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Money Monster
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJodie Foster
Screenplay by
Story by
  • Alan Di Fiore
  • Jim Kouf
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyMatthew Libatique
Edited byMatt Chessé
Music byDominic Lewis
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Releasing
Release dates
  • May 12, 2016 (2016-05-12) (Cannes)
  • May 13, 2016 (2016-05-13) (United States)
Running time
99 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$27.4 million[2]
Box office$93.3 million[3]

Money Monster is a 2016 American crime thriller film directed by Jodie Foster, from a screenplay by Jamie Linden, Alan Di Fiore, and Jim Kouf. It stars George Clooney as financial television host Lee Gates and Julia Roberts as his producer Patty Fenn, as they are put in an extreme situation when an irate investor takes them and their crew as hostage. The cast also features Jack O'Connell, Dominic West, Caitríona Balfe, and Giancarlo Esposito.

Money Monster had its world premiere at the 69th Cannes Film Festival on May 12, 2016, and was theatrically released in the United States the next day by Sony Pictures Releasing. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, the film was a box office success, grossing over $93 million against a budget of $27.4 million.

Plot

[edit]

Flamboyant television financial expert Lee Gates is in the midst of the latest edition of his show, Money Monster. Less than 24 hours earlier, IBIS Clear Capital's stock inexplicably cratered, supposedly due to a glitch in a trading algorithm, costing investors $800 million. Lee planned to have IBIS CEO Walt Camby appear for an interview, but Camby unexpectedly departed for a business trip to Geneva, Switzerland.

Midway through the show, a deliveryman wanders onto the set, pulls a gun and takes Lee hostage, forcing him to put on a vest laden with explosives. The man reveals that his name is Kyle Budwell, who invested $60,000—his entire life savings—in IBIS after Lee endorsed the company on camera. He was wiped out along with the other investors.

Unless Kyle gets some answers, he will blow up Lee before killing himself. Once police are notified, they discover that the receiver to the bomb's vest is located over Lee's kidney. The only way to destroy the receiver—and with it, Kyle's leverage—is to shoot Lee and hope he survives.

With the help of longtime director Patty Fenn, Lee tries to calm Kyle and locate Camby, though Kyle is dissatisfied when both Lee and IBIS chief communications officer Diane Lester offer to compensate him for his financial loss. He is angered by Diane's insistence that the algorithm is to blame. Diane is not satisfied with her own explanation, either, and defies colleagues by contacting a programmer who created the algorithm, Won Joon. Reached in Seoul, Joon insists that an algorithm could not take such a large, lopsided position without someone meddling with it.

Lee appeals to his TV viewers for help, seeking to recoup the lost investment, but is dejected by their response. The NYCPD find Kyle's pregnant girlfriend Molly and allow her to talk to Kyle through a video feed. When she learns that he lost everything, she viciously berates him before the police cut the feed. Lee, siding with Kyle, agrees to help his captor discover what went wrong.

Once Camby arrives, Diane flips through his passport, discovering that instead of going to Geneva he went to Johannesburg, South Africa. With this clue, along with messages from Camby's phone, Patty and the Money Monster team contact a group of Icelandic hackers to seek the truth. After a police sniper misses a shot at Lee, he and Kyle resolve to corner Camby at Federal Hall National Memorial, where, according to Diane, Camby is headed.

They head out with network cameramen Lenny, plus the police, and a mob of fans and jeerers alike. Having earned his trust, Kyle admits to Lee that the vest does not actually contain explosives, simply clay. Kyle accidentally shoots and wounds producer Ron Sprecher when Ron throws Lee a new earpiece. Kyle and Lee finally confront Camby with video evidence obtained by the hackers.

Camby had bribed the militant leader of a South African miners' union to go on strike at a platinum mine. When the mining company's share price crashed, Ibis bought $800 million of its shares. Camby intended to sell when the strike ended in his pre-arranged two weeks, when his holdings should be worth about $2.4 billion.

The gambit backfired when the union stayed on the picket line. Camby visited the union leader that day, in an unsuccessful attempt to bully him into ending the strike. IBIS' stock continued to plummet under the weight of its investment in the failing mining company. Despite the evidence, Camby refuses to admit his swindle until Kyle takes the explosive vest off Lee and puts it on him.

Camby finally admits to his wrongdoing on live camera. Satisfied with the outcome, and knowing the detonator is harmless, Kyle instigates suicide by cop – he triggers the detonator and is instantly shot by a sniper. Lee punches Camby, as his greed and corruption cost Kyle his life. In the aftermath, the SEC announces that IBIS will be placed under investigation, while Camby is charged with criminal violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

Lee and Patty reconcile, wondering how they follow their last broadcast.

Cast

[edit]

Production

[edit]

Development

[edit]

The project Money Monster was first announced by Deadline on February 7, 2012, when Daniel Dubiecki launched his own film production company, The Allegiance Theater. It would be the company's first produced film.[6] IM Global financed while Dubiecki produced, along with Stuart Ford.[6]

Alan Di Fiore and Jim Kouf wrote the script of the film.[6] On October 11, 2012, Jodie Foster was set to direct the film.[7] Lara Alameddine also produced the film.[8] The story was altered from its original script inspired by the stock market glitch and crash of Cynk Technologies.[9]

On July 25, 2014, TriStar Pictures won the rights to finance and release the film, whose latest draft was written by Jamie Linden.[10] Clooney and Grant Heslov also produced for their Smoke House Pictures.[10]

Casting

[edit]

On May 8, 2014, it was announced that George Clooney was director Foster's choice to star in the film as a TV personality, Lee Gates, but the deal was not yet confirmed.[8] Clooney's involvement was confirmed in July 2014.[10] Jack O'Connell and Julia Roberts were added to the cast November 14, 2014 to star along with Clooney in the film.[11] Caitriona Balfe joined the cast of the film on January 29, 2015, to play the head of PR of the company whose stock bottomed.[12] Dominic West signed-on on February 25, 2015, to play the CEO of the company.[13] Christopher Denham also joined the cast on March 4, 2015, playing Ron, a producer on the show.[14]

Filming

[edit]

In October 2012, filming was scheduled to begin early 2013.[7] In July 2014, it was announced that production would begin after Clooney completed the Coen brothers' Hail, Caesar!,[10] and principal photography on the film began in New York City on February 27, 2015.[15][16]

On April 8, filming began on Wall Street in the Financial District, Manhattan, where it would last for 15 days.[17] A scene was also shot in front of Federal Hall National Memorial.[17] Some re-shooting for the film took place in mid-January 2016 in New York City on William Street and Broad Street.[18]

Release

[edit]

In August 2015, Sony Pictures Entertainment set the film for an April 8, 2016 release.[19] The film was later pushed back to May 13, 2016.[3] The Money Monster Premiered in Cannes on May 12, 2016, where the cast attended the photocall[20] and screening in the evening.

Reception

[edit]
Julia Roberts and George Clooney attending the premiere of the film at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival

Box office

[edit]

Money Monster grossed $41 million in the United States and Canada, and $52.3 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $93.3 million, against a net production budget of $27 million.[3]

In North America, the film was released alongside The Darkness and the wide expansion of Green Room, and was projected to gross $10–12 million from 3,104 theaters in its opening weekend.[21] The film grossed $600,000 from its early Thursday night previews and $5 million on its first day.[22] It went on to gross $14.8 million in its opening weekend, beating expectations and finishing 3rd at the box office behind Captain America: Civil War ($72.6 million) and The Jungle Book ($17.1 million).[23] It fell 53% to $7 million in its second weekend, finishing 6th.[24]

Critical response

[edit]

On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 59% based on 284 reviews, with an average rating of 6.00/10. The site's critics consensus reads: "Money Monster's strong cast and solidly written story ride a timely wave of socioeconomic anger that's powerful enough to overcome an occasionally muddled approach to its worthy themes."[25] On Metacritic the film has a weighted average score of 55 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[26] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave an 81% overall positive score, with 56% saying they would definitely recommend it.[23]

Clooney's performance was praised by critics. A.O. Scott of The New York Times said that the "quality of the acting both enhances the credibility of the narrative and exposes some of its weak points."[27] Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com, in a mixed review, praised Clooney's "enormous charisma", but criticized the film for not "being quite as thrilling or thought-provoking as [its] premise sounds."[28] Chris Hewitt of Empire however gave a more positive review.[29]

Several reviewers praised the atmosphere of suspense. Sandra Hall of The Sydney Morning Herald praised the film, particularly Foster's directing and her ability to "keep things moving".[30] Richard Brody of The New Yorker wrote that Foster "keeps the action vigorous and the suspense high", but said that the film was "swallowed up by the very hectoring and impersonal sensationalism that it derides."[31]

Some reviewers criticized the script. Wendy Ide of The Observer gave the film a negative review, writing that the film lacks the "authentic anger" of The Big Short and the "sniper-like accuracy" of Network, criticizing Clooney's "complete lack of sincerity".[32] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said that what the script lacks in "emotional subtext" can be found in the cast's "richly detailed" performances.[33] In a mixed review, Robbie Collin of The Telegraph called the film a "raucous hostage thriller that eschews explanation for wish-fulfillment", concluding by saying that "in the heat of the moment, Money Monster's bluster and nerve keeps you hooked."[34] Josh Lasser of IGN was critical of the film's mix of comedy and drama, calling the transitions "too fast, ripping the audience out of the unfolding drama."[35]

Despite comparisons of Clooney's character to Jim Cramer and his TV show Mad Money,[36][37] Clooney and Foster denied this.[38][39]

References

[edit]
[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Money Monster

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
is a 2016 American crime thriller film directed by Jodie Foster, marking her third feature as director, with a screenplay by Jamie Linden, Alan Di Fiore, and Jim Kouf. The story centers on Lee Gates (George Clooney), a charismatic financial television host whose live broadcast is hijacked by Kyle Budwell (Jack O'Connell), an enraged viewer who lost his life savings following Gates' endorsement of Ibis Clear Capital stock, which plummeted due to an alleged trading algorithm malfunction later revealed as deliberate fraud. Co-starring Julia Roberts as Gates' producer Patty Fenn, the film unfolds in real-time within the studio, highlighting tensions between media hype, corporate opacity, and individual investor desperation. Premiering at the Cannes Film Festival on May 15, 2016, Money Monster was released theatrically in the United States on May 20, 2016, by TriStar Pictures, grossing $93.2 million worldwide against a $27 million production budget. It received mixed critical reception, praised for its urgent post-2008 financial crisis relevance and strong performances but critiqued for formulaic plotting and lack of depth in exploring Wall Street malfeasance, holding a 59% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 281 reviews. Foster's direction emphasized authentic, claustrophobic tension inspired by real-time hostage scenarios, though the film garnered few awards beyond nominations, such as Foster's Globe de Cristal nod for best director. No major controversies surrounded its production or release, though its portrayal of financial media and algorithmic trading drew comparisons to events like the 2010 Flash Crash without endorsing unsubstantiated conspiracy narratives.

Narrative

Plot summary

In Money Monster, television host Lee Gates, portrayed by George Clooney, presents his financial advice program live on air, enthusiastically endorsing shares in the high-tech investment firm IBIS as a surefire opportunity for viewers. During the broadcast, an aggrieved viewer named Kyle Budwell, played by Jack O'Connell, who has lost his entire $60,000 inheritance on the IBIS stock tip, storms the studio armed with a pistol and a suicide vest bomb, taking Gates hostage and forcing him to continue the show under duress while demanding accountability for the sudden 1.2 billion shares "glitch" that erased the stock's value overnight. Behind the scenes, Gates's Fenn, played by , coordinates with the studio , , and external experts via earpiece to de-escalate and investigate IBIS's , uncovering inconsistencies in the company's algorithm-driven trading platform promoted by CEO Walt Camby, portrayed by . As the standoff unfolds in real time with millions watching, Budwell compels Gates to confront Camby directly on camera, revealing layers of corporate tied to unhedged bets on a African platinum mine strike, which Camby had concealed to inflate the . The situation escalates when Camby's team attempts interference, leading to a tense pursuit and outside the studio involving FBI intervention and a trader named Dave, played by Paul Greer, who aids in tracing the . Ultimately, the exposure of IBIS's manipulative practices forces Camby to face the consequences live, while and Fenn navigate personal reckonings about their roles in promoting unchecked financial , culminating in Budwell's partial redemption and the host's shift toward more skeptical reporting.

Production

Development

The screenplay for Money Monster originated as a spec script written by Alan DiFiore and Jim Kouf, sold around 2009. Producers Daniel Dubiecki and Lara Alameddine acquired the project and developed it over seven years, navigating challenges in attaching key talent and financing before its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2016. In July 2014, TriStar Productions, under , acquired worldwide distribution and greenlit production for the character-driven . was attached to direct, marking her third after Little Man Tate (1991) and The Beaver (2011), while was cast in the lead role and signed on as through his banner alongside . The script received revisions from , who shared final with DiFiore and Kouf, refining the around a live TV hostage crisis exposing Wall Street vulnerabilities. Pre-production focused on assembling a high-profile ensemble and constructing practical sets, including a replica of the titular TV studio at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York, to facilitate real-time shooting sequences. Principal photography commenced in March 2015 in New York City, emphasizing authentic financial district locations for exterior shots despite logistical hurdles like street closures. The development phase prioritized a contained, dialogue-heavy structure inspired by real-time thrillers, allowing for efficient budgeting under TriStar's oversight.

Casting

George Clooney was cast in the lead role of Lee Gates, a flashy financial television host taken hostage on live air, while also producing the film through his company Smokehouse Pictures. Julia Roberts portrayed Patty Fenn, Gates' level-headed producer who directs the crisis response from the control room, with producers citing the pair's pre-existing on-screen rapport from collaborations like Ocean's Eleven (2001) as a key factor in her selection to enhance the film's tense interpersonal dynamics. Jack O'Connell was brought on as Kyle Budwell, the desperate viewer who infiltrates the studio with a bomb vest after losing his life savings on a stock tip promoted by Gates, with negotiations finalized by November 2014 following Clooney's attachment. Director Jodie Foster highlighted O'Connell's versatility in delivering layered takes during production, drawing from his prior intense performances in films such as Unbroken (2014), which allowed for nuanced portrayals of vulnerability and rage central to the character's arc. Supporting roles included Dominic West as Walt Camby, the elusive CEO of the implicated company; Caitríona Balfe as Diane Lester, Camby's communications director; and Giancarlo Esposito as Captain Marcus Powell, the lead hostage negotiator, each chosen to embody institutional figures in the financial and law enforcement sectors without prior stated casting anecdotes beyond their established dramatic ranges. Foster emphasized prioritizing actors adept at rapid-fire dialogue and improvisation to sustain the real-time thriller's pacing, noting Clooney and Roberts' experience in comedic timing facilitated authentic broadcast-style banter amid escalating stakes.

Filming

for Money Monster commenced on , , in , under director Jodie Foster's . reported for his first day of on , , marking the start of principal cast involvement in the production. Filming occurred predominantly on location in Manhattan's Financial District to capture the film's Wall Street ambiance, utilizing sites such as and , 70 and , and , and , and at 26 and Nassau Street. Additional exterior shots took place at on 6th Avenue between West 42nd and 43rd , and 59 between Nassau and . Interior sequences, including the central studio set replicating the fictional Money Monster broadcast environment, were filmed at in , with those scenes completed several weeks prior to the production control room to streamline scheduling. The production emphasized due to the script's real-time narrative structure, confining much of to tight spaces like the TV studio and control room, which necessitated precise of and crew to maintain pacing and tension without extensive post-production alterations. No major delays or on-set incidents were reported, allowing the shoot to wrap within months ahead of its May 2016 release.

Themes and analysis

Central themes

The film Money Monster centers on the opacity of modern financial markets, portraying how algorithmic trading and automated systems can evaporate investor capital without clear explanation or recourse. In the narrative, the sudden plunge of the fictional Investorship stock—attributed to a supposed "glitch" in high-frequency trading algorithms—highlights the detachment between technological complexity and human accountability, as executives evade responsibility while ordinary investors bear the losses. This theme underscores the causal disconnect in global finance, where retail participants like the protagonist Kyle Budwell invest life savings based on simplified media endorsements, only to face ruin from unseen market manipulations. A parallel theme critiques the financial media's role in amplifying hype over substantive analysis, with the character Lee Gates embodying bombastic stock-tip shows that prioritize entertainment and affiliate profits over due diligence. Gates's program promotes Investorship without probing its underlying risks, mirroring real-world practices where television pundits drive retail frenzy into volatile assets, contributing to events like flash crashes. The hostage crisis forces Gates to confront this complicity, revealing how such media ecosystems incentivize superficial endorsements that disproportionately harm unsophisticated viewers. Corporate and executive form another core motif, exemplified by CEO Walt Camby’s diversion of $800 million in funds to foreign accounts under the of , evading regulatory oversight through jurisdictional . The film illustrates how such schemes exploit deregulated environments, allowing insiders to profit amid public losses, as when Camby jets to Cape while shareholders plummet. This reflects broader causal realities of asymmetric in capital markets, where elites manipulate narratives to malfeasance. Underlying these is the theme of economic inequality's human toll, contrasting the desperation of working-class investors—who wager modest sums on promised gains—with the insulated world of high finance. Budwell's $60,000 loss, derived from funeral home earnings and a modest settlement, symbolizes how market failures cascade to the vulnerable, fueling populist resentment without proposing systemic remedies beyond exposure. Analyses note the film's emphasis on individual agency amid institutional betrayal, though it simplifies multifaceted market dynamics for dramatic effect.

Depiction of financial markets

The film portrays financial television programming as a spectacle-driven medium that prioritizes entertainment over substantive analysis, with host Lee Gates delivering bombastic stock recommendations accompanied by flashy graphics, dances, and hype to entice retail investors. This depiction echoes real-world shows like CNBC's Mad Money, where pundits endorse investments without disclosing full risks, leading viewers like hostage-taker Kyle Budwell to allocate life savings—$60,000 in his case—into promoted stocks such as those of Ibis Clear Capital. Central to the narrative is Ibis Clear Capital, a fictional firm specializing in high-frequency trading (HFT) via proprietary algorithms designed for rapid, automated execution of trades to exploit microsecond market inefficiencies. The company touts its technology as low-risk and high-return, but a sudden $800 million loss—attributed publicly to a vague "glitch" in the algorithm—triggers an immediate 97% stock plunge, erasing billions in market value and devastating shareholders. During the hostage crisis, investigations reveal the "glitch" as a cover for algorithmic failure amid unforeseen geopolitical volatility in South African mining operations, where the system could not adapt to rapid price swings from civil unrest. The portrayal emphasizes opacity in HFT and modern markets, where algorithmic black boxes enable massive, unexplained losses without immediate traceability or accountability, allowing executives like Ibis CEO Walt Camby to deflect blame onto technology while insiders hedge positions via complex derivatives and offshore funds. Trading floors are shown as frenetic hubs of real-time data feeds and panic selling triggered by breaking news, underscoring how retail investors bear disproportionate downside while institutional players evade scrutiny through layered financial instruments. This setup critiques markets as rigged toward elites, with minimal regulatory intervention depicted during the unfolding crisis, though reviewers note the film's treatment remains superficial, prioritizing thriller tension over rigorous economic dissection.

Factual accuracy and criticisms

The film's portrayal of a sudden plunge attributed to a algorithm's "" draws loose inspiration from documented real-world failures in automated trading systems, such as the , , incident at Capital, where a triggered approximately 4 million erroneous equity trades in 45 minutes, resulting in a $440 million loss and the firm's near-collapse. Similar dynamics appeared in the May 6, 2010, Flash Crash, when high-frequency trading algorithms contributed to a rapid Dow Jones Industrial Average drop of over 1,000 points (about 9%) in minutes, followed by partial recovery, highlighting vulnerabilities in algorithmic execution but not deliberate sabotage. However, Money Monster fabricates the core cause as a cover for geopolitical resource manipulation and executive fraud, diverging from empirical evidence where such crashes typically stem from coding flaws, liquidity imbalances, or cascading orders rather than orchestrated conspiracies. Critics have faulted the film for inaccurately reducing multifaceted market operations to simplistic villainy, neglecting how high-frequency and algorithmic trading, while prone to errors, generally enhance liquidity and efficiency through rapid price discovery, as evidenced by post-Flash Crash regulatory data showing stabilized volatility after circuit breakers were implemented. The narrative overlooks investor agency, portraying losses as solely due to corporate malfeasance while ignoring speculative risks in leveraged positions, a common factor in retail trading debacles. This approach, prioritizing hostage-drama pacing over causal analysis, leads to accusations of ideological bias toward post-2008 anti-finance sentiment without rigorous examination of systemic incentives like diversified regulation or market self-correction. Additional critiques highlight factual liberties in depicting financial media and regulatory responses; real-time CEO accountability under duress, as dramatized, rarely occurs without legal processes, and the film's hasty resolution via exposed emails bypasses evidentiary standards like SEC investigations, which typically involve months of forensic review. While raising valid concerns about opaque algorithmic "black boxes," the movie's lack of technical depth—failing to distinguish between high-frequency arbitrage and proprietary prediction models—undermines its credibility, rendering it more agitprop than analytical exposé. Proponents of market realism argue this fosters misconceptions that vilify innovation without acknowledging data showing algorithmic trading's net reduction in bid-ask spreads by up to 50% since the 2000s.

Release

Theatrical release

had its world premiere out of competition at the 69th Cannes Film Festival on May 12, 2016. The film received a four-minute standing ovation following its screening. It was theatrically released in the United States the following day, May 13, 2016, by TriStar Pictures in a wide release across 3,014 theaters. During its opening weekend, the film grossed $14.8 million domestically, placing third behind Captain America: Civil War and The Jungle Book. International rollout began concurrently in select markets, contributing to a global opening of approximately $22.5 million.

Marketing and promotion

The first official trailer for Money Monster was released on January 12, 2016, by , featuring stars and to generate early buzz for the thriller's themes of financial manipulation and media accountability. A second trailer followed, emphasizing the high-stakes hostage scenario on a live financial TV show, which helped position the film as a timely critique amid post-2008 economic skepticism. The film's marketing leveraged the star power of Clooney, Roberts, and director Jodie Foster through high-profile events rather than heavy social media reliance, as the leads maintained limited online presence, posing a challenge in engaging younger demographics. Promotion targeted older audiences via traditional outlets, including targeted ads and previews that appealed to viewers interested in mature, issue-driven content. The world premiere at the 69th Cannes Film Festival on May 12, 2016, served as a major launchpad, with Clooney, Roberts, and Foster attending photocalls and the red carpet, drawing international media coverage and boosting anticipation for the U.S. theatrical release the following day. This event amplified visibility, contributing to projections of a $14–15 million domestic opening weekend.

Reception

Box office performance

Money Monster had a production budget of $27 million. The film premiered on , , earning $600,000 from night previews across 2,387 theaters. Its opening weekend grossed $14.8 million domestically, placing second behind Captain America: Civil War. The film ultimately earned $41.0 million in the United States and Canada. Internationally, it generated $52.3 million, for a worldwide total of $93.3 million. This performance exceeded the production budget by more than threefold, indicating profitability despite modest domestic returns relative to the star power of George Clooney and Julia Roberts.

Critical response

Money Monster received mixed reviews from critics, earning a 59% approval rating on based on 281 reviews, with the consensus noting that while the film aims to Street's excesses through a thriller format, its comes across as muddled and overly simplistic. On , it scored 55 out of 100 from 44 critics, classified as mixed or , with 57% positive, 34% mixed, and 9% negative assessments; reviewers often commended the cast's performances and stylistic execution but faulted the uneven script for lacking depth. Critics praised the film's tense, real-time pacing and the strong ensemble acting, particularly George Clooney's portrayal of the slick TV host Lee Gates and Julia Roberts' depiction of the composed producer Patty Fenn. Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com highlighted how director Jodie Foster's approach elevated female characters beyond typical genre tropes, contributing to a 2.5/4 rating while acknowledging the unmistakable rage against financial inequities, though she found the overall execution retro despite its contemporary setting. The Hollywood Reporter described it as a "moderately engaging real-time thriller" that effectively bashes Wall Street through Hollywood's lens, emphasizing its timeliness during its Cannes premiere. However, many reviewers criticized the film for prioritizing thriller conventions over substantive of its financial themes, resulting in a predictable and shallow of corporate . A Guardian called it a "shouty blend" of films like The Big Short and Network, faulting its glib economic satire and lack of innovation. The New York Times noted that after an initial satirical jolt, the story devolves into formulaic exposition and ends on an unexpectedly sentimental tone, undermining its critical edge. Overall, while appreciated for entertainment value, Money Monster was seen as failing to deliver a rigorous indictment of market manipulations, with some outlets like another Guardian piece deeming it merely an "amiable slice of popcorn entertainment" rather than a probing critique.

Audience and ideological reception

Audiences polled by CinemaScore on the film's opening weekend of May 13, 2016, awarded Money Monster an average grade of "B+", reflecting solid approval for its suspenseful hostage scenario and star-driven entertainment value despite a more mixed critical response. User ratings further underscored this positivity, with Rotten Tomatoes aggregating an 83% audience score from over 10,000 reviews, higher than the 59% from critics, and IMDb users averaging 6.5 out of 10 from more than 110,000 votes. This gap suggests viewers prioritized the film's fast-paced thriller mechanics and relatable portrayal of economic frustration over analytical depth in its financial critique. Ideologically, Money Monster's narrative of algorithmic trading failures and executive evasion tapped into widespread post-2008 distrust of opaque markets, garnering sympathy from populist audiences on both left and right who viewed it as a cathartic expose of elite accountability deficits. Conservative and libertarian commentators, however, frequently lambasted it as reductive anti-capitalist preaching, with one review from a libertarian film festival decrying its "silliest" economic simplifications and failure to engage market complexities realistically. Outlets aligned with traditional values echoed concerns over its preachiness and moral ambiguity in villainizing financial systems without balanced causation. Left-leaning sources praised the intent to indict Wall Street but often faulted the execution as Hollywood-liberal superficiality, lacking rigor in dissecting systemic incentives. Director Jodie Foster emphasized the story's human focus over partisan angles, seeking appeal beyond ideological lines.

References

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  33. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2016/05/18/mons-m18.html
  34. https://weminoredinfilm.com/2016/05/31/film-review-money-monster-is-a-movie-length-answer-to-a-grapes-of-wrath-quote/
  35. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/23/money-monster-george-clooney-julia-roberts-jodie-foster
  36. https://www.acadiau.ca/~thomson/misc/Money%2520Monster.pdf
  37. https://www.mysundaynews.com/2016/05/19/money-monster-a-technical-glitch/
  38. https://www.thisisbarry.com/film/money-monster-2016-movie-plot-ending-explained/
  39. https://www.re-thinkwealth.com/here-is-what-i-learnt-from-watching-money-monster/
  40. https://blog.quantinsti.com/algorithmic-trading-movies/
  41. https://variety.com/2016/film/reviews/cannes-film-review-money-monster-1201771987/
  42. https://www.marketwatch.com/story/money-monster-originally-looked-more-like-oscar-nominee-the-big-short-2016-05-19
  43. https://www.filmcomment.com/blog/deep-focus-money-monster/
  44. https://www.cloudandchimera.com/2016/there-is-more-to-money-monster-than-first-meets-the-eye/
  45. https://www.beyond50radio.com/Conscious_Movie_Reviews-Money_Monster.html
  46. https://medium.com/the-billfold/money-monster-review-the-system-is-rigged-but-so-is-the-movie-37a3ab4cf271
  47. https://www.npr.org/2016/05/12/477782927/big-money-bad-guys-are-back-in-money-monster
  48. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340947252_How_Complexity_and_Uncertainty_Grew_with_Algorithmic_Trading
  49. https://variety.com/gallery/cannes-money-monster-premiere-photos/
  50. https://deadline.com/2016/05/captain-america-money-monsterthe-darkness-box-office-weekend-1201755869/
  51. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qr_nGAbFkmk
  52. https://www.firstshowing.net/2016/george-clooney-leads-first-trailer-for-jodie-fosters-money-monster/
  53. https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/money_monster/videos/MEBV4BUW48Zc
  54. https://deadline.com/2016/05/money-monster-the-darkness-thursday-previews-box-office-1201754523/
  55. https://www.forbes.com/sites/philwalden/2016/05/16/how-money-monster-and-the-darkness-leveraged-social-media-at-the-box-office/
  56. https://people.com/movies/julia-roberts-george-clooney-at-cannes-money-monster-premiere/
  57. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/movies/2016/05/12/george-clooney-julia-roberts-money-monster-cannes/84234708/
  58. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/george-clooneys-money-monster-eyes-893642/
  59. https://variety.com/2016/film/box-office/money-monster-box-office-opening-thursday-george-clooney-1201773789/
  60. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt2241351/
  61. https://www.boxofficemojo.com/year/world/2016/
  62. https://www.metacritic.com/movie/money-monster/critic-reviews/
  63. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/money-monster-cannes-review-891750/
  64. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/29/money-monster-review-jodie-foster-george-clooney
  65. https://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/may/12/money-monster-review-george-clooney-jodie-foster-cannes-2016
  66. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jodie-foster-interview-money-monster/
  67. https://anthemfilmfestival.com/money-monster-is-a-monster-of-a-movie-and-not-in-a-good-way/
  68. https://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/money-monster/
  69. https://www.newsday.com/entertainment/movies/jodie-foster-money-monster-about-people-not-politics-p46987
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