One for the Money (2012)

Directed by: Julie Anne Robinson | 91 minutes | action, thriller, comedy, crime | Actors: Katherine Heigl, Jason O’Mara, John Leguizamo, Daniel Sunjata, Debbie Reynolds, Sherri Shepherd, Patrick Fischler, Ana Reeder, Debra Monk, Leonardo Nam, Nate Mooney, Jake Andolina, Gavin-Keith Umeh, Adam Paul, Danny Mastrogiorgio Jack Erdiem, Brenna Roth, Michael Laurence, Alexis Treadwell Murray, Lisa Ann Goldsmith, Jackson Nunn, Jarrod DiGiorgi, Jeffrey Jones, Michelle Herforth

Stephanie Plum is arguably one of the most beloved, and also the most famous, female bounty hunters on the fictional globe. The character was created in the 1990s by bestselling author Janet Evanovich and has since starred in nearly twenty novels (“Explosive Eighteen” came out in late 2011). In “One for the Money”, which was first sold in 1994, we meet her.

A film adaptation was soon in the air. The rights to ‘One for the Money’ were sold before the book even hit the shelves. Names were regularly suggested for the lead role; Evanovich’s fans, as well as the writer herself, preferred to see Sandra Bullock take on the role of their favorite heroine. Jennifer Lopez was also tipped, as was Reese Witherspoon. But when producer Gary Lucchesi gave Katherine Heigl the first book on the set of ‘The Ugly Truth’, Heigl was sold. And that also applied to the writer, who envisioned Heigl in the role of the bumbling bounty hunter (by the way, Evanovich had nothing to do with the film adaptation). Heigl’s signature blonde locks have been traded for a dark wig, and her wardrobe is a lot more feminine. Katherine Heigl hasn’t become quite ‘Stephanie’, but she’s doing her best to get in the right direction.

Stephanie is single, in her thirties. She was once married on a blue Monday, but now regularly joins in for her mother’s unsurpassed cooking. She takes the well-intentioned advice about her life and the unwanted mating practices of ma-lief into the bargain. Stephanie lives in Jersey, in the neighborhood of The Burg, where everyone knows each other. Still, she’s managed to hide from her parents that she doesn’t have a job anymore (she was a lingerie buyer at a major department store, a job that is much less glamorous than it sounds), but now her financial problems are very serious. become dire, she has to expose her buttocks. On her father’s advice, she visits her cousin Vinnie, who has a surety bond. However, the filing position Dad Plum had heard about has already been filled, but Conny, Vinnie’s secretary, has a better idea for solving Stephanie’s money worries: if she tracks down Morelli, a cop on the run and wanted for murder. , she can pocket as much as ten thousand dollars. Vinnie is less enthusiastic about taking on his niece and gives her a week to prove herself. And let Morelli just be an old acquaintance of Stephanie…

‘One for the Money’, like the book, is a strange mix of thriller and comedy. Julie Anne Robinson always keeps the tone light, even when people are blown up or mistreated there is room for a joke. Unfortunately for her and the viewer, that works out better in the books than in the film. Stephanie has the talent to get into trouble, but she always manages – with more luck than wisdom – to save herself from the most bizarre (and often life-threatening) situations. The secondary characters, especially those who form a permanent core around the bounty hunter later in the book series, are special in all their idiosyncrasies. Stephanie’s absurd grandmother Mazur, portrayed with verve by Debbie Reynolds, is always good for a big smile, but also her confrontations with Ranger (a mysterious Rambo-like man who helps Stephanie completely ‘selflessly’, here played by Daniel Sunjata) and the ferocious attractive Morelli (Jason O’Mara) are often hilarious and have a sexy undertone. And just because of Sherri Shepherd’s portrayal of prostitute-with-buddy-50 Lula, you’d wish ‘One for the Money’ wasn’t the last in the series. The dialogues, which are delicious in the books, do not come out as well on the silver screen. The fact that there are as many holes in the plot as there are in the shooting map after Stephanie’s first practice round with a real gun is strangely enough not even that disturbing, the film looks away easily, but hardly rises above the level of an average TV episode. The acting performances are therefore just sufficient on average, the setting, on the other hand, is spot-on. ‘One for the Money’ is not an action film that keeps you on the edge of your seat, the tone is sometimes a bit too explanatory, but because of that the characters have a bit more background.

Despite the criticisms, ‘One for the Money’ is quite a good choice for a relaxing evening. It’s lighthearted entertainment, the film doesn’t take itself seriously and there’s plenty to laugh about. Book lovers should not miss this film.