‘Mad Money’:
Unlikely tale cashes in

At the Movies
By Senitra Horbrook

The main characters in Mad Money make stealing money from the Federal Reverse Bank look as easy as taking candy from a baby. I can’t imagine any scenario that would allow three women to walk out of one of the most secured buildings in the nation with thousands of dollars tucked into their underwear.
But I also found the unlikely premise chock full of laughs.
Mad Money, the first release from new studio Overture Films, is basically a heist film (think of the Oceans movies) with females. Diane Keaton plays Bridget Cardigan, a privileged upper-class housewife who falls on hard times when her husband Don (Ted Danson) loses his job. With no suitable job prospects for a man his age and a debt of $286,000, Bridget decides to enter the workforce.
Unfortunately for her, she only has a decades-old literature degree and no real-world job experience to offer the employment agency, so Bridget takes a job as a janitor at the Federal Reserve Bank.
During her days of changing trash bags and cleaning toilets, she watches the money deemed useless get shredded. That’s when the proverbial lightbulb goes off. Since the money is going to be destroyed, she might as well take it.
Bridget can’t do it on her own, so she enlists two other low-level employees. She befriends Jackie Truman (Katie Holmes), a twentysomething who appears to have no real motivation beyond greed, and Nina Brewster (Queen Latifah), a single mother who wants to put her kids in private school.
They become partners in crime.
The women successfully walk out of the bank with thousands of dollars, but of course that’s not enough. Greed is a powerful motivator and the women continue stealing, which leads to their obvious demise. There are plenty of laughs, especially as the ladies’ significant others get wind of the plan and start spending the money.
One thing I enjoyed about the movie was the diverse and unlikely cast. This is Katie Holmes’ first movie since becoming Mrs. Tom Cruise, so a lot of eyes are on her. She definitely won’t be remembered for this role a few years from now. It is nice to see her in the spotlight for something other than her marriage to Cruise and being the mother of his child, because she really does have talent.
Diane Keaton is a surprising choice for the "ringleader." Women in their 60s are often resigned to playing the mother or grandmother type, so it is easy to see why the offbeat Keaton wanted to play Bridget.
Queen Latifah has done this kind of movie before (Set It Off) and her role as a struggling single mother is kind of clichéd, but she has the personality to rise above the cliché and be somewhat interesting.
I didn’t have high hopes for the film going in, especially since January is known to be the dumping ground for bad movies after the holiday season.
I must say I was surprised by Mad Money. Director Callie Khouri (screenwriter of Thelma and Louise and director of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood) manages to elevate what could have been a ho-hum heist tale in different hands to something that stands out. Girl power is on display here and it’s fun to watch, and even root for, the three greedy criminals in Mad Money. ••
Movie Grade: B