Funny Money - Come fare i soldi senza lavorare

Watchable if nothing else, this Whoopi Goldberg vehicle doesn't reach for the stars, but instead weaves social commentary on the glass ceiling and racial prejudice into the comedy of a business whiz (Goldberg) who invents a fictitious business partner when she finds she can't advance on her own merits, apparently due to her gender and race. But the ruse becomes difficult to manage as various investors demand to meet the elusive "Mr Cutty", and Goldberg resorts to costumes and well-staged theatrics to hide the fact that Cutty doesn't exist.

Reasonable supporting cast features Tim Daly as a sleazy corporate type, ubiquitous to just about every film that depicts 'corporate America', Dianne Wiest as Goldberg's chronically under-appreciated right-hand woman, Eli Wallach as an old-school investor keen to meet the elusive Mr Cutty, and Austin Pendleton as a bookish inventor and CEO on the brink of bankruptcy until Goldberg can restore his standing. Blink and you'll miss Colleen Camp in a very minor role as a detective.

Occasional slapstick and farce, fused with the usual dry-wit for which Goldberg is accustomed, it's a studio picture with all the typical hooks and clichés, nevertheless, very mild and satisfying. And as a footnote, good to see Bebe Neuwirth in a particularly sultry role as an all-too-eager business associate to Wallach; she has a couple of scenes sans most of her wardrobe that are quite revealing.

Too many people/reviews comment negatively on this movie and so, even though I would normally not post my comments on this site, I felt the need to create some *balance* here. This movie is well done, honest, and we ALL need more American movies that sway away from the usual "man-saves-world" trend. Credit to Whoopi and the other actors for choosing these roles. Acted well. It just plain _worked_. It's obvious that I am not too spiffy at this movie-critic role (duh), but as a 16 year old teenager who is unfamiliar with all the movie-jargan yet knows very well when she sees an underrated movie, I tell anyone reading this to watch this movie. And to those who don't think very highly of it, slap yourselves across the face and directly compare the quality of THIS to some of the more popular titles out there... I personally think that 'The Associate' would be better and deserves a much higher rating.

The low rating this movie got here is very strange since statistically , I think, the user rating should reflect the movie resonance/quality quite well - however not in this case.

This evening I watched The Associate for the 4th time and I loved it even more then ever.

Its funny and very cleverly crafted.

I will dare and say - a must see.

9/10

Don't usually like Whoopie starrers, but she really does herself proud in this funny but sadly true account of discrimination against women in the business world (and others - academic, entertainment, etc.). Amusing and clever film, but you have to be a working woman to really appreciate its truth and poetic justice.

For me, 'The Associate' makes a decent one-time watch. It starts on a promising note with a female black lawyer trying to make it in the man's world. However, at some point as the plot moves, it fails to engage and it's quite clear what will happen in the end. The point 'The Associate' tries to make is that woman can make it on top but it (perhaps unintentionally) presents the men under a negative light. Some of the male characters are presented as stereotypical chauvinists. There are some funny moments that bring a few chuckles but not much that would make one laugh out loud. The best scenes are the ones with Wiest and Goldberg together. Wiest is adorable as the sweet and smart Dugan and Goldberg is adequate as Ayres. However, Goldberg has played several such roles and done numerous similar movies before and even though she's very versatile, she hardly presents anything new in 'The Associate'. I would like to see more of her and Wiest in better movies.