The clownish host of a slapstick cable TV financial show (George Clooney) and his producer (Julia Roberts) get taken for a ride when a disturbed construction worker (Jack O’Connell) storms into the studio during a live broadcast, takes everyone hostage, and demands $800 million ransom. Reason: he followed one of the show’s stick picks and lost his nest egg. Not a bad premise for a topical thriller, but director Jodie Foster and a tag team of three writers bungle it. It’s a flabby, fake-important, entirely implausible, “torn from the headlines” potboiler, a clumsy farce with mousy dialogue and zero suspense. We’re not buying it at any price (99 min.).
By
Kelly Vance