I really enjoyed this one. Romantic comedies are my favorite genre but I'm pretty particular, not as a critic but in terms of "I like what I like". This is not a formula romantic comedy, and it describes itself as an "unromantic comedy", but I think it still belongs in the category. It is definitely not an anti-romantic comedy in the style of (500) Days of Summer, nor does it subvert romcom expectations in the style of Forces of Nature or My Best Friend's Wedding, nor is it a parody or a deconstruction like the recent Isn't It Romantic. The latter is a good comparison for For Love or Money because both, when all is said and done, were essentially true romantic comedies despite not having conventional middle sections.
If you've seen the trailer, you know all you need to know and have not been misled. Mark (Rob Kazinsky) has had a lifetime crush on fellow schoolmate Connie (Samantha Barks). When they meet as adults at a funeral of a mutual acquaintance, he's still interested and Connie is still not interested. But she changes her mind when she learns that he's about to sell his app for a fortune and they embark on a whirlwind romance. Mark discovers, well into their engagement, that she is only marrying him for his money and decides to maintain the facade of the engagement and torture her instead of confronting and dumping her. This middle segment is really quite funny, and is a little reminiscent (in the best way and not in an imitative way at all) of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.
If you were like me, the matter of how this situation is resolved is pretty important in terms of whether this movie is what you want it to be or not. It seemed likely to go two ways: either Connie learns a lesson and sees Mark in a new light and they are endgame, or Mark has a secret real love interest who isn't part of the premise - he gets his revenge on Connie and falls in love with someone else in the process. The movie teases the second option with Kendra (Rachel Hurd-Wood) and wants the audience to be unsure, but ultimately Mark really does love Connie and it plays out the way I had hoped it would: with Connie coming around after all this unromantic dysfunction to a new dynamic with Mark.
I figured I would lay that out for anyone who wanted to know which way it went before making the decision whether to watch it or not. I do think the movie ended too soon. It ends on a note of hope for Connie/Mark, inevitability really, but there's not a satisfying resolution yet. I definitely would have enjoyed another 10-15 minutes finishing their story, leading them into a solid, honest, real relationship.
Acting is good, production values are good. I do think it has some issues aside from the ending - for example, Kendra will be pretty pointless on rewatch, and there's way too much time spent on another schoolmate of Mark and Connie's who is Connie's co-conspirator. But overall I was very entertained and will watch again. I recommend it for rom-com fans.
If you've seen the trailer, you know all you need to know and have not been misled. Mark (Rob Kazinsky) has had a lifetime crush on fellow schoolmate Connie (Samantha Barks). When they meet as adults at a funeral of a mutual acquaintance, he's still interested and Connie is still not interested. But she changes her mind when she learns that he's about to sell his app for a fortune and they embark on a whirlwind romance. Mark discovers, well into their engagement, that she is only marrying him for his money and decides to maintain the facade of the engagement and torture her instead of confronting and dumping her. This middle segment is really quite funny, and is a little reminiscent (in the best way and not in an imitative way at all) of How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days.
If you were like me, the matter of how this situation is resolved is pretty important in terms of whether this movie is what you want it to be or not. It seemed likely to go two ways: either Connie learns a lesson and sees Mark in a new light and they are endgame, or Mark has a secret real love interest who isn't part of the premise - he gets his revenge on Connie and falls in love with someone else in the process. The movie teases the second option with Kendra (Rachel Hurd-Wood) and wants the audience to be unsure, but ultimately Mark really does love Connie and it plays out the way I had hoped it would: with Connie coming around after all this unromantic dysfunction to a new dynamic with Mark.
I figured I would lay that out for anyone who wanted to know which way it went before making the decision whether to watch it or not. I do think the movie ended too soon. It ends on a note of hope for Connie/Mark, inevitability really, but there's not a satisfying resolution yet. I definitely would have enjoyed another 10-15 minutes finishing their story, leading them into a solid, honest, real relationship.
Acting is good, production values are good. I do think it has some issues aside from the ending - for example, Kendra will be pretty pointless on rewatch, and there's way too much time spent on another schoolmate of Mark and Connie's who is Connie's co-conspirator. But overall I was very entertained and will watch again. I recommend it for rom-com fans.