I freely admit I went to see this film for little other reason than I like George Clooney and I’ve pretty much liked everything he’s done in the past. I knew little else about this film. As it turned out, I wish I’d watched a re-run of Ocean’s 12 (2004) for free.

The film industry is now exploiting the various ills of society that make headlines and so generates public interest. Movies that are “inspired” by real events, which means that they’re free form interpretations, not of the accuracy thereof, but of the directors’ vision of what might sell tickets. A perfect example is “Concussion” (2016), “based on” real events but otherwise depicting extraneous dramatic license. Steve Jobs”(2015) a masterful portrayal of fiction “inspired by” a real person. The same film would be as interesting about a completely fictional character.

“Money Monster” was designed to explore the greed of money managers indulging risky gambling with someone else’s money, then diverting the blame to computer errors. Interesting premise and bankable actors, but it fails dismally. The blame is unclear. I’d put most of it on the director Jodie Foster who simply let her vision run out of control, leading to a mish-mash of impossible, unbelievable loosely-connected scenarios leading to a ridiculous conclusion. None of this could have actually happened, nor would it have progressed as it did to the nonsense conclusion.

“Money Monster” purports to dredge the “greed decade” of the 80’s up to the new Millennium audience to point out these things are still happening. But as George Burns said: “It’s been done”, and it’s been done better with “The Big Short” (2015). Unfortunately, “Money Monster” only succeeds in showing that the film medium generated a free form fantasy, like a Roadrunner and Wile E. Coyote cartoon featuring the voices of A-List actors. A logical disconnect between reality and fantasy.

This is a film not to waste the price of admission on. I give it a 2 out of 5 odd shots fired here and there. Wait for it to land in your supermarket bin.

One good quip though: “He’s a pig in a prom dress!”. Haven’t heard that one before