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List Price: $14.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures
Salesrank: 13797
Released: August 29, 2006 |
| Our Price: $2.39 |
| Used Price: $0.01 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
The story of a single woman whos looking for a man & whose three best friends are all wealthy and married. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 11/27/2007 Starring: Jennifer Aniston Catherine Keener Run time: 88 minutes Rating: R Director: Nicole Holofcner
Description of Friends with Money:
With her third feature, Friends With Money, writer-director Nicole Holofcener continues to develop one of the most distinctive voices in American independent filmmaking. While not as purely satisfying as her previous films Walking and Talking and Lovely and Amazing, Holofcener's third feature is admirably ambitious in establishing a diverse and dynamic range of relationships among long-time girlfriends, their spouses (for better and worse), and the way in which money (or lack of it) affects them all. The have-not of the group is Olivia (Jennifer Aniston), a teacher-turned pot-smoking housecleaner in the upscale neighborhoods of West Los Angeles. She's drifting, uncertain of her future both professionally and romantically, while her friends Franny (Joan Cusack), Christine (Catherine Keener), and Jane (Frances McDormand) cope with the relatively enviable problems of wealthy discontentment. They've all got personal crises to resolve, and while Olivia juggles the affections of a likable louse (Scott Caan) and a lonely slob who's secretly rich (Bob Stephenson), Holofcener taps a rich vein of humor and melancholy as these women go about their daily routines, attending benefits, chatting over meals, and doting over Olivia as the "needy one" in their closed circle of friendships. All of this is richly observed and wonderfully acted (with male costars played by Greg Germann, Jason Isaacs, and Simon McBurney), but reaction to Friends With Money is strictly a matter of personal taste. Holofcener isn't telling a story so much as examining lives in various states of disarray, and she offers no false comforts or simple resolutions. Like life, Friends With Money just continues on its way, with some friends happier than others. There's plenty of truth to be found, if you know where to look.--Jeff Shannon
Friends with Money Reviews:
imposible to overcome gag reflex 
2008-11-06 - I bought this dry chic flic in the cut-out-bin for $1, and that is about what it is worth. Happily, Francis McDormand delivers her usual good performance, but this is an aimless and pointless film that ultimately simply ends without resolving its various threads. My wife hated it. Joan Cusack just comes off as shrill all the time, and no one else offers a performance of great distinction. It reminded me of the "Annie Hall" line "la de da" but re-written "blah blah blah."
The story follows a disjointed range of relationships among four middle-aged long-time girlfriends and their spouses or slampieces, while the narrative spine concerns money (or its absence). Apaprently it dawns on middle-aged women that money is important, after they spent their youth in fads and coolness. The Poor Clair is Olivia (Jennifer Aniston), a drop-out teacher-turned maid for folks who only appear slight better off than herself, but retains her affection for expensive ungents and creams for which she spends an improbably large amount of time trying to get free samples of. Her friends Franny (Joan Cusack), Christine (Catherine Keener), and Jane (Frances McDormand) are ladies who lunch and kvetch and never appear to do a real lick of work (what little work there is shown is in "the business" and she is on the "creative" side of things, writing dialogue for the endless maw of the television sludge bucket. All have "minime" personal crises ("boo hoo, my husband may be gay" "he is NOT") While the film aims for humor and melancholy no one ever seems to *do* anything, only reflect on what is happening to them passively. This isn't really story telling as much as "examining lives in various states of disarray" of aimless folks who are breathing and eating (and defecating) but not living. Which all reminded me of the world's worst independent filmmaker Henry Jaglom. Yes, this is that bad.
Another Jennifer Aniston sad sack movie 
2008-10-26 - This reminds me of "The Good Girl," though that was a better film, in which Aniston also played a semi blue collar type. This one makes her a little more upscale, but still playing someone poor. All I could picture was the mansion she lived in with Brad Pitt. The cast is stellar here, and the script is serviceable. It's a pleasant enough indie diversion, but the Earth won't move for you as you watch it pass by.
Disappointment
2008-08-29 - All I can say is that I was incredibly disappointed in this movie. It lacked content worthy of a film so badly. I am a big fan of both Jennifer Aniston and Joan Cusack and I was psyched to see them together in a film, but both of their characters bored me. I found it to be a very forgetable story.
not a bad movie at all 
2008-04-25 - Friends with Money was a pretty good comedy movie with a bit of seriousness and truth thrown in. It's about all these different couples who talk to each other, and then when the girlfriends and boyfriends (or wives and husbands) leave their friends home (or restaurant or wherever the meeting place was) on the drive home, they criticize their friends and basically talk about them behind their backs.
I got the feeling on many occasions that the wives and girlfriends were more concerned with being jealous of each other instead of actually caring about the friendships they've developed with each other. I think that's part of reality anyway- secretly we do become jealous of our friends when they're able to accomplish something we haven't been able to yet.
There's also an important message behind this film- don't take things too seriously or you won't be able to enjoy life. Of course, the more obvious message is that it really stinks how the world has to constantly revolve around money, but I got more out of this movie than just that.
Anyway, the film was really good. Don't make the mistake of thinking it's a romantic comedy in the beginning. This movie works for just about anybody. You have to allow time to get to know the characters and the way they act to really enjoy the storyline. Each character has a separate personality from the others, which makes you wonder how they all became friends in the first place.
Another thing I enjoyed was the way many of the friends would start out acting like they were getting along great with each other, only for their conversations to end on an angry note until they met again!
All the characters were really good throughout the movie, and there was more than enough exciting plot twists to make it a movie worth watching.
Don't Waste Your Friends' Time or Your Money
2008-04-06 - Don't waste your time on this movie. I saw it for free and still felt robbed! (A friend rented it.)
The plot--as best as I could discern one--seemed to be something along the lines of "Life is a mess, feel free to despair amongst yourselves." If I want stories about despair, I'll just stay at work. (I work in ER's and an Urgent Care Clinic)
Interwoven through this overriding theme of despair, the values and morals showcased in this movie are typically Hollywood these days--that is to say, abysmal to non-existent.
What a waste of some otherwise great talent. Joan Cusack in particular is WAY above this movie. Her agent should be fired, and then shot for letting her take this movie.
I would rather sell my TV than watch this movie again!!!
