Iffy for 13+
Lackluster bounty hunter romp has some startling violence.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that One for the Money is a mystery comedy based on the best-selling Stephanie Plum novels by Janet Evanovich. Following a Jersey girl (Katherine Heigl) who's down on her luck until she learns the basics of bounty hunting, the movie offers some empowering lessons about what women can do. But there's some troubling violence in the movie's second half, as well as frequent language (especially "s--t," "a--hole," and exclamations like "goddamn"). Although there aren't any real sex scenes, there are plenty of references to sex, virginity, and prostitution, as well as two moments of partial nudity: one when an elderly nudist shows his bare butt, and the other when the main character is handcuffed to a shower rod, revealing the outline of her naked body (with strategic parts covered by her free arm).
- Families can talk about the role that gender plays in the story's appeal. Would the movie work -- or be considered funny -- with a male protagonist?
- Talk about the movie's violence. Is all of it necessary to the plot? How does the movie's tone affect the impact of its violent scenes?
- Does the movie make you want to read the books? Parents familiar with the books, discuss any major differences between the novel and the movie.
- One for the Money shows that someone with little initial knowledge can learn the ropes and succeed in a new profession. What are some other movies that follow a character who slowly but surely becomes an expert at his or her new job?
The good stuff
-
Messages: The movie's chief message is that it's never too late to try something new (like a career), as long as you commit to it, ask for help from experts, and keep trying. Despite being called "cupcake" and underestimated by all of the men in the movie, Stephanie prevails.
-
Role models: Stephanie is plucky and doesn't let others' low expectations get her down; she does her best to learn how to be a good recovery agent.
What to watch for
-
Violence: The first half of the movie has some gun violence (a couple of the scenes are played for laughs) and pushing. Things ramp up in the second half: There's a car explosion that kills a character; two men are shot off camera, and their dead bodies are shown; another character is fatally shot; and there's a violent fight in which one person is bloodied and bruised and the other is pepper sprayed to unconsciousness. A body (not shown) is discovered stashed in a container.
-
Sex: Although there's no actual sex or even kissing, there are regular references to sex, prostitution (two prostitutes are prominently featured in several scenes), a high-school sexual encounter, and a sexual fantasy. One sequence focuses on Stephanie being handcuffed naked to a shower rod (her body is shown in profile, with her hand covering only her breasts). An elderly nudist's bare bottom is shown as he's taken into custody. Morelli attaches a wire to a shirtless Stephanie; viewers see her bra and a close-up of her cleavage.
-
Language: Frequent use of the exclamations "goddamn" and "Jesus Christ" or "Christ," as well as "s--t," "ass," "a--hole," "bitch," "t--s," "hell," "crap," "damn," and insults like "idiot," "stupid," "d--k," "whore," and the like.
-
Consumerism: A few car brands -- Buick, Ford Explorer, Chrysler -- and frequent references to Macy's. Stephanie drinks Yuengling beer with Morelli.
-
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Drug references include a character who opens the door with a bong visible in his apartment; he acts high on pot. References to a heroin dealer, and in one scene the heroin is discovered and discussed. Stephanie and Morelli drink beer together, and wine is consumed by adults gathered for dinner.
Fan Reviews provided by
5
worth a look! by themacway
fans of the book series will appreciate this much more than a casual movie goer. they probably should've pulled a george lucas and used a later book for the starting point of this 'possible' movie franchise. with critics universally trashing o-f-t-m, yet fans going in droves, there's no sequel guaranteed at this point.
this is the polar opposite of a film like men who stare @ goats, which critics slobbered over and movie goers walked out of. i was one of those who bolted, as it was truly garbage.
anyway, go see o-f-t-m for the story, then buy the book. a second movie, showing MUCH more of grandma mazur and lula, along with more explosions and stephanie's libido would make mucho dinero! here's hoping for a proper sequel...
5
Fun by pattybateman
Very well done. It was hard to capture all of the details of the complicated characters of the books, but they did a good job. The parts were all well played. Our audience laughed all the way through. It is fluff, but enjoyable fluff. Our group enjoyed it.
4
Cute, similar to the books, but thin in a few places. by OC Laurie
My friend and I bought cheap tickets on Groupon and dragged our husbands & young sons to see it. We're Plum fans. They're "Stephanie Who?"
The book is full of laugh out loud funny characters. The movie has a few good laughs, but with characters like Grandma Mazur, I expected it to be funnier. I was worried about the casting of the main characters (I've read the series and "know" them.) But they workwell enough.
Leaving out the more intense scenes keeps the movie light and enjoyable.
The language isn't PG, but it's pervasive, nor is it new to most kids. The nudity is humor related (a very old nudist) and otherwise pretty modest. The violence reminds me of an old western: not much to see, not much blood. The kids were not freaked, nor grossed out.
Bottom line: we all enjoyed it. Could you wait for DVD? Certainly.
I rated it "GO" because while it's not brilliant, a variety of people like it well-enough.
1
Read the book, Skip the Movie! by bleudog
I wanted to like this movie! I have been waiting for months for it to come out. I usually don't write reviews, but as a huge fan of the series I was horribly disappointed. This film didn't even suffer from the usual "the plot is way different from the book" scenario, it was just flat.
I realize everyone has different interpretations of what the characters of a book should look like, but I really don't know what the casting directors were thinking. The fake Jersey accents were awful and the humor and romantic tension between the characters did NOT translate onto the screen. No one in the theater managed even one laugh while watching this movie and that is sad considering the book made me laugh out loud most of the way through. The voice over narration throughout the movie was terrible! The only redeeming character was Lula, and Ranger wasn't bad.
I cannot even recommend waiting for the DVD to come out. Just read the book again and enjoy it. Don't waste your time on this film!
4
One for the Money by EmmaLeah05
Good flick to go see for men and women. Entertaining to both. Not too short, not too long. Wouldn't hurt to wait for it to come out on DVD but still worth the movie ticket $ for a nice date night. However, I never read the books so I have no idea how it measures up.
4
Big screen, big hit by simplykris
Had high hopes for this movie because I love JEvo's books. Not sure some of the actors where the right match for the character. Needed more Grandma Mazur action, Morelli a bit more "beefcakey", and Rangeman, who is a man of few words, spoke way too much.
Good job on creating the story line and can't wait to see the next one on the big screen!
1
cher2k by cher2k
Did anyone in the movie read the book? The characters were all wrong. Katherine H. produced the film, that is why she is playing the title role. An Irishman playing Morrelli? No chemistry, bad acting, & Debbie Reynolds playing Grandma?? Please, no sequels.
5
LOVED IT!! by montegirl0326
I could watch Stephanie, Joe, and Ranger all day long. I loved how they put the story together and captured all the characteristics of these characters! My husband even liked it!
4
One for the Money by gjundjek
You could miss it, but why would you want to? The Stephanie Plum books are such fun, and this movie didn't disappoint. Their cast choices were different than I thought they should be, but it worked! The movie was fun, and a good one to see. I'm hoping there will be sequels!
3
One for the Money by LizTamiso
I have so enjoyed all the Stephanie Plum books, and was really hoping that the casting could carry this story....somehow it just missed, with the exception of Lula. Katherine Heigel is just a little too nice....Ranger is not quite smoking hot, and Morelli is too old. I wish I had waited for the DVD to come to Red Box - this would be worth a dollar rental, but not the $ 11.50 the ticket cost (plus popcorn and a drink)