Free Money

I, too, am a fan of Marlon Brando. The talent the man has is unbelievable. Who could have imagined a brilliant slapstick comedy featuring Brando, Sheen, and Sutherland? Both the writer and cast director deserve an award. The shifting role Brando plays as overprotective father to ruthless Warden is one of the best things about the movie. But the show also belongs to Sheen and Church. I hadn't seen much of the other actor, Church, before, but he was hilarious in this movie, too. I never saw this in the theaters, I don't know if it showed. If you want to see a good, light-hearted movie that will keep you laughing, go and rent this movie tonight. This is one of the few actually funny comedies to come out of the 90's.

I remember seeing Yves Simoneau's "Free Money" in the new release section of a video store, despite its never having been in the theaters. I thought it odd that a movie starring Marlon Brando would appear out of nowhere. It turns out that the movie got released in Singapore in 1998 (see the header about the movie on IMDb). As for the movie itself, it makes no pretense about being silly, with Brando as a sadistic warden whose daughters feign pregnancy to force their loser boyfriends into shotgun weddings. While Brando's role reminded me of his performance as Vito Corleone, it still didn't seem like the sort of role in which I would expect to see him. The rest of the cast is OK in their roles, but the plot is so routine that the movie isn't as entertaining as it could be. Worth seeing once.

'Free Money,'is a film the masses will not enjoy, for its seemingly avantgarde, zany style of film-making. At times the movies disposal of any recognisable main plot, creates not so much a sense of confusion, but focuses the audiences attention onto the true depth of its innovative,darkly sinister, serio-comical undertones. The film follows the story of two 'nobodys,'who end up married to twins of a draconian, bible-loving father (Marlon Brando,) who unfortunately happens to be the towns jailor. As time passes, Bud and Larry, the two hapless 'going nowhere' protagonists conspire to rob a train of money to solve their daily drudges, and to escape the ever-increasing slavery of the deranged 'Brando'!!! However, all does not go to plan, as the 'Swede'(Marlon Brando) smells a rat!!! Will they make it? is the question raised as all their plans buckle under the weight of the 'Swede.' People expecting a film with a good story will be dissapointed, but those seeking comical improvisation from Brando,a well crafted performance from Charlie Sheen, and a refreshing break into the wacky film techniques of 'Free Money,' will laugh and laugh, and possiblly cower- As the 'Swede' played by Brando is genuinely the scariest film character I've seen for ages- Look out!!!! It's a real shame this B movie, with A class actors didn't take off. It had the potential to be a real landmark film within this genre, but unfortunately, it went straight to T.V. Oh well. watch it, if ya dare!!!

If any film deserves to become a cult classic, this is one. It is very bizarre and, truly, unlike anything I've ever seen. It might be trying to rip off the Coen brothers' slapstick comedies, but it has its own strange tone unlike their films. It's like a living cartoon, basically. It feels even broader than even something like 'The Ladykillers' or 'Raising Arizona' - if that seems possible. The main point of watching it is Brando, who is unrecognizable with his hysterical swede accent. He even does slapstick ... using his enormous girth for comic effect. It is strangely enduring and, despite everything, likable! Overall, this is not for all tastes. But if you like iconic stars in very strange films, this is for you. It might deserve a rediscovery sometime soon. When the comments pages mainly only has two responses -- it's great or it's horrible -- you know something interesting is going on.

This movie, with its superb cast, starts out as a lighthearted comedy. All of a sudden, it takes a hard left turn - leaving the viewer wondering, "What happened? Is this the same movie I was watching a minute ago?" Brando is absolutely charming and hilarious in this dark comedy and the writing is first-rate. The cinematography of the woods and country is breathtaking and you really get a sense of this "small town" from the script and acting. Sheen and Church are fabulous in their parts although Sheen sometimes speaks a little fast in some of the comic punchlines, so seeing it more than once would be of benefit. The jokes are terrible, and it's all in poor taste. The other actors {Sheen, Sorvino, and Sutherland} are O.K. in their roles. It's Brando that you can't take your eyes off of. He only made one more film after this " The Score" and that was more of a cameo. This was his last starring role in a movie and it is worth watching.

Overall rating: 6 out of 10.