Review: One for the Money (2012)

It’s no secret. I think Katherine Heigl is one of the brightest stars on-screen today. Each of her movies are supremely entertaining (or those I have seen are) and she has a persona on-screen not unlike Amy Adams – whatever the role, she just exudes charm. Excoriated for her recurring roles in romantic-comedies by critics, Heigl has nevertheless continued to star in effervescent movies, and as long as the movie brings in moviegoers and rakes in the cash, who cares what those critics say? Initially this movie was one I planned on just renting but when it came right down to it and my mom also expressing an interest in seeing this one, it seemed inevitable that we’d head out to the big screen to see One for the Money.

No one needs to tell Stephanie Plum (Heigl) how difficult it is to make ends meet. For the last six months she has been unemployed from her job as a department manager at Macy’s. Now all of her debts are catching up to her – she is driving a car she can no longer afford, her rent is in arrears and if it weren’t for her mother’s traditional family dinners, she’d never enjoy a decent meal. It is at that family dinner when she finally gets up the nerve to tell her family about her misfortunes and after her car is towed away Grandma (Debbie Reynolds) encourages Stephanie to talk to her cousin Vinny about a filing job in his business. Somewhat apprehensive about working for the guy who tried to make out with her at her wedding, Stephanie is just desperate enough to work for her cousin, only when she gets there she finds out from his secretary that they no longer need anyone for that job… but if she is willing, there is an alternative job – working as a bail bonds recovery agent, no less! Her skepticism and need for “quick cash” is outweighed when she is handed a case file that has her ex-boyfriend’s name on it. Bringing him in is going to be fun – or so Stephanie thinks it will be...

Joe Morelli (Jason O’ Mara) is the boy in high school that every girl wanted to date and he is the one boy, Stephanie thought she had caught. Now a cop who has been accused of murder, Joe is on the run to prove his maintained innocence. Determined to bring Joe in and collect the reward, it becomes a kind of dance between the two to see who will come out the victor. With help and tips from experienced bounty-hunter-turned-private-security-consultant Ranger (Daniel Sunjata), Stephanie just may be getting a knack for this bounty hunter thing – little does she know that the case involving Joe puts her in way over her head.

Based on a series of books, there is nothing much to this film except for its supreme ability to entertain. Right from the opening credits (which are adorable), the movie promised a fun hour-and-a-half. Prior to seeing it, someone told me that this one was darker than she expected, and I completely agree with her. The story itself might be a bit clichéd in some of its subplots but One for the Money’s threw in a surprise by not just being comprised of the material shown in a two-minute trailer spot; some trailers give away every one of its “cards,” this one doesn’t. Doing so can be really detrimental to the movie, other times it can be an asset. For this movie, I chose to view it from the latter’s perspective. Actually, the movie is more than a mere comedy. Yes, there are moments of hilarity that considerably lighten the mood but really the film is a halfway decent, intriguing mystery in need of solving. And, I thoroughly enjoyed that about this one.

As with nearly every other book-to-screen adaptation, I’ve not read the same-title novel on which this one is based but I’d imagine that there are some compliments to author Janet Evanovich’s work. (Ironically this is also the second movie to be based off of this novel – the first was a televised film back in 2002.) I don’t know how they stack up against their written characters but I thought each actor was well cast, which in turn makes each of the characters a fun study. (Depending on how one looks at it, you may or may not find the continuous commentary of Stephanie telling her story annoying.) Heigl was, of course, great and managed a convincing Jersey accent that does slip on occasion, and it was fun to see Jason O’ Mara in a good-guy role. Jason and Katherine played off each other really well; their witty banter and obvious chemistry was fun to watch develop. Despite earning points for being the more responsible guy of the two, there is never an inclination that Stephanie and Ranger are interested in one another romantically – or if there was meant to be, no sparks were evident between the two of them.

I don’t regret having seen this one prior to its debut on DVD. Its more serious bent was something unexpected and somehow it did work for the movie, and all without trying to be the next Bourne film. Just the first of at least five novels in the “Stephanie Plum” series, I wouldn’t mind seeing the studio bring more of her adventures to the big-screen despite my doubts of seeing such a thing realized. The numbers were just not there for this one and if there is one thing that studios and filmmakers like, it is an impressive showing at the box office.

Has anyone read this book? If so, I’d love to know what you thought of it.

Related Posts: 

• Review: 27 Dresses
• One for the Money (Ruth’s review) 

(Rated PG13 for a series of tense moments and some gunfire; two dudes are shot in self defense – one has five rounds into the heart. Two other baddies are shot in the head; it is revealed that a hooker is murdered. Stephanie befriends another hooker [inappropriate dress].  A couple of sexual innuendoes are present including a joke about a man who likes to walk around naked everywhere [Stephanie brings him in for jumping bail once] and references to losing one’s virginity, and we see Steph in her underwear a time or two. She also gets caught naked in the shower in which the camera barely avoids full frontal nudity [eventually she is seen wrapped in a shower curtain]. There are a lot of misuses of Jesus and GD in addition to milder profanity like sh*t.) 

Categories: Adaptation, Comedy, Drama, Katherine Heigl, Movie, Review

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