Friends with Money
I really loved Nicole Holofcener's previous film Lovely and Amazing so I had some expectations from Friends with Money. Unfortunately, my expectations were not met by a longshot.
The film focuses on the friendship between four women. Jennifer Aniston plays Olivia, the only
one of the four who is not married and who is not well off. Her character is very wishy-washy
and is quite dull. Catherine Keener plays Christine who is a screenwriter and is currently working on a script with her husband David (played by Jason Isaacs). Right from the beginning you can tell that there is something wrong with their marriage despite the fact that they are building an extension to their house. Frances McDormand is Jane, who has a successful career as a clothing designer but reeks of bitterness. She has gotten to the point in her life that even washing her hair is a chore. Her husband Aaron (played by Simon McBurney) also has his own successful business. Many people think he is gay but we get no proof of this one way or the other. The fourth friend is Franny (played by an anorexic looking Joan Cusack) who doesn't work because she doesn't have to. Her husband Mike (played by Scott Caan) makes enough money for her to stay at home and think about what charities they can give their money to.
I can't tell you much about the plot because there really isn't one. Oh, a few things do happen. Christine and David eventually split up. Olivia meets a few men who (of course) don't seem to have their acts together. Jane even washes her hair before she goes to a charity event planned by Franny and Mike. And that's about it.
McDormand and Keener give very good performances. Aniston's role isn't that well developed but it has been obvious for some time that she is an actress of limited talent. And, Cusack has what is known as a throwaway role. All of the male characters are boring. It is too bad that this film turned out this way. It could have been a much better film if Holofcener put a bit more thought into the writing of this script and the development of the characters. But, with or without money, these are not people I would want to have as friends.
The film focuses on the friendship between four women. Jennifer Aniston plays Olivia, the only
one of the four who is not married and who is not well off. Her character is very wishy-washy
and is quite dull. Catherine Keener plays Christine who is a screenwriter and is currently working on a script with her husband David (played by Jason Isaacs). Right from the beginning you can tell that there is something wrong with their marriage despite the fact that they are building an extension to their house. Frances McDormand is Jane, who has a successful career as a clothing designer but reeks of bitterness. She has gotten to the point in her life that even washing her hair is a chore. Her husband Aaron (played by Simon McBurney) also has his own successful business. Many people think he is gay but we get no proof of this one way or the other. The fourth friend is Franny (played by an anorexic looking Joan Cusack) who doesn't work because she doesn't have to. Her husband Mike (played by Scott Caan) makes enough money for her to stay at home and think about what charities they can give their money to.
I can't tell you much about the plot because there really isn't one. Oh, a few things do happen. Christine and David eventually split up. Olivia meets a few men who (of course) don't seem to have their acts together. Jane even washes her hair before she goes to a charity event planned by Franny and Mike. And that's about it.
McDormand and Keener give very good performances. Aniston's role isn't that well developed but it has been obvious for some time that she is an actress of limited talent. And, Cusack has what is known as a throwaway role. All of the male characters are boring. It is too bad that this film turned out this way. It could have been a much better film if Holofcener put a bit more thought into the writing of this script and the development of the characters. But, with or without money, these are not people I would want to have as friends.
posted by Film Fanatic | 12:27 PM
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