# Where the Money Is (2000)

### reviewed by
Homer Yen

    Show Me the `Money'
    by Homer Yen
    (c) 2000

The keen wisdom of an elderly bank robber, the naive ambitions of a sexy hospital nurse, and a partnership that blossoms between the two are the fine components that make up a modest, little caper adventure entitled `Where the Money Is.'

The elderly bank robber is Henry (Paul Newman), a famous criminal that was only recently caught. He has pulled off dozens of successful heists and has probably stashed away a small fortune. Always the shrewd thinker, he begins working on a plan to get out of jail. This involves years of studying Buddhism and self-hypnosis. When he is prepared to execute his plan, he uses what he has learned to fake a stroke. Now a seemingly twitching vegetable, he is temporarily transferred to a state-run home.

Carol (Linda Fiorentino) is the nurse that cares for him. She's a very bright person with a good heart. Yet, her life is a miserable waste of time. The most exciting thing to do in town is to fix cars. Her days at the hospital facility are spent leading wheelchair calisthenics. Worse, she's in a dead-end relationship with high-school sweetheart Wayne (Dylan McDermott). They became a couple because they were king and queen of the prom. To her, this made sense long ago. But now, it's a different story.

Wayne seems equally bored with his life, but is content enough to stay put. Wayne's greatest ambition is to become a night shift supervising foreman. Carol feels as lifeless as many of the other hospital patients, but she's never been anywhere else and doesn't see many other opportunities in life. However, when Henry falls under her care, her outlook begins to change.

The medical reports may state that he suffered a massive stroke. Carol, however, begins to grow suspicious that Henry may just be faking it after all. Maybe she can get through to him, and maybe she can learn something about the money that he has stashed away. The opening 30 minutes are filled with hilarious attempts of Carol trying to bring Henry ‘back to life.' And what are some of Carol's resuscitation techniques? Perhaps an erotic lapdance might stir his senses. If that fails, maybe she'll try a little shock therapy by pushing him off a 20-foot high pier into the cold lake below.

When he finally comes out of his state of self-trance, the movie's direction changes, though it remains equally if not more entertaining. Carol sees that Henry is filled with charisma and self-assuredness. She is invigorated by his commanding presence and refreshed by his vibrancy. This, of course, puts Wayne in an odd situation. Henry and Carol's bond grows stronger when they enter into an agreement to rob an armored car. Henry needs this heist because he is unable to retrieve his original stash. Meanwhile, this is Carol's ticket to a better life. Wayne is uncomfortable with the situation, but helps out nonetheless. However, his lack of commitment threatens their success. The heist sequence is suspenseful, well paced, and casts the uneasy feeling that something will horribly go wrong.

`Where the Money Is' does more to spotlight Newman and Fiorentino than it does to showcase a story about a nifty heist. Newman is the real joy of the film, adroitly showing that at age 75, he's still really hot stuff. He possesses a sly smile, displays a dominating attitude, and a projects a demeanor that is undeniably attractive. Fiorentino is also a fun presence. You root for her despite her sense of amorality. Sure, she wants to commit robbery and has little compunction about pushing a wheelchair-stricken man into a lake, but we can see that to escape her dead-end world, she needs to do something drastic. With two charismatic characters such as these, it's hard to ignore that `Where the Money Is' is where the fun is.

    Grade: B

    S: 1        out of 3
    V: 1        out of 3
    L: 1        out of 3

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