All the Money in the World - 2 smiles

I have to admit that I was distracted through much of "All the Money in the World." Director Ridley Scott replaced Kevin Spacey with Christopher Plummer as J. Paul Getty, reshooting key scenes at a reported cost of $10 million. (We know that Mark Wahlberg got $1mil and Michelle Williams got $1,000. And while Scott made an obvious statement about sexual harassment, he also revealed something about Hollywood's male/female salary inequality.) I kept looking for awkward transitions with Plummer and it's to Scott's credit that the movie flows as smoothly as it does. The story is loosely based on the real life kidnapping of John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer), grandson of tight-fisted billionaire J.P. Getty (Christopher Plummer, no relation) by Italian mobsters. For the teenager's safe return, the criminals demand a $17 million ransom. However, Paul's mother, Gail (Michelle Williams), has no money and Getty is unwilling to part with even a fraction of what is being demanded, declaring that he would be setting a precedent for his 14 other grandchildren if he pays. Instead of offering money, he dispatches his chief of security, ex-CIA agent Fletcher Chase (Mark Wahlberg) to find and retrieve Paul.

The scenes featuring Paul in the hands of his kidnappers and detailing his interaction with the sympathetic Cinquanta (Romain Duris) seem too staged and artificial. The focus on Gail and Fletcher as they attempt to locate Paul lack suspense and it's hard to relate to Fletcher in any way. Williams is effective as a mother frantic for her son's return, but the script gives her little than this one note to play. The movie shines when Plummer is on the screen because Getty is by far the most compelling character in the film. Unfortunately, this creates an imbalance because a supporting character isn't supposed to grab so much attention. Plummer's Getty is cold and amoral, a man more interested in acquiring 'things' than seeing to the well being of his family. Ultimately, the scandals surrounding "All the Money in the World" are more interesting than the movie itself.