All the Money in the World

Runtime: 2 hours, 12 minutes
Rating: R
Director: Ridley Scott

Quick Impressions:
What a story!

Am I referring to the true story the film tells of the kidnapping of Paul Getty, the behind-the-scenes madness of replacing Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer at the eleventh hour, or the lengths we had to go to in order to find a theater within driving distance still showing this movie?

To be honest, I’m not sure. But I have to say I’m glad we went considerably out of our way to catch All the Money in the World on the big screen before we lost the chance forever.

I was mainly enticed by the fact that Christopher Plummer is likely to receive a Best Supporting Actor nod for his amazing work as J. Paul Getty. If he gets it, Plummer will be the oldest acting nominee in the history of the Academy Awards. People might vote for him for that reason alone. (The Academy loves doing stuff like that.) But wait. There’s more.

Anyone following entertainment news knows about Kevin Spacey’s meteoric fall from grace. In November, director Ridley Scott made the shocking decision to remove Spacey’s performance as Getty from the film which was already completed and slated to open December 22. Scott recast the role with Christopher Plummer. (Rumor has it that Scott wanted Plummer for the role to begin with, but studio bigwigs forced him to hire Spacey because he was a bigger name at the time thanks to his high-profile work on the critically acclaimed House of Cards.) The cast and crew returned for re-shoots, most of them earning next to nothing for their trouble. Plummer filmed his entire part in nine days, on location in London and Rome. Plummer is eighty-eight years old and (though Canadian born) lives in Connecticut. The film was in theaters by Christmas. That’s all fairly impressive, I think.

Even if he doesn’t get an Oscar nomination, Plummer deserves some kind of MVP trophy. Scott has done something rather monumental, too. I don’t think he has any realistic shot at a Best Director nomination, and I don’t believe he expects one. That he’s never won an Oscar is kind of ridiculous, but I think his career stands on its own. I mean, imagine a conversation. “You never won an Oscar. What films did you make?” “Oh uh…Alien…Blade Runner…” “Let me stop you right there.”

Surely All the Money in the World has a place in film history simply because of Scott’s really bold decision to remove one of the lead actors from a film that was already finished. It was probably a good choice. Spacey is currently being investigated by Scotland Yard, and I was actually shocked by the level of acrimony toward him in Seth Myers’s material at the Golden Globes. Despite my cynicism about the likelihood of real, permanent, positive change coming to the film industry and world in general, I do think Spacey’s career is irreparably damaged. I’m not saying he’ll never make a comeback, but leaving him in the film would have sunk its chances at a positive legacy. This way at least it will be remembered for something.

And, honestly, All the Money in the World is actually a fantastic movie. I kind of loved it . The crazy part is that Plummer’s Getty is the linchpin and driving force of the entire thing. He dominates every scene he appears in and most of the other scenes, too, sort of like Anthony Hopkins in The Silence of the Lambs. It’s amazing that he was adding to the film at the last minute because he’s the one who makes the whole thing work. It’s just crazy.

The Good:
Plummer is fantastic in the role of Getty. His performance is brilliant, and, of course, it really helps that he has the best part. He’s so good that it’s hard to think of him as a supporting actor. He and Michelle Williams seem like co-stars to me, opposing pieces on a chess board. Like I said, in the way that his intensity casts a shadow across the entire movie, Plummer reminds me of Anthony Hopkins who won Best Actor (not Supporting Actor) in The Silence of the Lambs. (He’s more likely to get a nomination in supporting, though, so it’s smarter to campaign for that.)

I also thought Michelle Williams was great in this. I love the way she speaks. I’m assuming she studied news footage of the real woman in order to copy her speech patterns and inflections, but maybe not. She sounds exactly like someone from movies in the early 1970s. Her persona here is quite different than in her other work. She doesn’t seem much like the Michelle Williams I’m used to. And it’s hard to believe she’s the same person who played Marilyn Monroe a few years ago. The performance is great. In my opinion, it’s one of her best, which is saying something since she’s given a number of excellent performances. There’s a choice she makes that I don’t want to reveal that I think really pays off in the end.

Charlie Plummer (no relation) who plays the young Paul gives a great performance, too. I love that he doesn’t descend into melodrama. Without copious weeping or hysterics he still let’s us see tremendous vulnerability and fear in the kidnapped young man.

And, of course, it’s hard not to love Romain Duris as kidnapper Cinquanta who seems to develop reverse Stockholm Syndrome as the story progresses. Or perhaps we develop Stockholm Syndrome and begin to fall in love with him. It’s no accident that we notice his virtues.

For a suspense thriller (if that’s even what it is), this film has a major philosophical bent. We’re meant to listen to Getty and Cinquanta and think deeply about what they’re saying and watch what they’re doing.

At several moments during this film, I turned to my husband and made expressions that I hope suggested, “Whaaaaaaaaaaat???!” So much of what Getty says and does is blatantly outrageous (not just baffling, I mean, but provoking outrage).

In the end, I found Getty deeply sympathetic, which was weird because he’s so cartoonishly easy to despise and so worthy of reproach. Imagine if your son got kidnapped and the only person who could help you was Mr. Burns from The Simpsons! Still some of the things he says (the bit about fourteen kidnapped grandchildren, for example) do make sense. And I understand what he means about the constancy of things versus people. Of course, while he’s standing around trying to live on a Grecian urn, his grandson is getting his ear cut off (not a spoiler because a severed ear appears on several posters for the film). Getty is one of those people you despise but also begin to appreciate. I love the way the film shows us his little epiphany toward the end. Screenwriter David Scarpa deserves some Oscar love, too, but I’m sure he won’t get any.

Speaking of Paul’s ear, this movie made me really wonder about some things. One is, how in the world does one become a “doctor” who specializes in maiming kidnapping victims? How do you get that job? Surely it does require actual medical expertise, but it seems to violate the Hippocratic oath. Do these criminals seek out former Nazis? Was this ear-cutting guy the Kevin Spacey of the medical world? I also wondered about those women counting money. What in the world do they think they’re doing?

The movie is quite thought provoking and seems to want us to think hard about where money comes from and the hands it passes through to get where it’s going. It raises far more questions than these, of course.

Getty does come across as a great (and terrible) man. Gail, then, seems like a great person, too, in her willingness to go toe-to-toe with him. The outrageous ending suggests that he recognizes this himself.

Best Scene:
All of Plummer’s scenes are the best scenes. He has the best part, and he’s so good in the part (and so authentic as an old man playing an old man) that I don’t know why anyone would want this part to go to someone thirty years younger wearing prosthetics and make-up.

Maybe the scene when Getty makes a sensitive business transaction midway through the film is not actually the best scene. But it is the scene that most epitomizes Getty who is the best character.

Best Scene Visually:
The moment when Gail finds herself lost in a labyrinth of minotaurs is pretty memorable and pairs nicely with an equally memorable moment at the end of the film.

The bit with the newspapers is quite good, too.

Best Action Sequence:
The final flight of Paul had my husband and me on the edge of our seats, cursing ourselves for not having read up on the historical event before the film. Would Paul live or die at the end? I’m not going to tell you!

Most Oscar Worthy Moment, Christopher Plummer:
All of Plummer’s scenes are wonderful. Take your pick. His final scene feels very real.

Most Oscar Worthy Moment, Michelle Williams: