Friends With Money is like recent Oscar-winner Crash. Both are superbly acted, brilliantly written ensemble films that delicately observe human nature. Unlike Crash, however, Money is funny, the characters know one another and it deals with finances instead of race.
The simple premise of the film allows for a startling variety of questions and perspectives. The focus is on four L.A. women in their early 40s; three have money, husbands and children, and the other one, Olivia (Jennifer Aniston), does not. The odd woman out is a former teacher who cleans houses, smokes pot and calls her married ex-boyfriend just to hang up. While Olivia patrols Bloomingdale’s for free samples, her friends worry about her financial and romantic problems more than she does.
Meanwhile, the three married couples have problems of their own. Franny (Joan Cusack) and her husband have the most money and the most sex, thus, their biggest problem is deciding where to donate $2 million. Clothing designer Jane (Frances McDormand) and her flamboyant hubby deal with her short fuse and loss of enthusiasm. Screenwriters Christine (Catherine Keener) and David bicker over his insensitivity and the construction of a second floor to their house.
Aniston succeeds in furthering herself from her Friends work. She gets in touch with her lonely, somewhat pathetic side, á la The Good Girl, and never once reminds us of Rachel Green. McDormand and Cusak are stellar as always, and the roles of ready-to-snap Jane and funny-and-caring Franny could not be more fitting. After a string of great characters in great films in 2005 (The 40 Year Old Virgin, Capote), Keener doesn’t break stride here. Her confused, devastated performance is believable and a step above the rest.
Friends With Money fills 80 minutes with compassionate friendships and evenly paced plots lines. Though Olivia’s fate is a bit of a cop out and we never learn how they all met, the script is thought-provoking and humorous. Writer/director Nicole Holofcener (Lovely ‘ Amazing) knows what she’s doing. The sharp yet subtle dialogue is realistic and reminiscent of conversations you may have had with your own friends about your other friends – and money. Grade: A-