All the Money in the World

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So here we have one of the bigger Golden Globe nominees for this year. But exactly how does it hold up in it's given categories? For that matter, just how IS this movie, anyway? Well, this is gonna end up being one of those titles that I'm gonna be separated on with some of the bigger critics out there. Not that the movie was bad, it's just that there wasn't a whole hell of a lot to it. But I guess I can't be too critical about that when it comes to a movie based on real events.

Here we have the story of the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer), the greedy grandfather who won't send the ransom, J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer), and the single mother who would do whatever she could to get her son back, Gail Harris (Michelle Williams) with the help of J. Paul Getty's... personal detective?... Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlberg). That's pretty much it. Now, that's not to be a critical asshat and say that the movie needs more or anything. I guess I just found it to be very heavy on the talking and exposition, and the truly interesting scenes were few and far between. Now, this is the same thing that makes me dislike the otherwise very popular 'American Psycho', so perhaps this just wasn't quite for me. But what about those award categories?

Well, despite how bored I got (sorry), the performances of Michelle Williams and Christopher Plummer were really well executed, and I'm glad they went with Plummer as opposed to Spacey. It's also up for Best Director, Ridley Scott, and given the performances over all through this, I can understand why. In fact, these performances are what really holds the movie together, I'd say. The whole story is intriguing enough, but I'd be lying if I said it didn't drag. The film is clocked at 2h:12m, but it somehow felt a bit more like 3h to me.

Every time award season comes along, it seems to be the best time to separate my opinions from that of other critics. I didn't quite get the intrigue here that I got from it's trailer. You watch the trailer, and it looks like a suspenseful, gripping thriller. You watch the movie, and you realize it's really just more of a biopic with a bit of an edge.

Anyway, it's not one I can really recommend one way or another. It's something to see for yourself based on your particular tastes. If you like a lot of talking and a bit of suspense, go for it. But if you're like me, you might just find this one dry enough to leave the theater half-way through for a drink. It's not bad at all, it's just not that great.

3/5

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