It carries a lot of weight. It also doesn’t care who gets hurt or beat in the grab. Bottom line, it makes the world go round. Dinero. Coin. Dough. Bank. MONEY. For each person trying to earn it the right way, there’s two or more conniving and conning it right out of their pockets. If you need evidence, the Federal Trade Commission recently announced that Americans have lost $77 million to COVID-19 scams. A new movie called “Kajillionaire” looks at a family in dishonest pursuit of the almighty dollar and the partner they take on.
Miranda July writes and directs the project, her third feature. She left a tremendous first impression on the indie scene with 2005’s “Me and You and Everyone We Know.” The film earned the Golden Camera award at Cannes and the Special Jury Prize at Sundance. In addition to her screen work, July has written a number of published short stories and directed music videos for the rock band Sleater-Kinney.
Playing the groomed no-goodnik at the center of the action is Evan Rachel Wood. The “Westworld” actress’ lauded performance as the devious—and loving it—Kimberly Joyce in “Pretty Persuasion” bodes well for her portrayal of Old Dolio in this movie. Debra Winger (“Terms of Endearment” & “Rachel Getting Married”) and the always enjoyable Richard Jenkins (“The Shape of Water” & “The Visitor”) star as her parents, with Gina Rodriguez (“Annihilation” & “Deepwater Horizon”) also on board as the crew’s newest member.
Here’s the synopsis:
Con-artists Theresa (Debra Winger) and Robert (Richard Jenkins) have spent 26 years training their only daughter, Old Dolio (Evan Rachel Wood), to swindle, scam, and steal at every opportunity. During a desperate, hastily conceived heist, they charm a stranger (Gina Rodriguez) into joining their next scam, only to have their entire world turned upside down.
“Kajillionaire”—distributed by Focus Features—is set to be released in theatres on September 18th. Keep a tight grip on your wallet and check out the trailer below.