Money Monster is my first movie directed by Jodie Foster, and it seems to be all that she's doing now as her acting career has taken a somewhat permanent backseat.
Her direction and storytelling are all very straightforward with no specific style that can be recognisable as her own at this point, but this is only her second directorial in this decade and she may have more to offer in her next movie.
Truth be told, the pulling factor of this movie lied in its star power of George Clooney and Julia Roberts. The subject matter was only mildly interesting and the trailers did almost nothing to sell it. But the performances of the three leads, including up-and-coming Jack O'Connell, made the movie enjoyable.
What I liked about the story was that it took place in real time, so everything happening onscreen happened in real minutes. It also reminded me of Phonebooth but on a larger scale with more players involved.
There were brief moments of levity that was done very well through Clooney's performances, as well as the direction of Foster. The pacing also was fast enough to keep interest of the audience high as scenes went from plot point to plot point.
It was only in the final scene that the storytelling fell apart slightly. Foster wanted to drive home a message to the audience but it became too on-the-nose, showing her weakness for subtlety. Also, the payoff for O'Connell was very weak and didn't leave a stronger impression with the audience.
But for most of the movie, it was interesting with strong performances and a competent screenplay. It just didn't know how to end properly.
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