bardenboy-77569 We never asked for something as cringy as this to watch in our lives. No need to explain, but will anyway, plot/story = dull characters = no emotion, apart from the bomber. So in general conclusion, god it was bad.

Michael Ledo Lee Gates (George Clooney) runs a Kramer "Mad Money" type of financial show on FNN. IBIS, a huge corporation just dropped $800 million dollars due to an "algorithm glitch." How did this happen? Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell) is an inquiring mind that wants to know. Kyle also has a gun and an explosive vest as he forces his way into Lee's show and demands answers. As Lee is taken hostage his program director (Julia Roberts) is attempting to locate people within IBIS to give them real answers.With this all-star cast, it was hard not to enjoy the film. After watching a glimpse of the previews I thought Clooney would be the bad guy. the stock broker who pumps and dumps stock, who works with corporations to manipulate stocks, by recommendations through kickbacks. Brokers who tell the little guy to buy while telling their heavy investors to sell. Sorry if I digress, but I am still waiting for that film. The relationship that Clooney develops with the shooter was not believable, but it was fun to watch.Guide: F-word. Sex. No nudity.

seymourblack-1 This movie not only indicts the corrupt practices of stock market companies but also critiques TV companies who, by dumbing down financial advice shows, can induce gullible or ill-informed people into making disastrous investments. It illustrates how investors who can least afford to lose their money, are often the greatest victims and roundly ridicules the absurd kind of spin that's often used by PR people to try to defend the indefensible.The good news is that all of this is done in the context of a fast-moving and highly-entertaining hostage drama that's compelling to watch and never gets too heavy-handed. It's well-written, well-acted and features an interesting group of characters who are all changed in various ways by what they experience.Fast-talking Lee Gates (George Clooney) is the host of a cable TV show in which he advises his viewers on all matters relating to their finances. His style of presentation relies on a lot of showbiz-style razzmatazz and a considerable amount of ad-libbing which is a continuous source of annoyance to his long-suffering director, Patty Fenn (Julia Roberts). In his latest show, he's due to interview the CEO of a investment company called "IBIS Clear Capital" whose stock mysteriously collapsed and left its investors with losses that amounted to $800 million. After being informed that Walt Camby (Dominic West) won't be available to interview because he's had to fly to Geneva at short notice for a business meeting, Lee has to make some last-minute adjustments to his show.A little while after the show has started, a delivery man walks onto the set, pulls out a gun and orders Lee to put on a vest that he says is filled with explosives. Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell) had invested in the IBIS stock which Lee had recommended to his viewers and had lost $60,000 which had been the entire sum left to him by his late mother and was all the money he possessed. He's furious and wants to know why Lee's advice was so wrong and why IBIS had lost so much money so quickly. He wants straight answers and is prepared to blow everyone up if he doesn't get them.As the hostage situation continues, the ultra-cool Patty Fenn who had originally pulled the plug on the show puts it back on air at the insistence of Kyle and prompts Lee through his earpiece on the right things to say to avoid provoking his captor. In an effort to get the answers that Kyle wants. Patty and Lee manage to get IBIS Chief Communications Officer, Diane Lester (Caitriona Balfe), on the show and she claims that the company's losses were attributable a glitch in one of their trading algorithms. Not only does this not convince Kyle but it also sounds less than credible to Lester who then embarks on the course of action that ultimately leads to the real reason being uncovered."Money Monster" is enjoyable to watch because it tells a topical story and features content about big companies and PR spin that chimes strongly with the kind of views that are most commonly expressed by members of the general public. George Clooney and Julia Roberts excel in making the changes their characters go through seem perfectly understandable and Jack O'Connell, in a strong performance, expresses Kyle's anger, desperation and frustration at being financially ruined by the actions of cynical individuals who are not only infinitely more powerful than him but also seemingly don't have to take any responsibility for the misery that they cause to others. Ultimately, this is a fine movie that impresses by simultaneously entertaining and providing food for thought.

garygray-47728 This was an easy 8 until the last 5 minutes of the film where all the good work of the last 90 minutes was just utterly fumbled.Shame with such a great cast that the script just kind of fell apart at the pivotal point where a really good point about where our world is at with capitalism just crumbled to mush.