OVP: All the Money in the World (2017)

Film: All the Money in the World (2017)
Stars: Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Romain Duris, Charlie Plummer
Director: Ridley Scott
Oscar History: 1 nomination (Best Supporting Actor-Christopher Plummer)
Snap Judgment Ranking: 3/5 stars

The curiosity factor may have been the biggest draw for me by the time that All the Money in the World finally saw the light of day.  After all, I cannot remember the last time that a movie was able to have quite the hook of watching one Oscar-winning actor being replaced by another Oscar-winning actor mere weeks before the actual film came out.  After watching the film, it does appear that they made the right choice in getting the film out for the Oscar season-Plummer is good (perhaps on course to a third nomination), and other than some unfortunate CGI scenes with Plummer as a middle-aged man (though his age cannot be disguised in these scenes the way they surely would have been able to do with Kevin Spacey), they largely were able to reshoot without too much issue.  The film at the end of this is predictable and occasionally a little washed-out, but still entertaining thanks in large part to Michelle Williams continuing her streak as one of our best introverted actresses.

(Spoilers Ahead) The film's plot is largely known to anyone who is a student of history, but for those who aren't, in 1973 the richest man in the world was J. Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer), an oil magnate and a notorious miser.  His grandson "Little Paul" (Charlie Plummer, with whom his closeness is debated (Getty's only real love in life was his money, as is illustrated through his callousness in the film, though Plummer plays him as someone who doesn't like to family mostly because it's "his")), was kidnapped and became a major tabloid sensation.  The kidnapping's most notorious moment happened several months later, when Little Paul had his ear cut off to prove to his grandfather that he meant business.  In the film and in real-life, Little Paul was returned after the elder Getty paid his ransom, but the reputation of Getty as a heartless miser was confirmed for history, and his grandson would be haunted by the moment for decades, dying tragically in 2011 after years of substance abuse and illness.

The film itself pays little attention to the younger Paul, perhaps the picture's most fatal flaw.  In doing so, they sort of commodify Little Paul in the same way that Getty does-the younger Plummer (man it's confusing that they both have the same name/real-life last name when it comes to writing a review!) doesn't add many layers to his relatively brief screen-time, and so the only thing we know is what other people claim to bring to their relationship with Little Paul.  This results in him just being "a blood Getty," in a way that from some angles justifies the elder Getty's attitude toward him.

The film is at its best, therefore, when it's exploring the complicated relationship the elder Getty and his daughter-in-law Gail (Williams) have toward money.  As played by Plummer, Getty's interest in money and procuring more of it seems pathological, a personality disorder of sorts that will never be quenched without mental health.  He talks about money troubles as if he's a moment away from becoming a pauper, and seems intent on only investing in things with a tangible return, like artwork and real estate, not even a grandson who is moments away from death.  The film doesn't underline his claimed rationale for waiting so long to pay the ransom (that he didn't want to encourage copycat kidnappers and that he "did not negotiate with terrorists"), perhaps because director Ridley Scott didn't buy it (neither do I).  Instead, it seems to focus on his insane dependency on keeping wealth at all costs.  Plummer's performance probably could have used a bit more baking, but he does well in scenes where he's playing Getty as a man with a warped sense-of-right.  There's a terrific scene in the middle of the picture where he plays off of Mark Wahlberg's Fletcher Chase (a former CIA operative who works for Getty and is trying to procure Little Paul for him at a minimal cost) with protestations that he's "never been more financially vulnerable" despite having more money than any person in history.  It's got great insight from Plummer as an actor, watching him believe things no rational person ever could, perhaps because that's the only way Getty could justify the actions of a sociopath.

Williams is the best part of the film, though.  She's so good so often these days it's taken for granted, but I love the way that she adds little touches to this character.  For example, watch the way that she uses the Getty name when it's to her advantage or is clearly influenced by money even though she doesn't have any (living with even the estranged son of a billionaire will inevitably give you a warped sense of proximity to that wealth).  I loved the way she also struggles with her relationship with her son and her own emotions, with her unable to play for the cameras when they demand tears.  This is a woman who has lived with a drug-addicted playboy, and she's been the good wife/mother that whole time, and the entire world still wants to turn her into a villain because she's "rich" but doesn't actually have money.  Williams brings nuance to a role that could have just been tragic.  Unlike her costar Wahlberg (who feels like he's just on an action-film auto pilot, and whose status as an Oscar nominee becomes increasingly unfortunate every time he can't connect to yet another character), she finds shades in her Gail.  The film itself occasionally is too predictable in its story beats and it's hard not to wish that Plummer would have had more time with Getty to see what else he could ring out of a (not small) part, but Williams work is very good, and this is still an exciting ride in the theater thanks in large part to she and Plummer.