All the Money in the World

All the Money in the World Information

All the Money in the World is a 2017 crime thriller film directed by Ridley Scott and written by David Scarpa, based on John Pearson's 1995 book Painfully Rich: The Outrageous Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Heirs of J. Paul Getty. It stars Michelle Williams, Christopher Plummer, Mark Wahlberg, Romain Duris, Charlie Plummer, Andrew Buchan, and Timothy Hutton. The film depicts J. Paul Getty's refusal to cooperate with the extortion demands of a group of kidnappers from the organized crime Mafia group 'Ndrangheta, who abducted his grandson John Paul Getty III in 1973.

Kevin Spacey originally portrayed J. Paul Getty, appearing in the film's initial marketing campaign. However, after multiple sexual assault allegations were leveled against Spacey, the role was recast with Christopher Plummer, who was Scott's original choice for the role. Scenes were reshot just a month prior to the film's release.

All the Money in the World premiered at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills on December 18, 2017, and was theatrically released in the United States by TriStar Pictures on December 25, 2017. The film received positive reviews with critics praising the performances, particularly Plummer's, and received three nominations at the 75th Golden Globe Awards: Best Director, Best Actress - Drama (Williams), and Best Supporting Actor (Plummer).

Plot

In 1973, 16-year-old J. P. "Paul" Getty III, grandson of oil tycoon J. Paul Getty, is kidnapped in Rome by an organized crime ring. The kidnappers demand a ransom of $17 million from Paul's mother, Gail Harris. Through flashbacks we learn that Paul's parents are divorced and Gail rejected any alimony in exchange for full custody of her children in the divorce settlement, so she does not have the means to pay the ransom. She travels to Getty's estate to implore him to pay the ransom, but he publicly refuses, stating that it would encourage further kidnappings on his family members. The media picks up on the story, with many believing Gail to be rich herself and blaming her for the refusal to pay the ransom. Meanwhile, Getty asks Fletcher Chase, a Getty Oil negotiator and former CIA operative, to investigate the case and secure Paul's release.

Paul is kept hostage in a remote location in Italy. Initially his captors are warm with him, particularly Cinquanta, as the boy's quiet and submissive demeanor causes few problems. However, things grow tense as weeks go by without the ransom being paid, far longer than they anticipated. Arguments arise over whether to move Paul to a new location as winter is approaching and their hideout is not suitable for cold conditions. Things get worse when one of the kidnappers accidentally shows his face to Paul, prompting one of the others to kill the man for his mistake. His burned and disfigured body is recovered in the river; investigators erroneously identify the body as Paul's, but Gail examines the body and refutes this.

Using the new lead of the body, Chase is able to pinpoint the hideout where Paul is being held. A raid is conducted with several kidnappers being killed, but Paul is no longer there; he had been sold to a new crime organization. The new captors are less patient with Paul and negotiate more aggressively with the Getty family to receive their payment. After repeated negotiations with Gail and Chase, and frustration from the captors at how long the process was taking, they lower the asking price to $4 million. Getty finally decides to contribute to the ransom, but only $1 million - the maximum amount that he can claim as tax deductible. He also will only do so if Gail signs a legal document waiving her parental rights to Paul and her other children, giving them to Getty. She reluctantly signs them.

The kidnappers cut off one of Paul's ears and mail it to a major newspaper, claiming that they will continue mutilating him until the ransom is paid. Berated by an exasperated Chase, Getty finally relents and agrees to pay the full ransom, also voiding the parental agreement with Gail. Gail and Chase take the money to Italy and follow specific instructions from the captors, leaving the money in a remote location and receiving orders to pick up Paul from a construction site. However, a frightened Paul runs away from the site towards the nearest town miles away. Meanwhile the captors realize that Chase has broken his word and led the police to them; angry, they decide to find and kill Paul. Chase, Gail, and the captors arrive at the town to look for Paul. One of the kidnappers finds Paul first, but Cinquanta attacks the man to allow Paul to escape. Chase and Gail find him and smuggle him out of the country to safety.

Getty dies of unrelated causes, and Gail is tasked with managing her children's inherited wealth until they are of age. The company was set up as a charitable trust, which meant that Getty's income was tax-free but also unspendable. He had invested much of it in paintings, sculptures and other artifacts, which Gail begins to organize for sale. Most of them now reside in the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Cast

Michelle Williams as Gail Harris, Getty III's mother.
Christopher Plummer as J. Paul Getty, Getty III's grandfather.
Mark Wahlberg as Fletcher Chase, Gail and Getty's advisor and former CIA operative.
Charlie Plummer as John Paul Getty III, Jean Paul's grandson.
- Charlie Shotwell as Young John Paul Getty III
Romain Duris as Cinquanta, one of Getty lll's abductors.
Marco Leonardi as Mammoliti, one of Getty lll's abductors and Cinquanta's boss.
Timothy Hutton as Oswald Hinge, Getty's attorney.
Andrew Buchan as John Paul Getty Jr., Getty's son.
Giuseppe Bonifati as Giovanni Iacovoni, Gail's attorney.
Kit Cranston as Young Mark Getty
Maya Kelly as Young Aileen Getty
Kevin Spacey as J. Paul Getty (uncredited), appears in parts of the film

Production

Development

On March 13, 2017, it was reported that Ridley Scott was finalizing plans to direct the David Scarpa-scripted All the Money in the World, a film about the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III. Scott stated that he was attracted to the project because of Scarpa's script, adding "I just consumed it [...] I knew about the kidnapping, but this story was very, very provocative... Gail Getty was an exceptional character, and there are many facets of the man Getty that make him a really great study. There's this great dynamic. It was like a play, and not a movie."

Casting

Natalie Portman was initially pursued for the role of Gail Harris. On March 31, 2017, it was reported that Michelle Williams and Kevin Spacey or Gary Oldman were circling the roles of Harris and J. Paul Getty, respectively, while Mark Wahlberg was in talks for an unspecified role. On casting Spacey, Scott stated, "When I read the script, I started thinking, 'Who was Paul Getty?' In my mind, I saw Kevin Spacey. Kevin's a brilliant actor, but I've never worked with him, and I always knew I would have to have him portray Getty in this film [...] He was so obsessed with what he was doing [...] He wasn't giving people a second thought." In regards to Williams, Scott stated that while she was not his first choice, "Michelle is very special as an actress, and I've never done anything with her before [...] The family was very private and there was very little footage of [Gail], but around the kidnapping, there was one particular interview she did that Michelle jumped at, and it shows Gail Getty being very assertive, very smart," both qualities Williams possessed. On May 2, Charlie Plummer joined the cast as John Paul Getty III. Timothy Hutton was added to the cast on June 16.

Initial filming

On May 31, 2017, it was reported that All the Money in the World had begun principal photography. Filming continued at Elveden Hall in west Suffolk for a week at the end of July. The aristocratic Grade II-listed stately home was used to represent a Moroccan palace in the filming of a series of flashback scenes. Kevin Spacey worked for just ten days on the film. The original production reportedly concluded in August.

Recasting of J. Paul Getty

Beginning in late October, numerous sexual harassment and sexual assault allegations were made against Spacey, who had played J. Paul Getty in the by-then completed film. The allegations resulted in the film's planned premiere at the AFI Fest on November 16 being cancelled, as well as the project's Academy Awards campaign - which focused on Spacey's supporting role - being reworked.

On November 8, it was announced that although the film was otherwise ready for release, reshoots had been commissioned to replace Spacey with Christopher Plummer in the role of J. Paul Getty. Despite his earlier statements that Spacey had been his first choice, Scott clarified that Plummer had been his original choice for Getty, and that studio executives had persuaded him to cast the "bigger name", Spacey, instead.

Reshoots with Plummer began on November 20 and ended on the 29th, with the first footage of him in the role released in a new trailer the same day. The decision reportedly cost millions of dollars in rush fees, among others, to still meet the film's previously announced December 22 release, later changed to December 25. Williams and Wahlberg agreed to reshoot their scenes with Plummer for free.

Spacey was not completely excised from the film. He appears in some wide shots that would have been too expensive to re-shoot and not within the deadline for release.

Editing

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly for their December 8 issue, Scott commented on working with editor Claire Simpson on the reshot Plummer sequences for the final cut of the film, stating: "I've done it. I've been shooting since Monday and in with the editor every night since then. We're not dealing with celluloid anymore; it's all digital, and I send [the footage each day] to [editor Claire Simpson] and she cuts it, and I can go in and look after shooting. Everything I've shot is already in [the final cut] up through yesterday morning".

Release

The film premiered at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, California on December 18, 2017. In the United States, the film was originally slated for a release on December 22, 2017, but two weeks prior to its debut, it was pushed to December 25, to avoid competition with Star Wars: The Last Jedi.

Box office

, All the Money in the World has grossed $20.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $7.5 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $27.6 million, against a production budget of $50 million.

On Christmas Day, the film's opening day, it grossed $2.6 million from 2,068 theaters. In its first full weekend the film made $5.4 million from 2,074 theaters, finishing 7th at the box office. In its second weekend the film made $3.6 million, dropping 36% and finishing 10th.

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 76% based on 157 reviews, with an average rating of 7/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "All the Money in the World offers an absorbing portrayal of a true story, brought compellingly to life by a powerful performance from Christopher Plummer." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 72 out of 100, based on 44 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale.

Writing for The Hollywood Reporter, Todd McCarthy said, "[Scott and Plummer] show what they're made of in All the Money in the World, a terrifically dexterous and detailed thriller about the Italian mob's 1973 kidnapping for ransom of the grandson of the world's richest man, John Paul Getty [sic]." Matt Zoller Seitz of RogerEbert.com gave the film three out of four stars, commending it as a whole despite criticizing the middle section as repetitive, and the character of J. Paul Getty being "repugnant" without proper context. He stated that "The film is also a testament to the awesome work ethic of its 80-year old but still apparently tireless director, who fired Kevin Spacey.... they're worth noting because the end product is much better than anyone could have expected, considering the challenges faced and met by all involved."

Writing for The New Yorker, David Edelstein gave a strong review for the performance of Michelle Williams in the film, stating: "My guess is that there was one overriding factor in Scott's decision to rebuild sets and summon back his actors (after the Spacey controversy): The fear that Spacey's presence would distract the world (which includes Oscar voters) from the marvelous performance of Michelle Williams as Gail. It's a real transformation. I've never heard this diction from her before "? sharp, with a hint of North Shore (i.e., old money) Long Island and perhaps a Kennedy or two. (The real Gail grew up in San Francisco but was well acquainted with the cadences of the East Coast rich.) Through the tension in her body and intensity of her voice, Williams conveys not just the terror of losing a son but the tragic absurdity of bearing the illustrious name Getty when family ties confer zero power."

Accolades

Award	Date of ceremony	Category	Recipient(s) and nominee(s)
Golden Globe Awards	January 7, 2018	Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama	Michelle Williams
		Best Director - Motion Picture	Ridley Scott
		Best Supporting Actor - Motion Picture	Christopher Plummer