Money Matters follows Monique Matters (Terri Abney), a young teenage girl growing up in poverty. She is nicknamed “Money” by her mother Pamela (Aunjanue Ellis) who had Money after being raped as a teenager. It is implied that Pamela is hooking up with men who are willing to pay her bills, but at the same time, she is angry when her sugar daddies are making money selling drugs. While Pamela is caught up in her drama, Money is learning to express herself through writing while also getting involved with a neighborhood girl gang. She is also growing closer to one of the gang members nicknamed Braids (Victoria Wallace), though their friendship might be turning into a different kind of relationship.
Watching Money Matters, I couldn't help feeling that the filmmakers were trying to take advantage of the success of 2009's Precious. Now, I want to see more films about young women in difficult situations, but there were so many themes that Precious tackled that Money Matters tried to take on with much less success. They try to set up a troubled relationship between Monique and her mother, an AIDS subplot, and an absent father character who has abused women sexually. None of these elements worked because the filmmakers didn't entirely commit to any of them, not to mention that I don't believe that any loving mother would actually call her daughter “Money.” Pamela isn't the best mother, but she is not heartless. Comparing their pacing, Precious did not have a traditional storyline with a clear notion of where it was going, but it did keep me engaged. Money Matters was not engaging, and it meandered along and lost my interest quickly. By the time it was over, I couldn't believe that the running time was 89 minutes. It felt at least twice as long.
On one last note, I was really distracted by the poor acting in the movie. When one character had a question or comment, the other character would respond too quickly. I didn't feel like these were people talking to each other; it felt like these were amateur actors just waiting for their next line. I get that indie filmmakers can't always afford professional actors, but it is part of the director's job to help their actors put in the best performance possible. In this regard, their director failed.
SPECIAL FEATURES
There are no special features.
"Money Matters" is on sale November 15, 2011 and is not rated. Drama, Indie. Written and directed by Ryan Richmond. Starring Aunjanue Ellis, Terri Abney, Victoria Wallace.
