DVD Release Date:  May 13, 2008
Theatrical Release Date:  January 18, 2008
Rating:  PG-13 (for sexual material, language and brief drug references)
Genre:  Comedy
Run Time:  104 min.
Director:  Callie Khouri
Actors:  Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah, Katie Holmes, Ted Danson, Adam Rothenberg, Roger R. Cross

If we’ve learned anything from the successful Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen franchise, it’s that crime actually does pay—and particularly well if the job is executed just right. And while the ladies leading the heist in Mad Money may not have the flash or hi-fi gadgetry that George Clooney’s and Brad Pitt’s characters utilize in Ocean’s, it’s clear they’re having just as much fun beating the system.

Unlike the nearly consequence-free environment of Ocean’s, (what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, after all), the moral implications of a life in crime are explored in Mad Money. As Bridget Cardigan (Diane Keaton), Nina Brewster (Queen Latifah) and Jackie Truman (Katie Holmes) learn before long, the pervasive fear of getting caught ultimately makes theft a less-than-desirable career choice. Yet in the spirit of good old-fashioned greed, it’s not easy to stop once you’ve been successful. And therein lies the quandary.

The story begins with Bridget, a pampered, well-dressed suburbanite who hasn’t worked in years. Forced to keep up appearances after her financial analyst husband (Ted Danson) was downsized, Bridget tries to dream up a way to maintain her charmed life and pay almost $300,000 they’ve accumulated in debt to do so. Opting for the traditional route of finding a job at first, Bridget’s degree in Comparative Literature doesn’t exactly do her any favors, so she’s stuck working as a cleaning woman (quelle horreur!) at the Kansas City Federal Reserve.

Then one day as Bridget looks up at a security monitor, the proverbial light bulb switches on as she sees pile after pile of currency just begging to be spent. After all, this is the grungy ol’ cash being phased out of the system, so would anyone really miss it? And technically since the money no longer exists, would it even be wrong to grab a little for yourself? And with that, Bridget has the skeleton for the seemingly perfect, virtually untraceable, victimless crime.
 
Now all Bridget needs are a couple of accomplices to help with logistics. Cue Nina, a tough-talking, been-there-seen-that single mom who wants nothing but the best for her two sons. After initially rejecting Bridget’s “crazy” offer to have an equal share of the profits in exchange for her help, Nina holds fast to her convictions. As been proven again and again, however, everyone has his/her price. And when Bridget tempts her with private school brochures that could provide better educational opportunities for Nina’s sons, well, Nina caves in.