Friends With Money Review
Posted by Chad Webb on 04.25.2006
Jennifer Aniston does her best work when “Friends” is in the title
Olivia: Jennifer Aniston
Franny: Joan Cusack
Christine: Catherine Keener
Jane: Frances McDormand
Aaron: Simon McBurney
David: Jason Isaacs
Matt: Greg Germann
Mike: Scott Caan
Marty: Bob Stephenson
Directed By: Nicole Holofcener
Release Date: April 7, 2006
Running Time: 88 minutes
Rated R for language, some sexual content and brief drug use.
Even after Friends With Money has concluded, it is still no clear what the point of the film was. Unfortunately, this film will be regarded as primarily a "chick flick", but as I've matured, it is evident that there is no such thing. Females are the basis for plot, and obviously the female viewers will enjoy this more, but does that mean men cannot be moved? Besides a glorious assembly of leading actresses in their prime, Friends With Money is a piece that viewers must take a chance on because of its limited release schedule and small publicity. This is a chance worth taking for a genuinely earnest and gaze into true to life that combines ennui, envy, and loyalty with the money, love, and companionship that four women struggle with.
The setting is Los Angeles, and the players are four lifelong friends that have sprouted different lives for themselves, but as they reach middle age, those lives are becoming increasingly strenuous. Olivia (Jennifer Aniston) used to be schoolteacher in Santa Monica, but since that job was "intolerable", she has become a maid. She doesn't have anywhere near the funds that her friends posses, and she travels from store to store stocking up on face cream samples for herself. Olivia regularly smokes pot, and lays in her bed pining for an ex-lover. Christine (Catherine Keener) and David (Jason Isaacs) keep themselves busy by writing scripts together, and their good fortune is causing them to build an addition onto their home, which blocks every neighbor's view of the ocean. The two lead a complex marriage that has them clashing heads at every turn.
The richest couple in the circle is Franny (Joan Cusack) and Matt (Greg German), who are quite happy and seem to have no problems. Franny does not approve of Olivia's lifestyle, and in order to help her, she sets Olivia up with her personal trainer Mike. Jane (Frances McDormand) is a fashion designer, who has just turned 43, and can't stand it. Her continuously foul mood causes her to throw temper tantrums in public. Her husband Aaron (Simon McBurney) is a pretty decent guy, who loves his wife and children, but there is one problem. Everyone, even those closest to him, thinks he is gay. His love for clothing and art attract homosexual men constantly. Perhaps he is just a metrosexual. The strings of the friendship between the women have remained strong, but as their lives have driven off into different directions, it has caused a strain on the devotion they have to one another. Each woman has reached a pivotal moment in their lives, and they must each come to grips with their current existence, their age, and their money.
Wisely playing down her good looks is Jennifer Aniston, who has been sliding on a downward slope with her roles lately. Her character is the core, and while she may be a bit too mysterious, Aniston evokes Olivia's boredom of life and the jealousy she has towards her friends with tremendous subtlety, misery, and tenderness in some of her best work. As she dates the personal trainer Mike (adequately played by Scott Caan), one will start to wonder why she is wasting her time with a person she has so little in common with. It appears that Olivia just needs some attention. Maybe she assumes that the shallowness of Mike is better than nothing. Many critics have cited Olivia as the weakest point of the film. Oddly enough, her stoner qualities and her attraction to the wrong kind of man reminded me of someone I know. I appreciated her as an enigma because all of us know people that are hard to figure out. Even Olivia's friends have trouble analyzing her lifestyle.
Catherine Keener and Jason Isaacs portray a bitter married couple with a frightening authenticity. Their arguments were reminiscent to some I've had with my own girlfriend. Keener is well on her way to Oscarland because it is impossible to ignore the passionate and undeniably gripping performances she graces film lovers with. Her Oscar won't be awarded for her role here as Christine, but this adds to her streak. Frances McDormand is truly amazing and persuasive as a woman who has some serious issues that need to be addressed. Her fit in Old Navy when a shopper cuts in front of her is one of the most memorable scenes in the film. Despite being a bit snooty with her money, Joan Cusack is delightfully nosy as the wealthiest woman in the bunch. She is very forthcoming, yet frank when discussing the other girls' problems.
The gentlemen of the supporting cast are not just members of the background that add an occasional line, but vital ingredients to this comical character study. Jason Isaacs is a perfectly arrogant and blunt match for Catherine Keener. The most intriguing sub-plot surrounds the epicene character Aaron, shrewdly delivered by the magnificent Simon McBurney. Matt is Franny's husband, played by Greg German, but he is never explored sufficiently. It is obvious he has trouble with spending too much money, but a resolution is never given.
Without the witty and incisive dialogue acting as a catalyst for the women's depictions, the film could never have struck a nerve. Writer and director Nicole Holofcener delved into separate obstacles of women in her previous films, Walking and Talking, followed by Lovely & Amazing. She is a natural at writing about how traumatic real life can be, while recognizing that money makes the world go round. It says something special when this film could have centered on any point in these idiosyncratic lives, and still be moving. These characters will most likely go on facing hurdles, even after the camera stopped rolling. Holofcener is a filmmaker, who crafts her project with no sappy one-liners or inevitable sequences, but intricate people and an attitude that holds nothing back. Her only hindrance occurs when the film ends because the audience wants more of this appealing storyline, but the running time is cut way too short.
Friends With Money is proportioned like a certain segment in Nine Lives, but has an impression like a pilot for a new HBO series. It is a very pleasant and thoughtful movie that never quite goes to the end of a certain road. Do not expect any fabulous bombshells or overly dramatic moments. That could be the enticement or the turn off, depending on what one prefers. I can walk into a theater and predict outcomes all year. This is a film that strives for more.
Similar to Franny, Olivia, Jane, and Christine, all of us have different perceptions on how to use our money. Holofcener respects her characters with beauty and elegance, yet distinguishes that money can come between people at any time. Whenever I get together with friends from college, and converse about other friends, we always scrutinize their lives with a fine tooth comb, and chatter endlessly behind their backs. That doesn't necessarily mean we are cruel, but it is only instinctive, and I related to that.
The 411: Friends With Money has no general direction, but it is a touching, humorous, and enthralling about 4 women, and their money. If you have never heard of Nicole Holofcener, now is your chance to discover her realism. She leads an all-star cast of women, who are all magnificent. I have noticed this in many more theaters now. This is well worth your money, whether you are male or female.
