One for the Money (2012)

As a fan of the books, I was not expecting very much. You know how it is. Someone in Hollywood reads maybe a chapter and half and then goes to town and puts a ton of their own ideas in, changes names and does a real hack job on the book we all know and loved. This DID NOT happen here at all. The movie exceeded my expectations in every possible way.

The basic plot is that Stephanie Plum of Trenton New Jersey has recently (okay---six months ago) lost her job, has a bunch of bills and rent to pay and needs some fast cash. She blackmails her cousin Vinnie into giving her a job at his bail bonds business as a recovery agent (okay---bounty hunter). He'd prefer to just assign her the easier stuff (naked flasher ftas) but she wants to go after the big money, trenton cop, Joe Morelli, with whom Stephanie has shared some intimate moments (okay---one intimate moment)in the past.

I'm not going to spoil too much with this review, I'm just going to address the things that I would have wanted to know before going to see this film.

First, I was not very happy when Katherine Heigl was cast as Stephanie. I like her, but I don't think she is much of an actress. She was a great Izzie Stevens, but since then she has mostly played Izzie Stevens. But, surprisingly, she was goooood in this! She played Stephanie perfectly, and I will probably have more respect for her as an actress in the future. Stephanie herself grows up a little through the film. She becomes more assertive and she tries so hard and she remains cheerful no matter what sort of bad things happen to her. I don't think we could have recieved a better cinematic treatment of our favorite bounty hunter.

The other characters are great as well. I felt Grandma Mazur was a little too lady-like, I wish she'd been in her track suit, and had seemed a little more Grandma Mazurish, but I hope there will be a sequel or six and we will get to see her develop more. Morelli and Ranger are exactly what I hoped for. Vinnie and Connie and Lula were pretty good as well. You'll see Connie and recognize her instantly---she's entirely faithful to Janet's depiction. And yes, the man who plays Vinnie does sort of look like a weasel.

The only tiny gripe I have was that Ramierz seemed a little too sane in the movie. I understand that having that subplot in there would have probably extended the movie by at least twenty minutes, but I was so looking forward to him whispering about himself in 3rd person...and he seemed smarter in the movie, being more involved in the Jimmy Alpha operation. And of course, I wanted more Lula, but the writers were very faithful to the book and Lula was not in the first book very much. You can't have your cake and eat it too, I guess.

The last thing I have to say is that the people who wrote the script obviously spent a lot of time reading the books and there were plently of details in there that a fan will recognize and appreciate. As Stephanie scrolls through her phone, we see the number for Pino's Pizza, Rex is in her kitchen always running on his wheel, Lula says she'll talk more if Stephanie brings her a snack, Lula tells Jackie it's hot and she's hungry (always), Ranger and Morelli refer to Stephanie as "Babe" and "Cupcake," respectively, and there are a lot of other little details that I can't remember just now, but which helped the movie to have the feel of the books. I love it so much when a movie is adapted this well. I cannot wait to see this again, and I really hope there are is a sequel which remains as true to the series as this one. I cannot say enough good things about this movie! Go and see it soon, it will not dissapoint you.

Okay, so the casting doesn't meet your expectations. How can it? We all picture someone different in the roles. I wanted a sexier Ranger, a fatter Lula, a Danny DaVito for Vinny, and an Estelle Getty for Grandma Mazur. But all in all it was very enjoyable. I read a reviewer who said that Rex didn't seem to like Stephanie. Really? That's your review? The movie followed the book, the actors did a great job,and all Janet E fans will love this movie. Not every story has to have a tough modern woman as the lead. Morelli's last scene at Stef's front door put a smile on my face. Enjoy it for what it is.

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I've only read a few of the books, so I'm maybe not the best judge of how well this was pulled off. That said, Katherine Heigl surprised me by playing someone a lot more like Stephanie Plum than like the other characters Heigl has played. I enjoyed watching her character (Stephanie) grow and become steadily more competent (if still unsure) in her new role as a recovery agent. For those who haven't read the books, the main culprit may be a surprise because of the way things were played.

All in all, I enjoyed it enough that, if there were a sequel, I'd watch it.

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I loved the first twelve Plum books so I was hoping I would enjoy seeing the characters come to life on the silver screen but sadly that was not the case. My first issue is with the casting which is beyond awful! Katherine Heigl is terrible as Stephanie; she overplays in every scene and she is completely lacking in any kind of warmth which is one of Stephanie's trademark characteristics. (Let me clear, I am comparing Stephanie and all the characters to the way they were originally wonderfully written in books 1-12 before JE started letting her daughter and ghostwriter simply slap pages together)

Heigl has zero chemistry with the men in her life or with anyone else in the movie. Jason O'Mara is not a bad actor but he was miscast as Morelli. No one so blatantly and quirkily Irish should be portraying a macho Italian cop. Sunjata also fails as Ranger...he isn't good looking enough and he lacks any of Ranger's sensuality, quiet intelligence or strength. He also gets very little screentime in the film which won't make some fans (me included) happy. Grandma Mazur is too young, too well preserved and not eccentric enough. Mr. and Mrs. Plum seem off...she's grating and he's pointless; I just couldn't buy them in their roles.

The only characters who worked were Vinnie, Connie and Lula. The plot deviates from the book and not in a good way since it minimizes the suspense and makes the ending more anti-climatic. The sets were also lackluster...not gritty enough for Trenton.

"One for the Money" was a great book but it is a terrible disappointment as a movie.

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As a fan of the books, I was disappointed when I first heard who was cast in the lead roles. These books are character-driven, and need to hang on to that for a film to succeed. It's not that I thought these weren't good actors; I just didn't initially "see" them as Stephanie, Morelli and Ranger. Given slight differences for reader imagination, though, the three here did a great job. Lula is perfect--can't wait to see more of her!

The script managed to hang on to the mystery/ comedy/ romance/ action mix. Kudos to Hollywood for not ruining a perfectly good book by "improving" on the story line.

I would like to have seen Stephanie's relationship with Ranger a little more established. The spark that explains why Ranger would do all this for her was missing, making his character seem an odd fit. He pops in and out to save her with little explanation, reason or rhyme. Still, it's early days yet, and hopefully we'll see sequels that can accomplish that.

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