Mo' Money (1992) User Reviews

A job ain't nothing but work!

[Hey_Sweden · 7/10 · 24 July 2021]

Damon Wayans of 'In Living Color' fame wrote and stars in this reasonably amusing 90s action-comedy, casting himself as amiable lead Johnny Stewart. Johnny is a streetwise ne'er-do-well who's content to run scams with his younger brother Seymour (played by Wayans' real-life younger sibling Marlon (the "Scary Movie" series). Then he meets a girl: Amber (Stacey Dash, "Clueless") a drop-dead gorgeous employee at a credit card company. And he attempts to go straight in his relentless (and I do mean relentless) ambition to win her over, getting a job in the company's mailroom. But Johnny gives in to temptation and starts purloining cards and going on spending sprees, earning the attention of the corrupt security chief Keith Heading (John Diehl, "Stripes"). Now under Keiths' thumb, it's clear that Johnny is in over his head.

Wayans' script is really not that good, stumbling when it comes to its crime and thriller aspects (although director Peter Macdonald ("Rambo III") delivers decent action sequences). But its comedy content is often very funny, and very un-p.c. At times. The movie works best as a vehicle for its talented stars. Wayans shows some real charm, Dash is appealing, Harry J. Lennix ('The Blacklist') is a hoot as her stuck-up boyfriend, Marlon W. Has a lot of comic energy, and Diehl is an extremely fun, very overconfident bad guy. Joe Santos ('The Rockford Files') is solid as an investigating detective who's been trying to look out for the irresponsible Johnny for years. A couple of familiar faces have small roles: Mark Beltzman ("Billy Madison"), Larry Brandenburg ("The Shawshank Redemption"), Matt Doherty (the "Mighty Ducks" movies), Richard Hamilton ("Men in Black"), Salli Richardson-Whitfield ("Black Dynamite"), and Irma P. Hall ("A Family Thing"). Keep your eyes peeled for Bernie Mac ("Bad Santa") as a club doorman.

One undeniable, hilarious highlight: Gordon McClure as "The Reverend Pimp Daddy", an utter shambles of a defense attorney. And an actress named Almayvonne is priceless as a gal who ends up with designs on both Johnny and Seymour.

Basically, it's the cast that makes this one worth seeing.

Seven out of 10.

The acting bails out the writing...

[Tito-8 · 5/10 · 14 January 1999]

Although thin on plot, great performances by the leads do manage to save what would otherwise be another mediocre comedy. Damon Wayans shows considerable charisma as the lead, and has terrific chemistry with beautiful co-star Stacey Dash. To be sure, much of the humour here is silly, but when the pace is slower (and the dialogue is realistic), the film really does work .

don't like the romance

[SnoopyStyle · 5/10 · 20 November 2018]

Brothers Johnny Stewart (Damon Wayans) and Seymour Stewart (Marlon Wayans) are petty criminal scammers in Chicago which usually requires Johnny to do a weird voice. Johnny falls for Amber Evans (Stacey Dash) and gets a mailroom job at her office for a credit card firm. He starts using stolen credit card numbers. He is forced to join a fraud conspiracy led by the manager Keith Heading. Police Lt. Walsh is investigating a murder perpetrated by the murderous conspirators.

While Damon is cringey, it is Stacey Dash who is more annoying. She oozes high maintenance girl and is off-putting. She's not worth the effort. They're not fun as a couple. The Wayans are marginally funny. At least, they're family and it feels like it. Some of the other comedy really doesn't work. The plot itself is fine but I simply don't like the central romance.

From Goofy Romance To Action Hero

[iquine · 4/10 · 1 July 2020]

(Flash Review)

Wayans's In Living Color hobo character is stretched extremely thin. An upper class gal meets a low stakes street hustler doing his thing and comically and obsessively follows her to her place of work, applies for a job and ends up working at the same company and warmly tries to win her over and out of her stuffy and rude boyfriend's clutches. Then the movie shifts gears and is thrust into the Wayans brothers helping capture some criminals and it turns into a cops and robbers cheesy action movie. It had some amusing moments but overall was confused on what it wanted to be.

An all time fave!

[michellejenni49 · 24 April 2001]

This movie is one of my all time favourites! If you enjoyed the humour from In Living Color, then you will really appreciate this movie. The movie is so enjoyable to watch because it has a bit of everything in it-action, comedy, romance and of course with the Wayans brothers you are sure to have good time! I liked seeing Damon's softer side towards Stacy Dash, and Marlon's jealousy towards his brother's relationship with this girl. Also, the nightclub scene is a riot! Overall,it is a great movie to watch, especially if you are a fan of the Wayans family, plus it has a wicked soundtrack as well!

Decent

[momjessicaandjordan · 7/10 · 9 July 2021]

This was a solid movie. It did the best it could. The acting was great. Damon Wayne proved that he can be a funny man whenever he wants. Especially the store scene cracked me up. Decent movie.

average comedy attempt from the wayans'

[jzathajenious · 4/10 · 24 April 2002]

the wayans have a certain charm that make their movies watchable but repeated viewings- now way. stacy dash is gorgeous and damon has got charisma but the plot is just a slap dash took-someone-five-minutes-to-think-up job that almost drags the picture down to crapsville but the wayans' acting is decent enough to make u watch to the end. oh yeah, the preacher/lawyer bit had me rolling on the floor too :)

Not as bad as everyone thinks

[Cesko1114 · 7/10 · 2 January 2006]

Personally i Truly found this movie funny.

After a string of small time scams, Johnny Stewart(Damon Wayans), finally decides to go legit when he meets the women of his dreams(Stacy Dash). Following her into the Dynasty Credit Card offices , he quickly accepts a low-level job in the mailroom. But the temptation of free money- in the form of returned credit cards- is more temptation then he can resist, and soon he and his little brother(Marlon Wayans)are on the hilarious shopping spree of a lifetime. When a corrupt executive discovers what Johnny is doing, he blackmails him into a dangerous fraud scheme that threatens not only his credit rating , but his life.

In my opinion i would give this movie 7/10 stars Not that bad but it could of been better

Mo' Money No Funny

[view_and_review · 2/10 · 25 August 2018]

Damon Wayans first attempt at writing a movie script was a total failure. This movie was terrible. It had the looks of a low budget production and the script of a no budget production. "Mo' Money" was almost an extended "In Livin' Color" script; even the name of the movie came from an "In Livin' Color" sketch.

Johnny (Damon Wayans) was a starving street hustler on probation. One small time hustle after another caused his path to cross with that of Amber Evans (Stacey Dash). In his pursuit of the hot chick of the movie he ended up getting a job where she worked. She was already spoken for by the cliché, wealthy, stuffy, culturally out of touch, condescending boyfriend, Tom (Harry Lennix), thereby using the familiar but tired trope of wealthy = fake, and poor = real (even the name Tom was cliche).

Johnny doggedly pursued Amber until she gave in to his charm. In another movie he would probably have been arrested for stalking and harassment, but because he wrote the movie those two actions are considered romantic. While following Amber, Johnny found a new way to upgrade his lifestyle. Of course, that led him to more trouble and this trouble had deadly consequences.

Besides being largely unfunny, this movie just sucked. The story was lousy as were the various situations. There was a lot of hamming it up from both Damon and Marlon with very little good content. This was a love story at the end of the day and many of them are nothing more than fantasies on film and "Mo' Money" was no different.

Almost had it..

[TheOneThatYouWanted · 7/10 · 2 January 2021]

My ranking is a little high but this film started out good! Then they had to throw in the crime/action BS and it threw off what could have been a classic from the 90s era. I a lot of ways it is ahead of its time.

God Awful, I can't get my money or time back

[fightingamish00 · 1/10 · 13 June 2004]

This is by far one of the worst movies I've ever paid money to see. I can never get the 2 hours lost watching this movie. The plot is terrible, the ending is stupid and anti-climatic, AND IT'S NOT EVEN FUNNY!!!!!! Was this supposed to be a comedy or a suspense/action movie? Whatever it was SUPPOSED to be, it never was. It just plain sucked. I wouldn't even recommend you watch this for free. That's 2 hours lost. Just plain terrible. I don't know what else to say other than this was one of the worst movie experiences I ever had. YES, IT IS THAT BAD! There was not one part in this movie where I laughed, and I'm pretty easy to please. There was no real suspense and the ending is fairly predictable. The only thing unpredictable was how terribly this movie ends. And it's pretty bad. Just trust me on this one. You don't need to see the movie to see how bad it is.

decent

[milosz_m · 9/10 · 11 February 2005]

I can't agree that this is a bad movie. I think it's funny and has a certain charm to it (thanks to incredible Stacey Dash and Damon Wayans). It's not The Thin Red Line but what did you expect? I expected a light and entertaining movie and that's exactly what it is. Nothing more nothing less. I would give it a 7 note but Stacey Dash deserves 2 more points:). For her alone this film is worth watching. But beside of her it has a nice romantic plot, the action plot isn't too sophisticated but it's enjoyable. The movie is a bit like a fairy tale(again thanks to Stacey Dash) but that gives it a lot of charm and I always enjoy watching it. I would highly recommend it if you want something light and easy for the evening.

I want a Rev. Pimp Daddy spin off.....

[FlashCallahan · 7/10 · 28 September 2014]

Trying to get his career into the A-list, Damon Wayans gets a job in a credit card company.

He falls in love with Stacy Dash, winning her over by mocking her well educated, successful boyfriend

When he steals a couple of cards, the chief of security drags him into the big leagues of criminals....

Blimey, how someone's opinion of film can change in twenty years. When this was first released, it was one of my all time favourites, but I was only fifteen, and I thought Wayans was excellent in The Last Boy Scout, and this looked like fun.

Now even though the film is still fun, that's all it is, fun, and it's devoid of any proper narrative until halfway through the second act. Up until then it's just the Marlon and Damon comedy laugh in, as it just feels like a string of sketches (albeit amusing ones) leading up to the plot.

So the first forty five minutes is a sketch show,the last forty five an action movie, with a few dabs of romance, and some very, very, baggy clothes involved.

The toe leads are fun and keep the film together, Stacy Dash is beautiful but cannot act for a bean, and Diehl is your atypical nineties bad guy.

But the moral of the story is, its fun to steal, spend others money, and get in trouble. Oh, and to steal a dead persons flowers.

But it's still a fun movie.

Dreadful, mean-spirited movie

[squeezebox · 1/10 · 7 July 2010]

MO' MONEY might have possibly been able to get away with its mean-spirited, homophobic and tasteless atmosphere if it were witty or clever or perhaps even funny. But it is none of the above. It's a moronic, nasty comedy by a moronic, nasty comedian who wants to drag everyone but himself through the mud.

Damon Wayans is one of those comedians who will tell a joke at anyone's expense but his own. His arrogance and meanness is palpable through every moment of this brutally unfunny comedy (which he wrote). He takes a potentially solid story and wastes it as nothing more than a vanity project for himself. As for the humor, he sticks to lampooning handicapped people and homosexuals (especially those with AIDS, which he seems to think is a real laugh riot).

His performance is also unbearable. Apparently wanting to show a slightly more serious side of his persona, he does this by playing every scene with the same blank expression on his face, except for a few moments when he feels the need to mug it up with his smug, self-indulgent smirk.

The other Wayans brothers have proved themselves willing to be the butt of their own jokes. It was once said the first person a good comedian has to be able to laugh at is himself. If Damon Wayans ever learned that lesson, it was definitely after he made MO' MONEY.

Amusing vehnicle for the Wayanses

[lor_ · 24 July 2023]

My review was written in July 1992 after a screening in Manhattan's Murray Hill neighborhood.

Damon Wayans and his younger brother Marlon Wayans make a terrific comedy team in "Mo' Money". Loosely structured film has trouble meshing its very funny gag scenes with rough action footage, but it should earn mucho change from escapist fans.

Following p his solid turn co-starring opposite Bruce Willis in "The Last Boy Scout", Damon Wayans exhibits plenty of irreverent comic invention as star, writer and exec producer here. He needs a stronger hand than action helmer Peter Macdonald ("Rambo III") to fully realize a satisfying feature film beyond a mere collection of funny sketches.

He casts himself as a ne'er-do-well street punk who sets a poor role model for younger brother (played by Marlon Wayans). Their father was a cop who died in the line of duty, with his partner Joe Santos trying in vain to set the Wayans brothers on the right track.

To pursue a lovely romantic interest (Stacey Dash), Damon gets a job in the mailroom for her credit card company. Soon the Wayanses have cooked up a scam using uncancelled credit cards to finance a shopping spree.

Coincidentally (and this is where Wayans' script starts to fall apart), cop Sano is investigating a murder that's linked to a much larger credit card scam at the same company. Evil exec John Diehl is the ruthless mastermind who soon blackmails Damon into becoming his reluctant henchman.

Finale of Damon using his street smarts to act like his late father and collar the criminal is telegraphed many reels ahead but well staged in a showy, violent finale.

Between the killings and heavy -duty action set pieces, "Mo' Money" comes to life as expertly conceived and executed burlesque bits. Damon and rubber-faced Marlon work very comfortably together and even pull off such difficult routines as posing as gay lovers to humiliate (and scam) a white jewelry store clerk.

Damon has written many colorful characters, both black and white, including a tall, aggressive co-worker (delightfully played by Almayvonne) who sets her sights romantically on each of the brothers. He's persuasive as an action hero, too, but the action here is not convincingly dovetailed with the comedy.

Marlon shows athletic grace and is perfect as a sidekick adding fuel to his rumored casting as Robin in an upcoming film of the "Batman" saga. Green-eyed Stacey Dash is a dreamy love interest, and Diehl is perfect as a smiling villain.

Film is well-made, though fancy wipe and transitions don't mask the absence of a sorng narrative line. Song score by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, featuring such top performers as Janet Jackson, Luther Vandross and Public Enemy, is an important element in the concoction.

a train wreck would be funnier

[mjneu59 · 1/10 · 8 December 2010]

The title of this crass, predictable (even by Hollywood standards) comedy of course represents the goal of every commercial feature, but it's hard to find praise for a film that panders so shamelessly to the worst instincts of undiscriminating moviegoers. Responsibility for this mess belongs to TV personality Daman Wayans, who wrote the follow-the-dots screenplay and stars as a happy-go-lucky con artist caught up in the high-tech dirty dealings of a big financial corporation. The major problem: Wayans portrays himself as a quasi-Eddie Murphy smart-alec who can never, ever be the butt of a joke. His character is smug, superior, and selfish in a way meant to be attractive, charming, and funny, and except for girlfriend Stacey Dash everyone else is stupid, eccentric, psychopathic, or suffering from some physical disability (also meant go be amusing). Equal discredit goes to hack director Peter MacDonald, the auteur responsible for 'Rambo III' and 'Tango & Cash'.

Old Habits Die Hard

[The-Sarkologist · 6/10 · 15 October 2013]

I hired this because a friend of mine said that it was good, but also because Damon Wayans was in it and I find him to be a pretty good actor. This is a cool little movie, but really only good the first time one watches it. There are some funny things in it, but they are not hugely hilarious to label it a cult movie.

Basically this film is about a con-artist whose dad was a cop who was killed in the line of duty. As such he has given up on trying to be anything and lives his life trying to make "mo money" from conning people. He has a partner who looks up to him. After a rather clever con-job, he is caught out and manages to escape only to be caught by a transit cop. The judge dismisses the charges because his lawyer is awful (basically he raves on about the injustice of the system in a Negro evangelist sort of way) and thus he takes this final change to try and go straight.

While selling books, be meets a rather nice lady, and applies for a job where she works, being a credit card firm. It lands up that the security consultant is using the cards to purchase some really expensive things, and as the owners of the cards are dead, the company gets billed. The guy tries his hand at the fraud at first, but when he is caught, he is blackmailed into joining this gang.

I really can't think of anything in-depth about the movie with the exception that it has the idea that once you are a criminal, it is very difficult to escape your past. As they say, old habits die hard. He is tempted and falls for it, but moreso, the bad guy uses his past as a lever for blackmail to force him to continue. Thus we see that even though he is struggling to go straight, he is not.

Really, there isn't much to comment about this movie anyway. In the end it is a standard action/comedy which doesn't really stand out that much. I enjoyed it, but it lacks any deep meaning, or simple plain fun, that elevates others movies above it.

Um..... Why?

[lasherxl · 1/10 · 18 January 2001]

This is one of those movies where you are wondering what Hollywood executive read over this project and said, "Yeah, this is a sure hit, it'll make us millions..". It tried so hard to be funny, but all in all it really tried too hard. It was like that old uncle everyone has that tries to tell jokes on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and he's laughing away, while the rest of us are rolling our eyes and wondering when dessert will be ready. It's really a shame this wasn't a better movie, Damon Wayans did some funny stuff in IN LIVING COLOUR.

Oh well, I guess they can't all be big hits...

Not great, but has a lot of funny moments

[Nostra1 · 7/10 · 13 August 2010]

Johnny Stewart (Damon Wayans) and Seymour Stewart (Marlon Wayans) are two brothers who make their living as con men. They make up a new hustle and find a new victim to get their money. Unfortunately they are not always able to stay out of jail. When Johny meets Amber Evans (Stacey Dash) he is immediately in love with her. In order to find the way to her heart he decides to get a normal job at the office where Ambers works.

Mo'Money is a nice comedy. An attempt has been made to add some suspense to the movie by adding a story line about credit card fraud. The execution of this disappoints, which makes it feel tacked on and rushed.

I like the humor in this movie and it's the main reason I watched it again. One scene in which the brothers walk into a dining and tear it up in order to get a free sandwich is hilarious. There are some other scenes which I also like (like the one where Seymour wakes up in the morning next to the girl he picked up the night before).

Mo'Money is not a movie everyone will like or laugh about, but it's one which I like enough to have watched it again after not having seen it for many years.

Another one of "Pat's Picks"

[adamzad · 2/10 · 12 March 2004]

Several years ago, I had a roommate whom I will call "Pat" to protect the not-so-innocent. He had a history of selecting the WORST movies. Schlock like Blue Velvet, Naked Lunch, and Wild At Heart. Mo' Money was another one of "Pat's Picks." It's a waste of good celluloid. I've seen detergents leave better film.

The writing was sophomoric. The acting was weak. The "humor" was juvenile. A 12 year old would find this movie funny, but no one over the age of 14 could think it anything short of an insult.

It might be worth the price of a rental for one reason and one reason only: Stacey Dash. I would turn down the sound and just enjoy that glorious smile, but then I'd miss her incredible voice. A little surgical clipping is in order. Blessed be the "mute" button.

Beyond that, don't waste your time or money. If, like myself, you want to see Stacey, look for her in other movies... Renaissance Man, for example... Heck, even Illegal In Blue had some redeeming aspects that are conspicuously lacking in Mo' Money.

Good

[manitobaman81 · 7/10 · 1 September 2014]

If you're a film collector, there are always a few films from your childhood you've been looking for for years. MO' MONEY was the last on my bucket list. It just became available at Blockbuster. I hadn't known the name of the film or its stars. Fortunately, I found it listed in the Forgotten Comedies book and would occasionally search for it on the net. The film is a cheap one that rises above these restrictions to produce a nice comedy. The major players are excellent. The comedy elements are unfortunate as they usually are in films like these, but I never forgot the Wayans sightings. Overall, I give it seven out of ten stars.

Old comedies were kinda racist

[baka_land · 3/10 · 20 June 2022]

It's not even funny, goofy ass characters and making fun of other minorities by stereotyping. It's silly and I get that most comedies in 90's were like that but at least they tried to have a better script.

Mo Funny

[Newsense · 10/10 · 29 March 2009]

This movie wont win any awards, get a fresh tomato on Rottentomatoes.com or be in the top 250 of IMDb(as if anybody cares what these stupid sheep think!) but it was still a funny movie and brought to you at a time when the Wayans Brothers were at the top of their game.

Story: Johnny Stewart(Damon Wayans) is a hustler that plans on going legit after meeting an attractive woman named Amber(Stacey Dash). So he gets a job as a mail room clerk and ends up stealing a credit card and goes on a shopping spree with his brother Seymour(Marlon Wayans). A roguish executive finds out and extorts Johnny to do his bidding.

The funniest scenes: every scene involving the beauty-challenged Charlotte is a riot. The scenes involving the lawyer that looks like a cross between Khujo Goodie of Goodie Mob and Rodney King is a hoot also. Damon and Marlon work well together on screen and generate the most laughs. Stacey Dash is great also as Amber. If you like to see the Wayans Brothers before they started making rubbish like Little Man than this movie is for you. Also recommended is the soundtrack to this movie.

I Challenge You to Categorize This

[monkeysgalore · 7/10 · 2 April 2020]

...What? What is this movie? Is it a lighthearted comedy? A romantic dramedy dealing with themes like social classes? A flashy and gritty action movie? A slick crime movie?

No one really knows. I bet the director doesn't even know.

Whatever it is, it's pretty fun. Damon and Marlon Wayans carry this movie on their backs, but because of them it ends up being pretty funny. The Wayans brothers were at the height of their popularity in the 90s, and they made several vehicles. Well make no mistake, but this is an unashamed vehicle for the Wayans brothers, mainly Damon.

There are some funny jokes and moments, but the movie is a hybrid genre movie, and that kind of hurts it here. It effects everything because it doesn't juggle the genres well. Part comedy, part action, part romance, it all comes together and creates a jumbled mess that does sort of work. It starts out as a violent thriller, moves into comedy, develops the romance and the crime subplot, and ends as an OTT action movie.

The action sequences are surprisingly good. There's a good foot chase in the beginning, a brief prison fight scene, the office scene, and the long climax. The climax consists of a car chase which seamlessly slips into a car and foot chase, which ends in a weirdly brutal final fight. Pretty entertaining stuff.

If you can handle a movie that never quite figures itself out or knows what it is, and if you just want a light comedy, then go ahead with this. But make sure it's your best option.

A Comedy To Watch. Only To Watch !

[elshikh4 · 14 November 2009]

I watched it, and kind of liked it. But after 4 years, I ran into it in some channel, to discover that I forgot it wholly. And I'm not that someone who forgets movies that he watched. So why that happened?

It's surely related to everything this movie made, and me. Actually "me" just hated the mean personality of this movie sometimes with all the free sarcasm of the fat women, the neurologically-sick people; namely the old employee of the company with the trembling nick, and the mentally-handicapped people as well which is the ugliest bottom this movie hit.

The rest of the 2 lead's stuff wasn't funny either. There was a complete nut job evil guy, too exaggerated action scenes where Damon Wayans transforms into Batman!, let alone some things that bothered my stomach to the max; such as (Marlon Wayans) and (Almayvonne).

So, what's here to be loved? It's easy: Somehow the plot. And (Damon Wayans)'s performance. Generally, (Mo' Money) isn't a bad movie. It's just offensive at some places, unfunny at many, and have-not when it comes to any excellent factor. Still the good parts make it something to watch. But not to laugh with!