NYC, the Grand Stage

The theme of acting is ever-present in Money, the characters seem to be playing their own dysfunctional role in what at times seems to be a mockumentary on the production of a big budget Hollywood movie; Lorne Guyland is the ageing past his prime who still wishes to stamp his authority as a senior (even though he would despise being labeled as such) member of the cast; Caduta Massi, the motherly figure on the set who is beginning to have self-confidence issues regarding her body having been a sex icon for the majority of her career; Butch Beausoleil, the young actress who would be more suitable for pornography but convinces John Self to employ her by having sex with him; Spunk Davis, the young up-and-coming actor who is so into his ‘art’ that it becomes ridiculous and sucks up to the director; and finally, the director himself, John Self, a schizophrenic mess/drunk (though he begins to drink less near the end) who could have a breakdown at any moment. This ensemble of characters leads to a hilarious story in which each person is attempting to outdo the other in their absurdness and craziness. The protagonist himself, John, constantly puts on a different persona when he is in New York City than when he is in London. Being his home, John cannot put up a fake appearance whilst in London; he’s just another fat, ugly bloke who has honed his brutish fighting skills after years of street and bar brawls. However, when he’s in New York City, he becomes a respectable figure, despite his terrible rug and his protruding beer gut, almost solely due to his British accent. In NYC, others inevitably give him the role of the intelligent, artistic, European director even though all evidence points to the exact opposite. New York City is his grand stage, the place where he can be the man he wished he was, a man with power, money, respect, and loads of women.