''Friends with Money'' is a 2006 American

comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

film written and directed by

Nicole Holofcener Nicole Holofcener ( ; born March 22, 1960) is an American film and television director and screenwriter. She has directed seven feature films, including '' Walking and Talking'', '' Friends with Money'' and '' Enough Said'', as well as various t ...

. It stars

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress. She rose to international fame for her role as Rachel Green on the television sitcom ''Friends'' from 1994 to 2004, which earned her Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and Scr ...

Joan Cusack Joan Mary Cusack ( ; born October 11, 1962) is an American actress and comedian. She received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her roles in the comedy-drama '' Working Girl'' (1988) and the romantic comedy '' In ...

Catherine Keener Catherine Ann Keener (born March 26, 1959) is an American actress. She has portrayed disgruntled and melancholic yet sympathetic women in independent films, as well as supporting roles in studio films. She has been nominated twice for the Academ ...

Frances McDormand Frances Louise McDormand (born Cynthia Ann Smith; June 23, 1957) is an American actress and film producer. In a career spanning over four decades, McDormand has received numerous accolades, including four Academy Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awa ...

, Jason Isaacs, Scott Caan,

Simon McBurney Simon Montagu McBurney (born 25 August 1957) is an English actor, playwright, and theatre and opera director. He is the founder and artistic director of the Complicité, Théâtre de Complicité, London. He has had roles in the films ''The Manch ...

, and Greg Germann, and follows the personal relationships of a group of friends. It premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2006 and was released in the United States on April 7, 2006.

Plot

Olivia is a single, always-broke woman who cleans houses in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

to make ends meet after quitting her job as a teacher. She is in a group of wealthy friends consisting of Franny – a stay-at-home mom with a large

trust fund A trust is a legal relationship in which the owner of property, or any transferable right, gives it to another to manage and use solely for the benefit of a designated person. In the English common law, the party who entrusts the property is k ...

, Christine – a television writer, Jane – a fashion designer, and their husbands. Still heartbroken over a brief affair with a married man, Olivia agrees to go on a blind date with Franny's trainer, Mike. The date goes poorly, but Mike attempts to make up for it at the last minute and asks to go along with Olivia on a cleaning job. Despite him only offering minimal help, Mike asks for part of Olivia's pay and she reluctantly agrees. They begin dating and Mike continues to come along to work with Olivia and take part of her earnings until she finally finds the self-confidence to call Mike out for his callous behavior and ends the relationship. Christine and her husband David are constantly at odds with each other, to the point that their friends openly speculate whether they're going to split up. Christine struggles to concentrate on the script she and David are writing as the construction of a new addition to their home is ongoing. She soon discovers that their neighbors' sudden animosity is because the addition will block their views, and attempts to stop construction. David expresses apathy at the neighbors' anger and Christine confronts him for his lack of sensitivity, including showing a lack of care and affection for her. They decide to separate. Christine puts the unfinished house up for sale and briefly finds herself despondent at David's absence before stubbing her toe and hearing her nanny call out asking if she's okay—something David had always failed to do. Jane cannot seem to stop herself from insulting acquaintances and becoming angry over minor perceived slights. She also has stopped washing her hair and shows signs of depression. Her husband Aaron, who owns a shampoo company, is fashionable and often assumed to be gay by strangers as well as friends. He befriends another straight, married man named Aaron with similar interests and finally, confronts Jane for her angry fits and refusal to wash her hair after she has an outburst during brunch with the other Aaron and his wife. Jane admits that she's depressed after realizing, "There's no more wondering what it's going to be like." Franny and her husband Matt are by far the wealthiest couple in the group due to Franny's trust fund. Neither of them work and live in a large house with full-time help. The other friends frequently comment on their wealth and the apparent lack of tension in their marriage as a result of having no stress about money or work, though Franny does express some discomfort with how much Matt likes to spend. The friends come together at a charity fundraiser for

ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or—in the United States—Lou Gehrig's disease (LGD), is a rare, terminal neurodegenerative disorder that results in the progressive loss of both upper and low ...

, where Franny has bought a table. Jane finally washes her hair and smooths things over with her husband. Olivia, who has stopped cleaning houses and started a new job, has begun dating Marty, an awkward and unkempt former client, and finds they have much in common. After the benefit, Marty reveals to Olivia that he does not work because he has inherited his father's wealth. The next morning, they talk in bed about redecorating Marty's house and connect on a deeper level after admitting they both have some issues that they need to address.

Cast

as Olivia *

as Franny *

as Christine *

as Jane * Jason Isaacs as David * Scott Caan as Mike *

as Aaron * Greg Germann as Matt *

Ty Burrell Tyler Gerald Burrell (born August 22, 1967) is an American actor. Burrell is best known for playing Phil Dunphy on the ABC sitcom '' Modern Family'' (2009–2020), for which he won two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in ...

as Other Aaron * Bob Stephenson as Marty * Marin Hinkle as Maya * Timm Sharp as Richard * Jake Cherry as Wyatt

Reception

Box office

In its opening weekend in wide release, the film grossed $4.96 million, ranking tenth at the box office. It went on to gross $13.4 million domestically, and a total of $18.2 million worldwide.

Critical response

The review aggregator

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

reported that 72% of 154 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Strong lead performances, witty dialogue, and wry observations cement ''Friends With Money'' as another winning dramedy from writer/director Nicole Holofcener."

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

assigned the film a weighted average score of 68 out of 100 based on 38 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.

Awards and nominations

At the 2006

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...

, Frances McDormand won the award for Best Supporting Female and Nicole Holofcener was nominated for Best Screenplay. Holofcener also won the Dorothy Arzner Directors Award from the Women in Film Crystal Awards, shared with

Joey Lauren Adams Joey Lauren Adams (born January 9, 1968) is an American actress and director. Adams starred in ''Chasing Amy'', for which she was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and played smaller role ...

for '' Come Early Morning'' and Lian Lunson for '' Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man''. Holofcener received a nomination from the

Alliance of Women Film Journalists The Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) is a non-profit organization founded in 2006. It is based in New York City and is dedicated to supporting work by and about women in the film industry. The AWFJ is composed of 84 professional female ...

for Best Comedy by or About Women.

Home media

The film was released on DVD on August 29, 2006, and has grossed $8.1 million in U.S. DVD/home video rentals.

Soundtrack

References

External links

* * {{Nicole Holofcener 2006 films 2006 comedy-drama films 2006 independent films 2000s American films 2000s buddy comedy-drama films 2000s English-language films 2000s female buddy films American buddy comedy-drama films American female buddy films English-language buddy comedy-drama films English-language independent films Films about social class Films directed by Nicole Holofcener Films set in Los Angeles Films with screenplays by Nicole Holofcener Sony Pictures Classics films