All the Money in the World, directed by Ridley Scott, tells the story of the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) and his mother’s (Michelle Williams) relentless pursuit of the truth. If that wasn’t enough, she was also tasked with convincing her father-in-law John Paul Getty (Christopher Plummer) to pay the ransom, because that was the last thing on his mind.
As JPG III said in the movie “To be a Getty was something special” but he never learned this until his father, John Paul Getty II (Andrew Buchan) reached out to his father one day out of desperation. His childhood memories of his father were nonexistent and therefore until that point had never thought of reaching out to him. He often wondered where he was but didn’t think of reaching out until his wife Gail convinced him. Once he reconnected with his father, JPG wanted the family involved in the Getty Oil business which JPG II initially declined. Even though his son was not qualified in the least bit, nepotism is extremely common amongst the corporate elite (among other levels of business). The blessing ends up being a curse as JPG III explains, “My father could never contain his drinking… Which led to drugs.” So just when you’re thinking they’re all set for life, JPG II, the son of John Paul Getty the gazillionaire gets hooked on drugs.
While John Paul’s son is constantly away from the house on his drug escapades, he spends ample time with the grandson and soon becomes his favorite. So even though his grandson ends up getting kidnapped and he balks at a ransom, he knows deep down inside he not only loves him but loves him the most out of all his grandchildren. Once the inevitable happens, remember the name Cinquanta (Romain Duris) and pay attention to his transition.
In the first 10 minutes of the film, I was questioning the replacement of Kevin Spacey with that of Christopher Plummer. But as time went on, Plummer proved he was the proper replacement for the now-fired Spacey and turned out to be the perfect Scrooge. The only complaint I have is there are places where you can tell Plummer was ‘copied and pasted’ into the scenes. They’re obvious to me because this is what I do, but even those who aren’t meticulous about detail will be able to notice scenes where “that coloring doesn’t look right.”
I give All The Money in the World an 8 out of 10. It’s a good movie that’s worth giving a chance this Christmas Weekend. Oh and I didn’t forget Marky Mark, he’s in the film too. It’s just that he’s so useless that you could’ve replaced him with anybody and the movie would’ve been the same. He was supposed to play the role of a wheeler-and-dealer, a ‘fixer’ of sorts… But you sir are no George Clooney and you fixed nothing.
-Jon J.