Movie review of Where The Money Is

(Reviewer gives it a B-) Starring Paul Newman, Linda Fiorentino and Dermot Mulroney. Directed by Marek Kanievska. Rated PG-13 (language, sex and mild violence). In wide release. 89 min. There's

Monday, April 17th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Reviewer gives it a B-)
Starring Paul Newman, Linda Fiorentino and Dermot Mulroney. Directed by Marek Kanievska.
Rated PG-13 (language, sex and mild violence). In wide release. 89 min.

There's real pleasure in discovering "Where the Money Is," thanks to a silver fox named Paul Newman.

At age 75, Mr. Newman refuses to fall into the "grumpy old man" category. Instead, he's a sassy and sexy rascal. In the offbeat comedy's first few scenes, he speaks not a word, but his mere presence is insinuating and provocative. In last year's "Message in a Bottle," where he played Kevin Costner's randy dad, some viewers wished it were he, rather than Kev, who was romancing Robin Wright Penn.

His "Where the Money Is" role trades on characters he polished in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and "The Sting," as well as such less successful ventures as "The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean" and "Pocket Money." He plays semi-legendary veteran bankrobber Henry Manning, a tired old bird who fakes a stroke while serving a prison sentence.

The faux stroke gets him transferred to a rest home in bucolic Oregon, where he can at least lead a quiet life. But one of the nurses, a restless spirit named Carol, suspects the truth and goes to extremes to privately expose Henry's con game. As played by Linda Fiorentino, whose persona can be almost as insinuating as Mr. Newman's, Carol has her own agenda. She will go along with Henry's scam only if he will teach her everything he knows about robbery and join her in one last heist.

Carol actually enjoys being a caregiver, but her scheme is born of desperation. She and her not-so-sharp husband Wayne (Dermot Mulroney) were crowned queen and king of their high-school prom. And, you guessed it, it's been downhill ever since. Once a football hero, Wayne no longer brings much to the party. Carol provides the brains of the duo, but Wayne hardly has any brawn left.

The unholy trinity of Henry, Carol and Wayne taps unexpected emotional resources in all three, and each proves capable of surprises.

Director Marek Kanievska's film version of Brett Easton Ellis' "Less Than Zero" lingered poignantly in moviegoers' consciousness despite an abundance of negative reviews. In "Where the Money Is," he's still capable of overdirecting, and a greenhouse confrontation between Carol and Wayne is never as clever as Mr. Kanievska obviously intends for it to be. And he strives so strenuously for low-keyed drollness, the effect is downright noisy.

But he's good with his cast. Mr. Newman, behaving like a natural actor rather than an icon, has as much fun here as he did in "Nobody's Fool." Ms. Fiorentino's Carol initially seems like a soft variation of the brazen hussy she played in "The Last Seduction," but she shades her with a gentleness that contrasts nicely with Carol's steely determination. Mr. Mulroney has the good sense not to attempt making Wayne more colorful than written. As a result, we always understand the poor slob even if we never like him.

The screenplay treats the rest home clientele humorously, without dismissing them for cheap laughs. Veteran character actress Dorothy Gordon is especially winning as a lady with a suspicious mind.

"Where the Money Is" lacks the sustained wit and comic tension to be a memorable comedy, but it's an engaging one. And, in this era of movie marathons, it actually runs one minute less than an hour and a half. To all involved, our deepest gratitude.