Title: Friends with Money
Country: United States of America
Language: English
Year: 2006
Cast:
- Catherine Keener
- Jason Isaacs
- Timm Sharp
- Joan Cusack
- Greg Germann
- Hailey Noelle Johnson
- Simon McBurney
- Frances McDormand
- Jake Cherry
- Jennifer Aniston
- Bob Stephenson
- Marin Hinkle
- Scott Caan
- Troy Ruptash
SYNOPSIS
After she quits her lucrative job, Olivia finds herself unsure about her future and her relationships with her successful and wealthy friends.
REVIEW
Friends with Money talks about money: having money and not having money, how to deal with friends who don't have money when you have money, and how to deal with friends who have money when you don't have money.
I really like this movie mainly because it is very much the story of my life. I don't work as a maid but being a writer is not exactly what one would call a lucrative and well-paying job. It's sad how when evaluated on its own, it seems as if I have a good career but it pales in comparison when put in the context of my friends' careers who are doctors, lawyers, and financial analysts.
Whenever Olivia gets together with her friends, their close relationship leads to intimate discussions about work, relationships, and even money indirectly. Even though you know you shouldn't make comparisons, it's quite difficult not to make comparisons especially when your friends seem to live successful lives whereas you feel that you don't quite measure up.
It's not just the careers and financial stability that become points of contention. It may even include relationship and family status, such as being in a serious relationship or being married and having children. I think it has something to do with how we lived our early lives in stages such as toddler years, elementary school years, high school years, and college years. After that, the lines are not as defined so when your friends are all married with children, you can't help but feel that maybe all of you should be in the 'married with children' stage and if you're not there yet, then you may feel like you failed somehow.
And if your friends are in a serious relationship or are married, you will have to consider their respective significant other as part of your inner circle. It's fine if you are in good terms with these guys but what if you aren't? In the movie, Christine's husband David is a mean bully who talks down to Christine but her friends don't speak up because he's an important person in Christine's life and Christine is not at that point in her life where she's ready to hear criticisms about her husband.
This again brings up another issue of what to tell your friends and when. Although you love your friends and want the best for them, it is not right to always voice out your opinions about them and their partners, especially if your opinions and advice are unsolicited. Christine thinks Jane's husband Aaron is gay but she can't just bring it out in the open and talk to Jane about it because it may offend Jane and ruin their friendship.
I really like the friendship between Olivia, Christine, Jane, and Franny. Although they sometimes don't understand each other, they are always there for each other to provide comfort and support. They are flawed characters and they sometimes make wrong decisions but with the help of their friends, they always manage to get their lives back on track.
When Franny's husband Matt told her he doesn't think she has much in common with Olivia, Franny replied, "I know. I sometimes wonder if we met now, if we'd be friends... Probably not." It's sad but I think it's true. People become friends with other people they have something in common with at a certain point of their lives. Some people manage to maintain their friendships over the years even if they go in different places but most people's friendships just break down over time because everyone changed in so many ways.
I'm not sure if I like Marty as a character because some of his characteristics don't add up. Marty haggles with Olivia's hourly rate as a housekeeper because he values money but at the same time, he doesn't work because he inherited his father's money and he doesn't need to work at all. I suppose it would be fine if he does something significant in his life, maybe a project or something, but according to him, he does "a little bit of everything and a lot of nothing".
I'm not sure I like how the writers wrote Olivia's story. I'm glad that Olivia met Marty and she's finally in a serious relationship but it's ironic how she doesn't have any money and Marty, although he doesn't look it, is very wealthy. I think I wanted Olivia to either come to terms with her life and accept it, or make some necessary changes in her life and come up with ways for her to get more money if that is what she wants.
I don't know anyone else who knows about this movie but I would really like to recommend this movie to everyone. I think it is a great movie to watch if you want to know how to be a good friend and how to handle friendships when you are in your 30s and 40s.
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Friends with Money
