Holidays usually mean family time, and winter is also prime movie release season, with December being the biggest month of all for studios looking for profitable returns and Oscar attention.
Christmas, New Year’s and the days following tend to be great times to go to the theater; whether your family gets along great, or the togetherness is getting to be a bit much, a good movie can be just the thing for a change of pace.
All the Money in the World is due for wide release on Christmas Day. In addition to being a true story that depicts the kidnapping of a teenage boy (the grandson of billionaire J. Paul Getty, who made his first oil-related million in Oklahoma), it’s also an examination of the liabilities and limitations of family ties, and a raw look at the problems that money – specifically, a lot of money – can cause.
The Ridley Scott-directed film would be a great movie just on its own merits – the photography, casting and script are excellent – but one feature that deserves recognition is the highly unusual fact that one of the main characters was recast after the movie’s filming was completed, and the part shot again with another actor. You can watch it solely because it’s a worthwhile movie that will make you think, and you can also see it just to marvel at the brilliant editing job that will most assuredly merit some award buzz. (Christopher Plummer replaced Kevin Spacey as J. Paul Getty, and does a magnificent job of inhabiting the role completely and flawlessly.)
If you’re looking for a “feel good” movie this Christmas season, All the Money in the World may not provide many warm fuzzies. But if you want to be reminded that people, and not things, should be our focus year-round, and that money can’t buy love – or goodness – then it should be a worthwhile watch.
You may also walk away thinking that your family isn’t so bad, after all.
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