with her suspicious behaviour - even before she has done anything they'd be suspicious of. Katie Homes' character is one dimensional but sweet and likeable. Queen Latifah, as usual, provides the attitude for the trio, but with not nearly as much fire and passion as her characters usually have. None of the characters in the movie are developed much outside of their relations to one another and the briefest of nods to the details of their lives.  

The plot is thin, in some places to the point of transparency. There are some notable flaws and factual errors, such as holding meetings to plan their heist in the local bar and the bathroom at work (you know, the high surveillance bank they work in, the one they're trying to rob), discussing it over the phone when they know they're already under surveillance, and stealing traceable bills with no plans to launder them. It's never clear how they planned to get away with spending their money, especially with their extravagant purchases. There are a couple of plot turns towards then end, but these only serve to make the plot more far-fetched and don't add to the overall impression of the movie. No Oscar nominations here, but I'd recommend the film if you're looking for really light entertainment and able to suspend disbelief.