One for the Money (5/10)

One For The Money_ Movie Review

Steve Cannell (The Rockford Files, etc.) introduced me to Janet Evanovich when I asked him what mystery writers he liked. I started reading her books (all of which have a number in the title, and it goes up chronologically, now on 18), and hers are the most consistently risible books I read. So I was looking forward to this film, especially when it stars Katherine Heigl, one of the most beautiful of Hollywood actresses.

Alas, the movie, directed by Julie Ann Robinson from a script by Stacy Sherman & Karen Ray and Liz Brixius, is surprisingly dull. The lines penned by Evanovich, while riotously funny when read, aren't nearly as effective in the film. I wasn't comparing the screenplay with the book, but I never did much more than chuckle once or twice in the film, when I laughed uproariously at the book.

The film is told in the first person in a voice over by Heigl, who plays Evanovich's protagonist, Stephanie Plum, and the story line stays pretty close to the way I remember the book, which I read several years ago. Jason O'Mara is an effective Joe Morelli, the cop Stephanie is fighting to keep from falling head over heels in love with. And Daniel Sunjata is equally effective as Ranger the crime fighting security guy who is something of a superman.

This film introduces Stephanie as a destitute bounty hunter going after some bizarre people and one really bad guy, and includes fairly good portrayals of Morelli and Ranger and Vinnie (Patrick Fishler), Stephanie's cousin for whom she works, her goofy, but funny Grandmother Mazur (Debbie Reynolds), and the other staples in all the Evanovich books. Grandmother Mazur has most of the good lines in the books, but, maybe due to the fact that they are really funny because of the way that Stephanie relates them, they lose some of their punch when Reynolds actually mouths the words, instead of being repeated by Stephanie in her first person narrative. What's left out of the film is Stephanie's lust for Ranger, although maybe that's developed more in later books. It certainly is not a part of this film, and this film needs it.

I was disappointed, and it's not because I have read many of the books. I've seen many, many films made out of books I've read and have rarely been let down just because I knew what was going to happen and was familiar with certain lines. My companion at the film had never read the books and was only luke-warm about the film also. I hope they make another try at it. My suggestion would be to get an experienced director (Robinson is only 28 and has meager feature film experience) who could transfer more of the comedic values from the book onto the screen.

Tony Medley is a film critic accredited by the Motion Picture Association of America. His reviews may be read in several newspapers as well as on Rottentomatoes.com, the Movie Review Query Engine, mrqe.com, and at www.tonymedley.com. In addition, he’s written numerous newspaper and magazine articles for publications like The Hollywood Reporter, Los Angeles Magazine, The Los Angeles Herald-Examiner and Good Housekeeping Magazine.

Tony Medley is a Silver Life Master in the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL), an ACBL-certified Director, and the author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Bridge. With over 100,000 copies in print, it is the best selling basic bridge book. He is also the author of UCLA Basketball: The Real Story, available on Kindle, and Sweaty Palms: The Neglected Art of Being Interviewed, first published in 1978 and now in its third edition with over half a million copies in print, the first book ever written about the job interview for the interviewee.

Run time 93 minutes.

OK for children.