One For The Money Movie Review – Stephanie Plum Comes To The Big Screen

Fans of Janet Evanovich’s eighteen-book mystery series will need no introduction to Stephanie Plum, but for me, Katherine Heigl’s latest comedy, One for the Money, is my first introduction to the character and her world. As with any book adaptation there have been quite a few strong opinions about whether Katherine Heigl was the right pick for the character. Since I haven’t read any of the books I cannot speak to whether or not Heigl does justice to the character. But it does seem that she did get Evanovich’s stamp of approval, which was mentioned during a press conference I attended for the film.

And so as I share my thoughts about the movie, it will be from my “unbiased-by-the-books” eyes. For those unfamiliar with the story, the movie follows out of work Jersey girl, Stephanie Plum, desperate to find a job, any kind of job especially after her car gets repossessed right in front of her parents’ house. That’s how she ends up convincing her sleazy cousin, Vinny (Patrick Fischler) to give her a job as a recovery agent in his bail bonding company.

And even though she doesn’t know the first thing about being a recovery agent, she can’t resist the biggest case on Vinny’s desk: former vice cop and murder suspect Joe Morelli (Jason O’Mara). And I guess it doesn’t hurt that this Morelli guy also dumped her in high school.

So now Stephanie needs to find a way to bring Morelli in, but that’s easier said than done. Even with the help of Ranger (Daniel Sunjata), the best recovery agent in the business, she has a lot to learn. Oh and did I mention her undeniable attraction to Morelli, a potentially homicidal boxer, and the fact that Morelli’s case seems a bit fishy? Yep, it’s just another day in Stephanie Plum’s life.

One for the Money is definitely a chick flick, but that’s not a necessarily a bad thing. For one I love chick flicks and for two, the movie is entertaining. I didn’t really know what to expect when I sat down to watch the movie and while I wasn’t blown away, I was pleasantly surprised by how much fun I had.

I usually tend to enjoy Katherine Heigl and this time was no different. While she was sporting a different look and accent, it was definitely her at heart and that’s the way I like it. I enjoyed her as Stephanie Plum and would probably watch her do it again if there ever was a sequel.

But my favorite of the movie had to be Jason O’Mara, whom some of you might know from Life on Mars (US version) and Terra Nova. He made me laugh and was the perfect leading man for Heigl’s Plum. Let’s hope we see more of him in films soon.

I should also mention the rest of the cast which is also a great support to Heigl, including Daniel Sunjata and the hilarious Sherri Shepherd as a prostitute who helps Stephanie.

As for the story itself, well I’ll admit there are a few cliches here and there and I did have to suspend disbelief a few times, but I didn’t mind because it didn’t prevent me from enjoying the movie. The case had a good intrigue to it and there even was a twist that I didn’t totally expect.

Overall I had fun and was entertained, what more can I ask?!

One for the Money is now in theaters. You can watch the trailer for the movie here.