For Love or Money

Considering it was made in the nineties, this is a very cheap and uninteresting comedy. Acting-wise, it is possibly the most obnoxious role of Michael J. Fox I have seen so far. (03.01.2019)

If the story in this film remotely reminds you of something, then your memory is not deceiving you. The screenwriters borrowed the idea from the famous film The Apartment by Billy Wilder and modified it to suit a significant star of the 90s, Michael J. Fox. Some comments suggest that the film is underappreciated. However, the comparison with Wilder's film proves exactly where this film falls behind. I am intentionally not saying that it fails because director Sonnenfeld clearly did not have Wilder's ambitions. He wanted to create an entertaining and undemanding morsel, and he succeeded in essence, while Wilder made an intelligent and satirical comedy that mocks the American way of life. The social-critical dimension of the film is quite significant. It is essentially a morality tale on the topic of human moral integrity that is corrupted by the system. Regaining self-respect in The Apartment comes at the high cost of losing one's career. All of this is missing in For Love or Money; it is a bustling spectacle devoid of any depth and heading toward a Hollywood happy ending. Where Wilder offers two top-notch actors in the lead roles, Sonnenfeld can only offer Michael Fox and a group of average supporters around him. Gabrielle Anwar is just an ornament with a charming face. Thanks to Fox's talent, it deserves three stars, but seriously considering revisiting For Love or Money doesn't make sense. Overall impression: 55%. (20.06.2017)