Janet Evanovich's best-selling female bounty hunter novel finally makes its way to the big screen after 18 years.
Unfortunately, in all that time and even with the author's approval, "One for the Money" leaves you kind of wanting your "money" back or at least thankful you got in with a two-for-one Groupon.
I'm kidding - it's not that bad.
The film stars Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum, a Jersey girl with just enough attitude and accent to make her character a bad stereotype. (and not in the Jersey Shore or Tony Soprano way either.)
The convoluted plot of the film picks up with Plum, a divorced and recently unemployed lingerie girl from Macy's, blackmailing her way into her cousin's bail bond business. With no clue what to do, her first assignment leads her ironically to the first guy she ever slept with, Joe Morelli, played by Jason O'Mara, an ex-cop wanted for murder. Along the way, Stephanie finds things don't seem to add up.
While their cat and dog game of chase seems meant to re-spark their one-time-in-a-bakery romance, it instead just leaves Plum wandering from one clichéd lead to another.
Even the comedy relief of Stephanie's whacky grandma, played by Debbie Reynolds, it isn't enough to sway this film. Is this a romantic comedy or action thriller? (I'm not sure either!)
And while book fans complain about Heigl as the choice to play Plum, there are three supporting actors who stood out in the film. John Leguizamo's portrayal of Jimmy Alpha, Fisher Stevens as Morty Beyers, and Daniel Sunjata as the mysterious Ranger. All three guys brought their "A" game performances to a film that is a "C" at best.
Sorry, but I'm going to have to give it, "Two-and-a-half (stars) for the Money."
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