Hey folks, Harry here with our second appearance of the spy known as Professor Marvel, who, by the way, is not related to Captain Marvel or Mary Marvel, but rather seems to be a part of the Kansas Marvel family. But enough about the man's history and on to his reading from his magical orb...
Harry, my lad, I peered into the crystal to see what I could find upon the future of the silver screen and this time it had to do with that legendary young man, to me anyway, that has so struck so many in the past fifty years. While I pulled behind the curtains like a madman these many years, Paul Newman has pulled the very heartstrings of the world's women. And here we see him again, performing in
Where the Money Is (some spoilers will follow)
Paul Newman doesn't do a whole lot of movies anymore, and it's beginning to be obvious why - he doesn't move like he used to, his voice has aged into gravel, and it's hard to make him sexy anymore. But damned if he doesn't still have screen presence, and "Where the Money Is" will satisfy folks needing another Newman fix.
In a nutshell, Newman is the world's greatest bank robber who only got caught because the power went out during one of his heists, and he was found in a closed vault the next day. He's found the perfect way out of prison, though - fake a stroke and spend a few years pretending to be comatose. Years later he temporarily lands in a redneck nursing home staffed by the sexy and bored Linda Fiorentino. And when weird stuff starts happening around Newman, she suspects he's faking it.
She not only gets him to give up the hoax, but she also enlists his help in planning a gigantic heist involving armored trucks, bags full of money, and of course, her weasel of a husband (played by a wasted Dermot Mulroney). Newman's dual life as brain dead by day and burglar by night is pretty funny, and even though they are 600 years apart in age, there is a noticable sparkle between him and Fiorentino (though, thankfully, the screenplay never goes there).
Maybe it's that we expect more out of Newman after a lifetime of Hud, Fast Eddie Felson, Butch Cassidy and Cool Hand Luke, but there something sort of sad about "Where the Money Is" - it never cooks up to the fine froth that the material demands, and Fiorentino's character can't seem to decide between lost hopelessness and ballsy determination. Also, Newman's past as a thief is given short shrift, and the heist itself - while somewhat nailbiting - is nothing we haven't seen before. The ending betrayal is more annoying than tragic, and there are many plot holes that don't stand up to close examination.
Still, good dialogue, a snappy premise and the added bonus of Paul Newman doing a "comedy" will be enough to sustain your attention. Honestly, if there's a comedy out there that can use him (and I don't mean something "Grumpy Old Men"-style) there might be one great movie left in the man.
Professor Marvel is now leaving you for the upper-sub-strate of the cumilousphere!
