filmcritic . com presents a review from staff member athan bezaitis . you can find the review with full credits at <a href= " http : //www . filmcritic . com/misc/emporium . nsf/2a460f93626cd4678625624c007f2b46/997038ef028e021d882568b20015019d ? opendocument " >http : //www . filmcritic . com/misc/emporium . nsf/2a460f93626cd4678625624c007f2b46/997038ef028e021d882568b20015019d ? opendocument</a> at more than one point in his career , paul newman has been the ultimate con man . the sting , butch cassidy and the sundance kid , cool hand luke , the hustler , and the color of money all epitomized this master of smooth talk and wily ways . but the successes of all of his past films and all of their cons have one common denominator : a memorable and talented supporting cast . in the hustler , jackie gleason played minnesota fats , who proved to be a worthy nemesis by outsmarting the cocky and more talented newman . tom cruise , in the color of money , was like an apprentice learning from the master sorcerer , as newman molded cruise into an effigy of his old self . while newman always emerged the star , he would continually share the spotlight , so that none of those movies became one-dimensional . newman's latest film , where the money is , directed by marek kanievska ( less than zero ) , unfortunately lacks the supporting cast for newman to thrive as the luminary " hustler . " in the film , newman plays henry manning , a former bank robber who plans to break out of prison by faking a stroke . when he is transferred to a minimum-security nursing home , he thinks he's home free . however , the woman assigned to take care of him , carol ann mckay ( linda fiorentino - men in black ) suspects that he's a fake and attempts to lure him out of his trance so he will help her in a burglary with her and her husband wayne ( dermot mulroney - copycat , my best friend's wedding ) . she goes to some outrageous lengths to keep him from playing possum , but when she finally awakes the bank robbing legend , she faces a challenge that could change her life . nothing against linda fiorentino , who does a fine job in this movie , but she has no extraordinary talents that allow her to become a stand-out criminal worthy of newman's tutelage . also , her husband wayne proves to be a clumsy ox despite his prowess on the football field and the " cool head " that his wife constantly brags about . as newman states in one of his first lines , " it's amateur hour , " and unfortunately this is the sad truth for this movie . though the far-fetched plot and lack of support diminish newman's shining star , the movie isn't a complete failure . it offers some good laughs and a few vintage newman moments , like his dance with fiorentino , where he manages to change her life in one song and a two-step . 
