FRIENDS WITH MONEY

US, 2006, 88 minutes, Colour.
Jennifer Aniston, Frances Mc Dormand, Joan Cusack, Catherine Keener, Greg Germann, Simon Mc Burney, Jason Isaacs, Scott Caan, Ty Burrell.
Directed by Nicole Holofcener.

This is the third feature film from writer-director, Nicole Holocfener, a film every five years or so while she directs television episodes to make ends meet. The first was Walking and Talking (1996), the second Lovely and Amazing (2001).

This time she has a more A list cast. Jennifer Aniston is the one without money. Those with are Frances Mc Dormand, Joan Cusack and Catherine Keener (who appeared in the other two films). The men are there in the background.

In a short running time (and the film ends suddenly in mid-conversation), we get glimpses into the characters and lives of the four women. Three are married and have money. They don’t have to worry and so pursue their careers and their charities with time over for helping their friend without husband or money. Jennifer Aniston is a former teacher, now working as a maid, who can’t settle down and is unlucky with love – working on a kind of pragmatic morality one could learn from TV series (like Friends, for instance).

Frances Mc Dormand is very good as the angry and unsettled designer of clothes who is happy in her marriage. Catherine Keener is also always good. However, she too is edgy and quarrelling with her co-screenplay writing husband. Joan Cusack and her husband have lots of money, few problems, which makes her able to be a substitute mother figure.

Much of the film consists of conversations which are entertaining in their way, brief and slight perhaps, but that abrupt ending in retrospect seems right. We don’t know what will happen to the women – but there are possibilities for the better for each of them.

1. An entertaining film? With serious themes? The female perspective from the writer-director? The actresses?

2. The city settings, the affluent homes, the apartments? Restaurants? Outdoors? Authentic atmosphere? Musical score?

3. The title, the focus on Olivia and her friends? Olivia not having money? Her friends having money, their decisions of what to do with it? Their comfortable lives because they had money?

4. The interplay of the characters? Olivia being the centre? The friends and their concern about her? Wanting to help her in her life, advice, friendship and money?

5. Olivia’s story: single, her age, her experience, primary school teacher, her being ridiculed, her not being able to cope? Giving up? Her decision to become a maid? Her cleaning the various houses? Her ethics of cleaning? Her clients? Her inability to say no? Maid on demand? Her encounter with various owners? The importance of the meeting with Mike, the set-up by her friends? His pushiness? The relationship, the sexual relationship? Getting high? His buying her the maid’s outfit? Her not being in love with him? The encounter with the overweight owner of the apartment? His beating her down with the costs? Having to give up the work, her meeting with him? Going out, enjoying his company, talking friendly with him? The sexual encounter? The discovery that he was rich? The advice of her friends, the discussions, the meals, her sympathy for their problems? Going to the social dinner, her dress? Jane and her making the dress for her? Going with her friend? The final discussion together – his problems, her declaring she had problems?

6. Jane’s story: Jane and her marriage, her relationship with Aaron, her friends all thinking he was gay? Their son, their love for each other? At home, his being passive and agreeable? Her moods, her angers? Her behaviour in the shop, the complaint to the manager for those who pushed in? At the market? Her discussions with Aaron? The meetings with her friends? Olivia telling her she was angry? Her skill at her work? The designs? Going out, the preparation for the charity dinner? Making dresses for all her friends? Her walking into the glass plate in the supermarket, having to go to hospital? Aaron and his delay? Her calming down, her advice to Olivia? The return home in the car after the dinner, her being comfortable with Aaron?

7. Frannie’s story: being rich, the relationship with Matt? Children? At home, discussing how to use their money? The charity dinners? Her friendship with Olivia, Olivia asking her for the money to train as a physical trainer? Her refusal to give the money? The problems, the family, advice? Going to the dinner, being the host? The woman with money – and not always sure what to do with it?

8. Christine’s story: her relationship with David, their writing screenplays together, the screenplays echoing their own quarrels? Her touchiness? Her friends with the group, helping with Olivia? The discussions, the tensions at home, David and his irritability? His comment about her eating and the junk food? Her prickliness, sensitivity, argument? Leading to separation and his moving out? The building of the extra storey, the plans, the noise for the neighbours, the neighbours complaining? Her wanting to stop the building? David and his counter-arguments? Her forfeiting responsibility? Going to the dinner, the dress? David not there? Her composing the screenplay – looking at his absence? The possibility of reconciliation?

9. Matt, comfortable with Frannie, their discussions about their friends, the sardonic remarks? A complement to Frannie?

10. Aaron, British, his manner, the touch of the effeminate? Christine and her always saying that he was gay? His interest in his clothes, shirts, fashion? Going to the shop? Meeting the second Aaron? The discussions? Going to the movie, the meal? The second Aaron having a wife – and audiences thinking that he was gay? The female point of view on surfaces and impressions and reality? Straight and gay?

11. David, ordinary, the building plan, writing with his wife? At home? Children? His being a family man? The edge between the two, writing together, his comments about his wife’s weight? The fights, the fight over the extra storey? His walking out?

12. Mike, the trainer, being set up by the friends? Meeting Olivia, going with her to do the cleaning, his mercenary attitude and asking for the money? Friendship, outings, the sexual encounters, the maid’s dress? Olivia giving up on him? His meeting the girl from school, leaving Olivia and talking with her? His two-timing Olivia and her following him?

13. The overweight owner of the apartment, personality, beating Olivia down with the price, her meeting him again, their going out, the meal, the truth about his wealth and not working, going to the dinner, their friendship, their being honest with each other?

14. A cross-section of ordinary people with and without money? Humour, insights into human nature, tensions, relationships?