Where the Money Is **** (2000, Paul Newman, Linda Fiorentino, Dermot Mulroney) – Classic Movie Review 2,018

Paul Newman stars in the 2000 film Where the Money Is as an old bank robber in an Oregon nursing home, with Linda Fiorentino as his nurse, who starts to suspect he isn’t as sick as he seems.

Director Marek Kanievska’s 2000 caper thriller film Where the Money Is finds good work for Paul Newman, who is on the money as Henry Manning, an old master criminal and legendary bank robber who manoeuvres himself out of jail and into a nursing home under false pretences, appearing to be in a catatonic trance, while he plans one final bank robbery.

Linda Fiorentino is well employed, too, as Carol Ann MacKay, his fine, popular but bored sexpot nurse, who finds out his ruse, and demands to be cut in on the action, along with her adoring hunky, athletic husband Wayne (Dermot Mulroney).

Newman devours a tailor-made part and shows fine chemistry with Fiorentino in this tense, stylish, hugely enjoyable, fast-paced movie that twists, turns and teases. E Max Frye’s story and screenplay (written with Topper Lillien and Carroll Cartwright) are thoroughly slick and entertaining. It runs a crisp 89 minutes.

Ridley Scott produces for his Scott Free company, filming in Montréal, Québec, Canada. Other production companies involved are Gramercy Pictures, Intermedia Films, Pacifica Film Distribution and IMF.

It was released on April 14, 2000 by USA Films.

For all the good work, the film flopped. Costing a relatively large $28 million for such a small movie, it took back only $5,661,798 in North America, for a gross worldwide total of only $7,450,414. Looking back, the legendary Newman was disregarded in his old age. That’s a terrible shame.

The star has announced will be his last movie: if so, it’s as good a film as any to call it a day at 75 with and he’s ended his brilliant career on a high note. However, it turned out that Newman was persuaded to reappear in one more movie, Road to Perdition, in 2002. And he did end his brilliant career on a high note. He also voiced Doc Hudson in Cars (2006).

After this, Linda Fiorentino’s career stalled. By 2025, it is Fiorentino’s last cinema film, though she has lead roles in the 2002 direct-to-video film Liberty Stands Still and the 2009 direct-to-video film Once More with Feeling.

The cast are Paul Newman as Henry Manning, Linda Fiorentino as Carol Ann McKay, Dermot Mulroney as Wayne, Susan Barnes as Mrs Foster, Anne Pitoniak as Mrs Tetlow, Bruce MacVittie as Karl, Irma St Paule as Mrs Galer, Michel Perron as Guard, Dorothy Gordon as Mrs Norton, Rita Tuckett as Mrs Weiler, and Diane Amos as Kitty.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 2,018

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