Money Talk$ (2025)

-Written by Bryan Miller. 

2025 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW! 

Have you ever wondered what kinds of people and bizarre situations an inanimate object encounters in its daily journey? If the answer is yes, Money Talk$, directed and co-written by Tony Mucchi, is your kind of movie. Following a single hundred-dollar bill as it makes its way across 1981 New York City, this short film offers a window into a variety of lives stretching from a young, birthday boy to an overly eager pimp and a stripper with a heart of gold. It’s a compelling concept, but one weighed down by thin characterization and an overdone setting.

So, what worked?

I loved the premise. I’ve always been a fan of vignette-style films, where different stories are loosely connected by a shared object or theme. The hundred-dollar bill was a clever narrative device. I’ve never really thought about where money has been or where it's going, and using it to thread these stories together offered a unique perspective. Especially considering that in the 1980s, $100 was worth nearly $400 today, it raised the stakes of each transaction. The concept was smart and original.

Then what did not work?

Unfortunately, the characters fell flat. Maybe with a longer runtime this could’ve been remedied, but at just 33 minutes, there wasn’t enough time to get invested in anyone. The only character who resonated with me was the adolescent boy though this was due to the fact that I saw myself in him. The rest felt more like sketches than people. Many bordered on caricature, especially the pimp, the addict, and the cab driver (who, I hope, was meant to be comic relief). I get that we’re diving into the grittier corners of 1980s NYC, but I needed more substance to care about their fates. The drug dealer’s tragic backstory, for example, just didn’t land because it wasn’t earned.

Director Mucci certainly brought visual flair. Money Talk$ is gritty, stylish, and full of energy. Some of the shots really pop. But for all the glitz, I never felt immersed in the setting, which leads to my second major issue. This story beats you over the head with its setting. Ever since Stranger Things, filmmakers seem obsessed with the 1980s. I’m not against it, but here it felt like cosplay rather than authenticity. The references were constant and heavy-handed as if the film was trying too hard to remind me what decade I was in. A good period piece should feel like its era, not announce it in every scene. The over-saturation of 80s nostalgia undercut the film’s atmosphere and made it feel more like a themed exhibit than a living, breathing world.

All in all, I was never bored. Money Talk$ moves quickly and keeps you engaged throughout its 33-minute runtime. Mucci clearly has style and vision, and I’d love to see what he could do with a fuller budget and a bit more room to breathe. This short, however, is built to slap you in the face with nostalgia while offering a gritty, occasionally cynical, look at what a hundred-dollar bill can buy—mostly bad, occasionally good.

Directed by Tony Mucci. 

Written by David Mazouz & Tony Mucci. 

Starring Ethan Cutkosky, David Mazouz, Fredro Starr, Zolee Griggs, Claudia Robinson, etc. 

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