All the Money in the World Movie Review

All the Money in the World (2017)

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Written by: David Scarpa, John Pearson (based on the book by)
Directed by: Ridley Scott
Starring: Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Timothy Hutton
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
One of the richest men in the world, billionaire oil magnate John Paul Getty refuses the desperate attempts to convince him to pay the ransom following the abduction of his favorite grandson 16-year-old John Paul Getty III.

Verdict
This movie lacks focus. Other than Wahlberg the performances are good, but they don't connect. It's bland. We don't learn about these characters, and the movie needs that to unify the plot. This is a collection of events. The only notable thing is that Kevin Spacey was fired at the eleventh hour and Christopher Plummer came in to replace him.
Skip it.

Review
It's the movie that was almost complete before they had to remove Kevin Spacey at the last second, re-shooting scenes with Christopher Plummer, due to Spacey's numerous sexual assault allegations. The fact that the movie isn't a complete train wreck is impressive by itself. It's neat trivia, but it doesn't make for a good movie.

Christopher Plummer plays J. Paul Getty.

Getty is a miserly and greedy old man, but you don't get rich by spending money out of hand. I really wanted the movie to get into Getty's mind, but it doesn't. He's interesting, but the movie does nothing with him, content to have him play a pseudo villain.
He strives to be rich, to have the money and act the part, but he's trapped by wealth. That should be the story. Instead it's almost jokingly pointed out that he's not willing to pay the ransom of his favorite nephew.

Michelle Williams plays Gail.

The reasoning makes sense, he has sixteen grand kids, and paying a ransom would open the gates for all of them to be abducted, or cause people to make an attempt. Everything has a price for Getty, even human life. Everything is a transaction with a cost. The movie just never makes that a focus or interesting.

He and his nephew's mother, Gail, go back and forth. She divorced Getty's son who became an addict. That's about all we know about him, but it has the potential for a story. I imagine he felt trapped by the wealth too. The ransom request could explore that and whether he comes back or falls further. Either way it could be something to bind this movie together. It's not like the movie strives for historical accuracy.
Gail is trapped by the wealth too. Everyone assumes she's rich because she used to be a Getty, but that isn't the case.

Mark Wahlberg plays a guy wearing glasses.

Eventually Getty decides to pay, but only what would be tax deductible with the stipulation that Gail has to give up custody of her son. Mark Wahlberg steps in to save the day, and he's the only performance that felt out of place. His character's arc felt out of place. He saves the day, but the entirety of it is out of place.

There's a twist at the end with Getty's wealth. He did whatever he could to avoid taxes, putting much of his money in a trust which meant it couldn't be spent. It's another trap his wealth created, but like much of what I find interesting in the characters and plot, it doesn't get much time on screen.