Friends With Money Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES PLOT SUMMARY
A drama about three married women, their husbands, and their lone single friend.
| Catherine Keener | Christine |
| Jason Isaacs | David |
| Timm Sharp | Richard |
| Joan Cusack | Franny |
| Greg Germann | Matt |
| Hailey Noelle Johnson | Tammy |
| Simon McBurney | Aaron |
| Frances McDormand | Jane |
| Jake Cherry | Wyatt |
| Jennifer Aniston | Olivia |
| Bob Stephenson | Marty |
| Marin Hinkle | Maya |
| Scott Caan | Mike |
| Troy Ruptash | Cute Man |
| Elizabeth Keener | Saleswoman |
| Nicole Holofcener |
6.20 out of 10 (5044 votes)
Visitor Reviews
Jennifer Anniston and ... Friends
posted on 24 Aug 20092006 Sundance Film Festival I don't know if Jennifer Anniston can give a bad performance. Coming off of Friends I never would have guessed it, but she has such charming vulnerability, almost a Mary Tyler Moore or a Meg Ryan for our generation, that every character she portrays I find interesting.Friends with Money is a study in contradictions. It's a comedy with moments of uncomfortable intensity. It's a social commentary that feels vaguely insightful while flaunting political correctness (the wealthy couple turns out to be the happiest and most well-adjusted). It's an ensemble piece that clearly features Anniston in another successful and intriguing role.This is a well-respected cast, mainly four couples linked by the friendship of the women, including Joan Cusack, Greg Germann, Catherine Keener, Francis McDormand and Simon McBurney. Cusack departs from her more usual comedic role, leaving the plum scenes to Anniston, who is so deadpan, and so pathetic, that she becomes completely endearing.There are plenty of reasons to reject this film. It's dialog driven, with barely enough plot to move from scene to scene. It feels like it's written for women, and maybe inaccessible to some men. And we never really get to know the characters well enough, only through intimate introduction to some of their problems.But if you watch it like a conversation between friends you will likely find something familiar here. Along with the grins, and Jennifer Anniston, that makes Friends with Money worth the trip.
a woman's angle
posted on 18 Aug 2009A slow paced movie exploring the lives of rich married couples from a woman's point of view. Franny (Joan Cusack), Catherine (Keener), Jane (Frances McDormand) are all married and well-off. Olivia (Jennifer Aniston) is the only one who is still unmarried, who make ends meet as a maid. What they all share is friendship and problems of their own. As the story goes, their lives turned worse in order to make a better turn. Jennifer Aniston is the one who wanders aimlessly for a year after abandoning her regular job. Yet she is richly rewarded for holding out to the last minute. A gamble she takes and wins eventually. A movie to ponder about.
Awful movie and terrible acting, especially Aniston's
posted on 12 Aug 2009The truth is that I used to admire Jennifer, because she is a very talented actress, but her performance in this movie is beneath criticism. Olivia (Aniston) is so stiff and behaves very odd most of the time.As for Christine (Keener), it was very stupid the way she behaved towards her husband. I think she was the craziest of all, of course after the other freak Jane (McDormand). They both were nothing but complaining about anything all the time.The thing with "Are you OK?", which Christine considered the most important thing in her marriage - that was a complete nonsense, as well as the way she pretended to be clumsy - bumping herself in the furniture in a very stupid manner; and the way she burnt her finger - her husband was not guilty at all and she seemed pretty OK (why he should ask her if she is OK, when he sees she is OK?).And the other freak Jane who is doing nothing but grumbling over her "fabulous life" and the thing with her greasy hair - that was disgusting, because "didn't feel like washing her hair" or something like that - so stupid.I voted with 1 (awful) and I suggest the Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance to drop the Comedy, because I didn't even smile while watching the movie, not to talk about laughing or anything funny at all. Drama is OK, Romance may be just a little.
Film Makers With Talent!
posted on 10 Aug 2009This is an excellent drama worthy of high marks.The movie examines the relationship of 4 friends and their partners, in marital, emotional, and financial situations and I was engrossed throughout.And the direction, acting, script and production are all high class and every character in this film was interesting.Some very astute observations are made in the film about how those with and those without money interact and the craft of the film maker is that it leaves the viewer enthralled and wanting to know more about the people being portrayed.The story is maturely written with both humor and great insight, so well done indeed to those responsible! There is some much trash on cable TV so congratulations to HBO for this exception. Why don't other film makers learn from this one?
Nothing at all
posted on 10 Aug 2009There are some movies that are more than unnecessary. This the king of those. If I were to sum up the whole movie in one sentence I had problems because I ran out of content half way through. Three couples and a single woman... live. Very interesting! Basically you watch 'Friends with Money' and wait for something to happen. But no: It does not. You wait and wait and suddenly the movie is over. Whoever wants to see that film should invest his money better and watch Melrose Place or other cr*p like that. And also no: the fact that this film features Jennifer Aniston does not make it any better. One of the most boring movies I ever saw. I do not know what the director as well as the author (suprise: one person) intended to show with this film. Not worth watching at all!
Pointless
posted on 06 Aug 2009I was very surprised to see how pointless this movie is. I expected a lot more considering the great actors that star in it. It could be a reflexion about how a woman who has chosen a career that doesn't pay so well deals with the fact that all her friends have more money than her, and how that doesn't necessarily means that those friends are happier people. But none of the conflicts in the movie are satisfactorily solved, with the possible exception of the couple who finally, thank God, gets divorced. But is Simon McBurney's character gay or straight? What is the problem with Frances McDormand's character exactly? Why are Joan Cusack and Greg Germann even in the movie? And what is going to happen to Jennifer Aniston's character? Are all her huge problems solved simply because she met a man who is even worse than her, but who also happens to have a lot more money? None of this is explained, and we leave the theater with nothing but the feeling of having wasted two hours of our lives.
Awful
posted on 04 Aug 2009I honestly think that this is the worst movie I have ever seen.... It just didn't seem to have any point to it?? Is there anyone out there that could give me help in finding this movie anything other than TERRIBLE? I can't believe I paid $20.00 for this!!The one part that I understood was when Jennifer Aniston was in the relationship with the personal trainer... I could relate to that. I was in a few relationships myself where I had to take a step back and go, "Whoa, what am I doing here? They obviously don't care about me..." And why would she quit her job anyway?!? And what the was the gay guys wife's deal?!?! I thought she was going to wind up with some kind of illness or something. What the was the point in her not washing her hair?!?! And what was the point in the gay guy running into another gay guy that was married if they were going to stay strictly friends? I would've banked that he would've left his wife, saying he found his soul mate...
This film made me ashamed, for a few minutes after, to be white
posted on 04 Aug 2009I took my Mom to see "Friends With Money". I hate the horror genre but having Freddie Krueger appear in this flick to slice up, torture and kill these revulsive characters could only have improved the film.It runs 88 minutes, but they did not even have 88 minutes of script. They have a 60 second scene in which, Jennifer Anniston washes her face. Time the scene if you don't believe me. They had a 45 second scene in which Jennifer Anniston walks down the frozen food isle of a supermarket, opens about three of the doors, and finally pulls out one item and throws it in her shopping cart. I AM NOT KIDDING! You could not see the item! It wasn't even a gratuitous advertisement. They shot the scene anyway, and put it in the final cut! I think they had to shoot the frozen food and face wash scenes, cause they were far off the target film release of 90 minutes that the distributors want. There were likely other filler scenes, but I had my eyes closed during about 1/3 of the film. Napping. If you hate white people, this is the film for you. I would imagine you would find people not quite as revulsive as these creatures in an AMFAR dinner.
Showing us what it's like to live when you have money?
posted on 25 Jul 2009I didn't feel they dealt with class issues at all as a previous writer stated. These people drove gas guzzling monstrosities of SUVs lived in huge million+ dollar homes and the only time money was even discussed was in regards to the Jennifer Aniston character.I thought I would empathize most with her character but she was a selfish, self destructive and apparently a gold digger -- who just stayed that way the whole film, there was no growth, no introspection.I liked each of the actors, but the film just left me cold. Was this just supposed to be a "slice of life" story? I feel like there were a lot of issues that were alluded to but never discussed (and certainly not resolved.)Also, the very obvious product placement for two stores and two face care products made me cringe. This movie lost two stars just for that.I know this is how things are trending in Hollywood movies these days, but I still don't like it. The shots and mentions were completely gratuitous. Shame on them!
Great Movie
posted on 15 Jul 2009The story, four friends, three of which are married. The other is single and works as a maid. The other doesn't seem to have problems, while another's marriage is falling or apart or has been since the day they got married. And the last has a great marriage, a great business and family, but she's just tired of life.There's no problem. There's no solution. It's really just a glimpse into these people's lives. Kind of like a day in the life. Because in real life we don't really get all of our problems solved, so it felt real. It didn't need a happy ending. The way it ended off, was I felt, how we live most of our days. Many people may not like it because we go to movies for happy endings, but it wasn't false, it was true to life.
One of the worst film this year
posted on 11 Jul 2009This is one of the worst films I've seen in long. And mind you, I've seen a lot of bad films. For me, this was the final proof that Aniston might be one of the most overrated actresses of our time. Sorry, Aniston. She's beautiful, seems nice but no, no great actor.This probably could have become a much better movie than it ended up being. One thing that could have raised the votes would have been if it at all had been tied up in the end. For me, there were only several questionmarks. Did someone mess up and they lost the last 10 minutes of the movie and didn't have the energy to re-shoot? And what's up with all of this glamourifying about crack? Was it really needed to be portraited at all in the movie? I'm seriously not much for pointing fingers of moral in films, but I get annoyed when a big and by many admired person as Aniston smokes and there's not even one hint of it not being a good idea.This film lands a 1 for me. I wouldn't watch it again even if someone paid me to do it.
Don't bother
posted on 25 Jun 2009It is amazing to me that a movie with such a great lineup of some of today's most talented actresses could be so bad. If the point of the movie was to have almost all of the characters be incredibly unlikeable, then I guess it succeeded. The dialogue was almost predictable and unfortunately, the acting was the victim of the dialogue. I can assure you that I would not want to be friends with any of these women--and even more unbelievable was that they were friends with each other. It pains me to dislike a movie with Frances McDormand and Catherine Keener, but I'm afraid this one made me glad I don't have a lot of money!
"I Just Guess I Feel There's No More Wondering What's It Gonna Be Like." --- Jane (Frances McDormand)
posted on 23 Jun 2009"Friends with Money" (2006) Directed By: Nicole Holofcener Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Joan Cusack, Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand, Simon McBurney, Greg Germann, Scott Caan, Bob Stephenson, & Jason IsaacsMPAA Rating: "R" (for language, some sexual content and brief drug use) Here is a film that is so witty and wry that it cannot help but draw you in with its bitter humor and realistic drama. I found myself completely immersed in its twisted, almost absurd, sense of humor. One cannot help but to fall absolutely in love with the characters and their peculiar lives. Almost everything seems to work perfectly…I emphasize almost. The performances from the leads are wonderful. The drama is realistic and engaging. The humor is wonderful. On the other side, however, the pacing is quite slow in many parts and the ending seems as though twenty minutes were simply snipped off, providing an unstable and deeply disappointing conclusion. With a running time of only an hour and twenty-eight minutes, "Friends with Money" could have afforded a few extra scenes that would have provided a more complete and satisfying ending. This is a film that is more about the journey, rather than the conclusion. Unfortunately, there is no conclusion whatsoever, making the journey seem far less significant than it did when I was watching it and that is something that it almost completely unacceptable."Friends with Money" tells the story of three married, wealthy women and their single friend who is a maid and a "pothead". Olivia (Aniston), the maid and "pothead", was once a teacher at a rich, private academy, but she quit her job when the students began to give her quarters, because she was poor. Now, she is a maid and has an interesting love life. The first of her love interests is Mike (Caan), a self-obsessed personal trainer who buys her a maid outfit so that he can fulfill one of his sexual fantasies. The other is Marty (Stephenson), a larger man who lives in a dirty apartment and is unemployed. Christine (Keener) is a screenwriter who is co-writing a script with her husband, David (Isaacs). She is building an extra story onto her home, much to the disdain of her neighbors. Franny (Cusack), the wealthiest of the friends, has very few problems to deal with. She seems to donate copious amounts of money to charities and schools and always attends the local fund-raisers. Jane (McDormand) is a bitter, angry woman who often finds herself yelling at random people for stealing parking places and for breaking in the check-out line at her local "Old Navy". Her husband, Aaron (McBurney), has just recently bonded with a new male friend. Christine think that Aaron is secretly gay and this new relationship only lends to her assumptions…especially since his new friend, also named Aaron (Ty Burrell), is a clothing designer who specializes in socks and who cooks elegant meals, decorates his own apartment, and is very concerned with how he dresses.These four friends all face trials and tribulations that will affect them forever, from divorces to new relationships and everything in between. In the very end, they all sit down at a table together at a fund-raising banquet. This is a time of recollection for the people presented to us throughout the film. It is the time when they realize that, while their lives may not be flawless, they are fortunate…if, for nothing else, for having each other. It is also the time in which one character realizes that she has found love in the strangest of places--someplace where she never expected to look. When everything was over, I felt as though I had a solid grasp on who these characters were and why they felt the way they did concerning each other and their lives in general. Unfortunately, I had no idea where this would lead them. The movie provided no basis on which I could form a platform for any assumption whatsoever.At the very end of the movie, Olivia says, for the first time, "I have problems". I could not help, but feel that this line was the entire point of the movie, as though every character and every event was leading up to this line--when one of the characters could finally admit that they were not completely perfect and that everyone else outside of their little circle was not the problem. In doing so, Olivia seems to speak for the entire group of friends. This line suggests that things will begin to look up for the characters, because they have, or at least one of them has, discovered the true problem behind their lives and they can finally fix it. Whether or not this brighter, merrier ending ever materializes is beyond me…but I can only hope that it does. Overall, "Friends with Money" is a superb film with amazing performances and terrific humor. The ending, however, leaves much to be desired. Many loose ends are left open and there is no solid basis in predicting any kind of real ending.Final Thought: While the ending is incomplete, "Friends with Money" is still a very good movie.Overall Rating: 8/10 (A-)
awful
posted on 17 Jun 2009this is my first comment on IMDbdon't watch this movie the worst movie i have ever seen. this is my first comment on IMDbdon't watch this movie the worst movie i have ever seen.this is my first comment on IMDbdon't watch this movie the worst movie i have ever seen.this is my first comment on IMDbdon't watch this movie the worst movie i have ever seen.this is my first comment on IMDbdon't watch this movie the worst movie i have ever seen.this is my first comment on IMDbdon't watch this movie the worst movie i have ever seen.this is my first comment on IMDbdon't watch this movie the worst movie i have ever seen.this is my first comment on IMDbdon't watch this movie the worst movie i have ever seen.
A brilliant fugue of character and situation
posted on 17 Jun 2009This was like listening to music as themes interwove and mingled. We had each couple seemingly so different and yet all with similar difficulties and challenges.It was so clever how we saw each couple having conversations about their friends and yet in each conversation they said more about their own relationship difficulties than they did about the people they were talking about.I don't live in America let alone LA but I could recognise so much of these lives and personalities and their struggles.To me the film was all about how problems are part of personality and money cannot reduce or relieve those issues at all. The only way to survive is to rely on one's character.I particularly liked the Jennifer Aniston relationship with her 'unemployed' employer. It was just like the Princess and the Frog. This film kept me involved, entertained and occasionally it surprised me - I think I will want to watch this again.
A plot less movie that I liked
posted on 30 May 2009"Friends with money" is not a movie with a great plot line or anything. It's just a phase trapped in reel about 4 friends, among them 3 are rich and 1 is poor. This movie is too real. It seems too real and there aren't any Big Laugh-Out-Loud moments, But Anyways, it's a very Good movie for me. It dint bore me at all. Everyone delivers a Great Performance. Jennifer Aniston does the lead, playing a Poor girl who has friends with money. Well the movie does not really involve the way how it is for a poor girl to have rich friends. But anyways, the screenplay does show it well enough for how it is for both – the rich and the poor. Jennifer, for me, was very Great. She really has a way with expressions. She really can do a sad, poor girl's role very well. I loved her in this one. This is the only second movie of her's which did not remind me of her "Rachel" Character.All in all, it's a Preety Good movie with great performances by everyone. The movie isn't really that so hilarious, but anyway around it does capture some moments which are funny. But the only problem is they don't seem funny in real life.7.5/10 A decent movie.
Caution DO NOT rent this movie it may cause your death due to boredom
posted on 30 May 2009Couldn't even finish the movie. Blah blah blah scene change blah blah blah.Easy one of the top ten worst movies I have even seen.The dialog is dull and jumps from character group to character group with no rhyme or reason. the characters seem to have nothing connecting them together if fact the whole film seems like the writer put together a number of scripts that they had left over and sold it to someone too stupid to realize that they were being taken. I thought that this had a chance because Francis is such a great actor but no body could have saved this.Do yourself a favor do not expose your brain cells to this movie they may attempt suicide in order to avoid watching the whole film.Pass this one by!
Forget money: may I never have friends this boring or depressing!
posted on 24 May 2009It was pretty slow and surprisingly depressing. When I watched the bonus footage and they talked about how great the writing was and how fun it was to work with other comedic actresses, I thought maybe I'd seen a different movie than the one they were talking about.It was lifeless. Jennifer Aniston had blah hair which matched her and her character throughout. Frances McDormand's character was supposedly (again, according to the bonus footage) going through peri-menopause, only they never said it, they just made her furiously bitchy. Catherine Keener played the same mumbly-mouthed character she always plays (WHY do I want so much to like her but am always disappointed?) and Joan Cusack's actual comedic skills were totally stifled. Although I have to say it was fun to take her seriously ...The movie just ended. There was nothing final or to signal that it was over except the credit roll.Additionally, McDormand, Cusack and Keener are totally believable as friends. Aniston, who I like, was not (besides the fact that she's more than 10 years younger than those women). When I see a movie with that many questions, undeveloped thoughts, and loose ends, I have to assume that a lot of it was left on the cutting room floor. What *was* the point of the questionable sexual orientation of McDormand's husband? Why did Aniston never ask Scott Caan why he wouldn't look at her? Why ...You know what? I'm so bored of this movie that I don't even want to bother typing all the questions in my mind after wasting time on it last night. I've never seen such a promising cast turn out such a blah film. Oh, wait. I have. Well, not "blah", but "disappointing". File this one with "Dr. T and the Women".Two thumbs down.
Good Film. Should Be Seen By the Wealthy and Broke Alike.
posted on 18 May 2009But probably not.I was reluctant to see this film for the sheer fact that Jennifer Anniston is in it and the only other Anniston movie I've ever enjoyed was The Good Girl. Well, I'm glad I saw it because it mirrors the dynamic of the friendships that a lot of people (including myself) have going on in their lives. Anniston's character is pretty pathetic (she did a pretty good job of portraying her, by the way). And I know that a lot of people can relate to being in the position of being broke and unsatisfied with their life whilst being a part of a group of friends who have money (not, even a lot of money, necessarily) and seemingly have perfect lives. It's frustrating and can lead to envy and resentment. But life on the other side of the fence is not all sugar and spice, either. And the movie does a good job of showing that. Anniston's wealthy friends have problems of their own. Dysfunctional marriages, depression, being unsatisfied with their own lives, feeling guilt for being wealthy while watching a friend go through financial issues, feeling resentment towards a friend who, although is broke, has the freedom to do with her life what she pleases. Frances McDormand was a scene stealer in my opinion. Great performance by her. I'm not a Catherine Keener fan but I think she's a damn good actress and her performance in this film proves it.
cute
posted on 28 Aug 2009Friends with Money is a quaint little film about relationships. Couples getting fed up with each other after discovering who they really are. Couples rediscovering each other. People going through midlife crisis, wondering if this is all life holds. People trying to break out of their hum-drum lives. People with money who seem happier than their friends without money. Slow dialog, depressing situations. A top notch film technically speaking. If you're looking for action or lots of humor, pass on this one. If you like the melancholy and cutesy rendition of average lives and people, this is for you. It took so long to get a copy I thought it would be better.