The Sandra Bullock Files is a series that looks at the films of Oscar-winning actress Sandra Bullock, all the way from her debut from 1987, to her two major 2018 releases, Ocean’s Eight and Bird Box.
The lackluster comedy A Fool and His Money tells of a New York adman who forms a new religion based on greed, with Sandra playing the role of his skeptical girlfriend. She first appears about six minutes into the movie, finding her boyfriend shirtless and drunk. Why is it that every movie Sandra made in the 1980s is so technically inadequate, not only with the cinematography, but also with the sound quality as well? And what’s with the misplaced country music soundtrack? Here’s another early Sandra movie clearly made my people who don’t understand the most rudimentary factors of filmmaking.
Sandra plays a lawyer here — it’s a precursor to A Time To Kill! — named Debby Cosgrove, but unfortunately she has little to do in this movie. She shows up in a random scene every twenty minutes or so, usually upset with her boyfriend’s get-rich-quick scheme. Her only notable scene comes toward the end, when she counsels an African-American man, impressing him with her striking gray business suit.
Nothing Sandra made in 1989 is worth seeking out, except for her die-hard fans. The only joy one can have in watching these movies is to see Sandra trying to make the most of mediocre parts, long before she had the power to choose roles on her own. The only film released that year that offers any entertainment value is Bionic Woman; if you were going to watch one of her ’80s movies, that would be your best choice.
Best Scene: Sandra tries to counsel a jive-talking African-American man.
Best Line: “The point is, can we prove that you’re not a pimp?”
Fun Facts
Also known as Religion, Inc.
Despite the film’s low reputation, the director Daniel Adams went on to direct many more films, including a 2009 period movie called The Lightkeepers, starring Richard Dreyfuss.
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