Mid-30's, Scottish, married - Not necessarily in that order!
Mid-30's, Scottish, married - Not necessarily in that order!
Member since:11.12.2005
Reviews:12
Members who trust:2
I was compelled to write this because I enjoyed the film and the current reviews are negative. I saw it first on holiday in the US, (we had a free evening), and went to the cinema deciding on the film on the basis of the poster and start time with no previous hype or pre-conceptions. Second viewing came after spending about £3 on it by the tills in a supermarket, (clever shop designers...).
The film centres around four women in their mid-thirties/forties. Three are in relationships and one not. How the characters know each other is not made clear and would have been nice but probably ended up on the editing room floor. I watched the film as a bloke in his mid-thirties with my wife of similar age and I think that people of this age group and older will get more from the film than the sprightly young people who wander the streets WiFi-ing each other with their 1pods or whatever they do... From my perspective, namely that of a trainee curmudgeon, there is lots in the film to enjoy.
The viewer sees the characters lives over a relatively short period of a few weeks. Each couple/character is pottering along in their lives but experience a change/challenge/issue. Now one of the strengths of the film is that they are not huge and dramatic issues - death/murder/suddenly being able to fly/alien abduction but real world issues based around relationships or, whisper it, normal life. The characters generally have money as the title indicates but they are comfortably off to the extent of employing only one member of domestic staff between them, (part time), rather than billionaires. Leading character Olivia (Jennifer Aniston), who was a teacher, is cleaning houses to make ends meet.
Friends with Money seems to be being presented to the world as a chick flick - our DVD box is pink... This is probably cos it's got Jennifer Aniston in it. It did win a Women's film prize for the Director but I feel it has more to offer than to be written off as another girlie film. There are some truly amusing parts to the film and how well it is crafted was not obvious to me on the first viewing - being a boy I am perhaps a bit dim. The cast are excellent with Frances McDormand and Simon McBurney being my favourites however I think different people will have different characters that they relate to/like better than others, there is a good range from which to choose. Joan Cusack and Catherine Keeler do well as do Jason Isaacs and Greg Germann - all faces you will know from elsewhere. The more minor characters are well cast, particularly the Marty.
I see this as an ensemble piece with a good actors and performances, well cast in a well written film. People in films have good teeth and skin but how often do you see characters brushing their teeth or getting face cream?
Watch it then see it again a wee while later and there will still be what you enjoyed first time around but also other good things you missed... What more can you ask for from a film you can pick up for a couple of quid... Bargain!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Comedy - Director: Gareth Carrivick - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Kathryn Drysdale, Sheridan Smith, Natalie Casey, Will Mellor, Ralf Little
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
I see you've posted this as a DVD review, but you've not mentioned the DVD features. Are there any extras? If so, what are they and are they any good? If you want to change it to be posted as a "Film Only" review, this can be done by accessing "edit review" above the review and changing the drop down menu under the "Which format are you reviewing?" question at the bottom.
Frances McDormand stars as Jane a successful dress designer who has taken to wild public ... more
outbursts stops washing her hair and is married to a kind man who might be gay (Simon McBurney). Joan Cusack is Franny a multimillionaire who appears to have t...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
Friends With Money examines the shifting relationships between four women who have been ... more
friends for many years. As they settle into early middle age, their friendship is challenged by the ever-growing disparity in their individual degrees of financial ...
![Friends With Money [DVD] [2006]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/81198072.jpg "Friends With Money [DVD] [2006]")
Dec 29th, 2008
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