Movie Review: One for the Money (2012)

What happens?

After losing her job, Stephanie Plum (Katherine Heigl) is in need of a job and a life change. She starts working as a skip tracer for her cousin Vinnie (Patrick Fischler). Her big job is to apprehend Joe Morelli (Jason O’Mara), a cop wanted for shooting someone off the job. Stephanie has her own interpersonal issues with Joe – he took her virginity in school and never called back, and Stephanie really isn’t too pleased about that.

Joe Morelli’s apprehension and subsequent justice is naturally more difficult and complex than it initially seems. After their first run in, Joe makes it clear that he is innocent and plans to clear his name. A trail of dead bodies makes Stephanie scared and worried that the real culprit is incredibly dangerous and now she is on his radar as well. Can Stephanie catch the real killer, help clear Joe’s name, cash in on the bond AND get herself a life?

Rating: 4.5/10

Romantic comedies generally have very basic story lines. Male heroes fall into the following categories

• Man is so broken and rude and ill adjusted and woman is the only woman who is able to change him for the better, making him realize that this woman is a fantastic asset to his life.
• Charming and womanizing man finds woman who changes his ways.
• Gawky and nerdy guy lives without love his entire life until stunningly beautiful woman hops along to realise that hot men aren’t all the rage and she should love this one.

One for the money is a movie that really doesn’t want to be categorized. It started out as a rom-com, but tried to develop into a comedy/detective story. The problem is that the story line was too flaky to work as either. I couldn’t immediately spot who the hero would be, and while that can be refreshing, you shouldn’t be disgruntled when you do finally learn who the hero is. OFTM had all three categories of men in, and they all looked like they stood a chance. Joe Morelli is not the type of man that should be celebrated on screen – he slept with her, dumped her, and then she tracks him down because she obsessed with him?!

Not to pull out my feminist hat, but Stephanie Plum needs a solid slap for even being remotely interested in the guy who slept with her and then failed to call back for roughly fifteen years. This movie is worse than traditional Disney – it tells you to pine after an asshat who banged you then left, and then to hold a grudge strong enough that you will endanger your life later on.

The acting was so bad. It felt like a highschool play with everybody trying so hard but with no success.

I actually really like Romantic Comedy movies, and I don’t care what anyone thinks of that. BUT, with movies like this one it is easy to spot why so many people won’t even give the genre a chance. This is actually worthy of Eric’s Shitfest, and I will probably consider this as an entry when it comes up.

Recommendation: Meh, don’t.

November 18, 2014November 16, 2014 by Natasha Categories: Movies, ReviewsTags: Jason O'Mara, Joe Morelli, Katherine Heighl, Movies, One for the Money, Patrick Fischler, Reviews, Rom-Com 8 Comments