"Mad Money" Review: Katie Holmes "Awkwardly Upsets The Balance"

Having taken the girl-power movie to new highs (writing "Thelma & Louise") and lows (writing and directing "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood"), helmer Callie Khouri settles for a routine payday with "Mad Money." Banking on the appealing chemistry of Diane Keaton and Queen Latifah -- with co-star Katie Holmes awkwardly upsetting the balance -- this strained heist comedy about three cash-strapped femmes is watchable enough for a few reels, but lacks the requisite wit and amoral energy to capitalize on its get-rich-quick premise. January item could generate some distaff interest, but will earn most of its coin on homevid. Prologue cuts among the larcenous leading ladies as they frantically try to dispose of their ill-gotten gains before the cops arrive. Addressing the camera with the not-so-insightful adage "We're all capable of anything," middle-aged Bridget (Keaton) takes the narrative back three years to the moment when she and her newly unemployed husband, Don (Ted Danson), found themselves ... (link)