Movie Title: Where the Money Is
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Crime
Director: Marek Kanievska
Writer: E. Max Frye, Topper Lilien, and Carroll Cartwright
Starring: Paul Newman, Linda Fiorentino, Dermot Mulroney, Susan Barnes, Anne Pitoniak, Bruce MacVittie, Irma St. Paule, Michel Perron, Dorothy Gordon, Rita Tuckett, Diane Amos, Frankie Faison
Review: After a stroke, legendary bank robber Henry Manning (Paul Newman) is transferred to a nursing home, where he meets Carol Ann McKay (Linda Fiorentino), a nurse that yearns for a better, more adventurous life. Along with her husband (Dermot Mulroney) they form an unlikely bond that gets them planning to make money the old-fashioned way...stealing it.
Screen legend Paul Newman has always been cool. And in Where the Money Is, at the age of 75, he has never been cooler. Newman brings a confidence, slickness, humor, and style that makes you root for him and hope that his veteran criminal gets away with it.
Linda Fiorentino is perfect here. She's smart, sexy, and somber as a woman who's life has fallen into a permanent rut. But when Newman's Henry arrives she sees him as her way out and a road to a new life. She's wonderful in the role and you feel for her and her frustration. She plays it perfectly with a put-upon smile on her face and sadness behind her eyes. Dermot Mulroney is terrific as her husband, Wayne. He's practical, but flawed and doesn't really see things for what they truly are.
Now, after all that drama-rama, Where the Money Is is actually a very sweet, fun comedy. The interaction between our three leads make for some great scenes, lines of dialogue, and tense moments that will keep you invested the entire run-time. The caper aspect is great, too! You're never too sure if Newman and his rookie robbers are up to the task of pulling off an armored car job, but that's really the fun of it!
Where the Money Is, is also Paul Newman's last starring role, and an underrated gem that didn't get much play when it first came out. I saw it opened weekend back in 2000, and I continue to enjoy it with every viewing since. Trust me, it's worth seeking out. Unlike most movies these days Where the Money Is is wonderfully entertaining and won't make you feel like you got robbed of 90 minutes of your life.
Fun Fact: The film was originally set to be a vehicle for Sean Connery, but he ended up dropping out to focus on Entrapment (1999) (which, ironically, had a similar plot of an older thief and a younger female partner planning a heist.)