Friends with Money (2006 Nicole Holofcener & scr)

Hm. There's good reason for not randomly watching Netflix films - they may not be that good. Best to approach it the way we would buying something - we'd identify something that looks promising, usually because of stars or writer / director or even other behind-the-scenes credits, and read reviews. Lesson to selves over.

Q's invaluable guide to script-writing:
1. Who are your characters?
2. Do we like them?
3. What's going on?

This is how it applies to this film. Jason Isaacs and Catherine Keener aren't getting on very well, not sure why. Frances MacDormand, a successful clothes designer, is having some kind of crisis - we don't really know why. We don't know if Simon McBurney is really gay or not. We don't know why Jennifer Aniston is so lacking in self-confidence. (Her relationship with the particularly vile Scott Caan is unbelievable - I don't mean not believable, just that she would put up with it.)

So (2) we don't like them and (3) we don't know what's going on.

If it's trying to say that people with money and good lifestyles are human too, well it's not at all successful.

No problem with the acting - Jen is fine as always. With Joan Cusack, Greg Germann, Bob Stephenson and Modern Family's Ty Burrell. Shot by Terry Stacey.