Review: Friends with Money (***)

FRIENDS WITH MONEY
A film review by Steve Rhodes

Copyright 2006 Steve Rhodes



RATING (0 TO ****): ***



In FRIENDS WITH MONEY, written and directed by Nicole Holofcener (LOVELY &
AMAZING), not much happens, but it happens so well. A comedic drama about
people and their relationships, the movie introduces us to about a dozen
characters, and even the least of them are well defined and interesting.



The basic premise of the movie is that Olivia (Jennifer Aniston) is a
struggling single woman who works as a maid but whose three long-time best
friends, Franny (Joan Cusack), Jane (Frances McDormand) and Christine
(Catherine Keener), are all well off financially and married. The amount of
money they have and the quality of their marriages differ, but their
situations are all quite different from Olivia's. Or are they?



The whole cast works together so well that they feel honest and genuine.
Olivia is a wonderfully quirky character who goes from cosmetic counter to
cosmetic counter in order to collect enough free samples to keep her
complexion looking great. She is also willing to go along with just about
any request, even if it means that she is being taken advantage of. Her
driven friends ridicule her lack of ambition but love her nonetheless.



Jane is angry more often than not, but it is usually not quite clear what is
setting her off. A fashion designer whose trendy clothes are way overpriced
but very popular, she yells at people who take "her" parking spot or place
in the checkout line. Engaging in the equivalent of a one-person protest,
she has stopped washing her hair. She figures that it isn't worth the
effort since it just gets dirty again. Her friends frequently say that her
husband is "so gay," reasoning that not to talk about it would be like
having a guy with a tree growing out of his head that nobody mentions.
Whether he is gay, metrosexual or what is never resolved, even after he
becomes friends with a married guy who shares his first name and traits.



Christine and her husband are busy screenwriters who continually argue over
the script they are working on together. They also argue over the expansion
of their house and other sundry topics.



Franny, by far the richest of the group, has the best marriage. She and her
husband are about to donate two million dollars to their kid's school, which
probably doesn't need it, but Franny asks probing questions of Olivia when
she asks for a small loan. Franny's husband loves nothing better than
buying all of the toys possible for their only child. Self-indulgent to a
fault, her husband doesn't see how excessive generosity to his son could
ever pose a problem.



Quite funny, the script has but one fault. It has a final page. When the
movie finishes, your only complaint will be that you wished it were longer.



FRIENDS WITH MONEY runs 1:28. It is rated R for "language, some sexual
content and brief drug use" and would be acceptable for teenagers.



The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, April 7, 2006. In
the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the AMC theaters, the Century
theaters and the Camera Cinemas.



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