How horrible is the trailer for Katherine Heigl’s ‘One for the Money’?

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There isn’t enough “NOOOOOOOOOO!”s in the world. The trailer for One for the Money is out, and… dear God, this film just looks AWFUL. I’m saying that as a once-devoted fan of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books, and I’m also saying that as a fan of films in general. What in God’s name possessed Hollywood producers to cast Katherine Heigl as Stephanie Plum? What in God’s name possessed them to put together this supremely ODD supporting cast? OK, if you feel like having a rage stroke, watch the trailer:

My thoughts, in no particular order:

* I like Debbie Reynolds. But she’s wrong for Grandma Mazur. Grandma Mazur is more Cloris Leachman than Debbie Reynolds. You can’t just stick some random old lady in that role. You have to cast an old lady who can play “I don’t give a flying f–k” CRAZY.

*I actually love Jason O’Mara. He’s sexy as hell, he’s a wonderfully underrated comedic and dramatic actor, and he’s lovely. But he’s SO WRONG for Morelli. Morelli needs to be dark, broody and Italian, not spunky and Irish (which Jason is).

*Daniel Sunjata as Ranger? Hell to the no. NO. NO NO NO NO NO. (And I like Sunjata too, but NOOOOOO as Ranger.)

*Sherri Shepherd as Lula is the only bright spot as far as casting. She’s perfect, and the only time I chuckled was when she was on screen.

*As for Katherine Heigl… NO. The hokey Jersey accent, the awful hair (Stephanie’s hair is very specific, and this isn’t it), and the ACTING. Look, I think Heigl is capable of being a decent actress, I really do. But I just don’t like how she’s interpreting the Plum character, and she simply doesn’t look enough like the character for there to be this big of a discrepancy with the story. They’ve fundamentally misjudged WHO Stephanie is – part of that is the fault of producers and whoever adapted it. Part of it is Heigl’s fault.

*The fact that this film keeps getting pushed back (it will now be released in January) doesn’t give me any additional confidence that this is some diamond in the rough.

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Photos courtesy of WENN.

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75 Responses to “How horrible is the trailer for Katherine Heigl’s ‘One for the Money’?”

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  1. Canuck says:

    Will NEVER see this. These are one of my “airplane book” staples, but the casting is atrocious. Morelli should have been someone like Gilles Marini, not an Irishman. You’d think that these people read completely different books than the rest of us did.

  2. Jenn WInd says:

    What bothers me the most is that they don’t have Vincent being her cousin. She seriously acts like she doesn’t know him. At least that is what it seems like in the trailer. That is a HUGE plat point with the book. I really hope I am wrogn and they didn;t screw that up.

    I don’t think the casting is good at all. Ranger is wrong for me, and Morelli is too. Both men need to be even sexier, and Morelli just needs to brood more. I’m not sure who I would have picked, but it is not who they DID pick.

    That being said I am going to go see it. I love those books, and I just can not go and check it out. I mean there has never been another series of books that had gotten me kicked out of bed for laughing by my very grumpy husband that I woke up with my giggles!

  3. LAK says:

    As a stephanie plum nerd…. NNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO X infinity.

    This film has been in development hell since the book came out in the 90s.Everybody has been attached to it. Did you know there was a very bad TV movie made in early 2000s by the very same producers. Personally i always thought the series would make a really good TV show. The fact that they keep pushing the release date is indeed a very bad sign especially given the huge inbuilt ready made fanbase of the books.

    Maybe it will turn out like buffy, ie bad film, turned into great TV show.

    One final thing, Heigl wasn’t just cast in it, she came on board as a producer, so we can blame her as much as the ongoing producers for this turd.

  4. Charmander says:

    At least her hair looks WAY better on the poster than it does in that terrifying second to last one.

  5. po says:

    I haven’t read the book so I don’t have any idea of what the characters should be but the movie looks like one if those really bad ones on LMN.

  6. xxodettexx says:

    i am a HUGE fan of the Stephanie Plum books and i think that this trailer is a travesty! so many things wrong with casting [agree that lula is the one freaking bright spot but it was bc she interpreted lula’s character very well, that said: lula should be a much bigger woman!!]

    but everything else is so SO wrong, stephanie plum is half italian and half hungarian and heigl is just wrong as stephanie; ranger – terrible; morelli – horrible; grandma mazur – please!

    i am not surprised that hollywood has ruined another of my favorite book characters, its what they do

  7. Whothefiis says:

    I really hate book fanatics. Get a life. It’s just a book. Who cares? And evanovich is for bored old ladies anyway.

  8. Sunnyjyl says:

    It makes me sad that this was so miscast. I’ll probably see it anyway just because but, Boo Hoo!

  9. Leo Le Pew says:

    I loved the books…………..bought them as soon as they came out. When I saw the casting…………that was it. It ruined the whole series for me. Definatly will not see the movie……….and never buying another of the books. UGH !

  10. Sweepea says:

    Her face in the film poster is obviously photoshopped… or airbrushed? Whatever the right term is, it’s badly done.

  11. cr says:

    Jason O’Mara isn’t doing it for me as Joe. Could be worse though, there’s a thread on the IMDB boards, someone wanted Gerard Butler as Joe. And Orlando Bloom as Ranger.

  12. Lacey says:

    I was a huge fan of these books– I’m really hoping the movie isn’t a disaster.

  13. katyalia says:

    I think the Morelli guy could actually work. Yes, he’s supposed to be Italian, but nobody says that there need to be 2 dark guys.
    I’ve always pictured Naveen Andrews for Ranger, he can pull off long hair and masculinity. The prissy girly guy they have now cast does not.
    And Heigl is just wrong. Absolutely and ulitmately wrong. The woman has no charm whatsoever. As it turns out her only selling point seems to be her hair, because with that wig she is simply not attractive.

  14. Bella Mama says:

    morelli might work. lula does work. connie might work.

    heigl? no
    debbie reynolds? no
    ranger? no

    • Evanofan says:

      Agreed. The Ranger actor is cute BUT far too short and his voice is too high – not nearly low and sexy enough. He’s too pretty and not enough “sexy”. I would have totally pick for Jason Momoa for Ranger.

      Debbie Reynolds is too “sweet” to play Grandma Mazur. I would have picked Estelle Getty first, but since she’s no longer with us, Cloris Leachman would have been a great second. I can picture Cloris Leachman getting into trouble whereas, I can’t picture Debbie Reynolds. Sorry Debbie Reynolds, but you are no Grandma Mazur.

      I don’t have much of a problem with Heigl’s physical appearance (except she doesn’t have blue eyes) as Stephanie, but her Jersey accent is terrible.

      Sherri Shepherd is great as Lula. Vinnie is okay, as is Connie.

      For me, Morelli is the hardest to cast. He’s so specific to all of our imaginations. But the guy they picked reeealy disappoints me. For on thing, he’s Irish and has blue eyes. Hello casting director… Jason O’Mara doesn’t exactly yell “Italian heartthrob!” in the slightest. He seems charming enough so there’s a very slim chance he might be able to pull it off, but he’s not the Morelli in my head. I haven’t found the actor that would truly fit that roll. Perhaps Eric Bana or Joe Flanigan… I don’t know. Morelli is a tough one. I can picture him perfectly in my head, but I have yet to find the actor that really fits that image.

      It might be a fun movie to go see, but it won’t be One For the Money – at least not “my” One For the Money.

  15. Coco says:

    It doesn’t look so bad to me…yep I said it.

  16. Becky says:

    I haven’t read any of the books so I can’t comment on that end, however, it looks like a crappy movie irregardless. Not unbelievably bad, just your general garden variety crappy. I’ve never heard of Jason O’Mara before but he’s cute!

  17. Sweepea says:

    Whothefiis –
    “I really hate book fanatics. Get a life. It’s just a book. Who cares? ”

    Have you ever read a book, let alone one you’ve been deeply passionate about and would hate to have that book turned into a (potentially) hilariously bad film?

    There are countless film adaptations – To Kill A Mockingbird, Remains of the Day, The Shining, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, A Clockwork Orange, 1984 to name a few – all based on great and wonderful novels and with a fanbase who are satisfied to go over the same pages over and over again, to debate and discuss the underlying themes and symbolism; these fans would not like to have their beloved books butchered on the big screen (and thankfully they weren’t)

    To be clear, I’ve never read One for the Money nor have I read any books by Janet E., but your post just smacks of ignorance. I know that you’re pertaining to this one book only, but to say that a book is “just a book. Who cares?” is an insult for any avid reader. It’s like dismissing the books listed in the Top 100 Novels as irrelevant and consequently throwing away the extent of the influence of literature on us puny human beings – yes, I know I’m being melodramatic but I don’t care.

  18. Michi says:

    Hey, where’s Rex???

  19. poopie says:

    i have read ALL of the Plum books and always thought SANDRA BULLOCK for the Steph character. Ranger character is okay; Betty White for Gran Mazur.

  20. Hunchback Geek says:

    Seriously, I’d would watch this one. All of the actors in the film have good timing and experience, they can deliver their lines with confidence. I remember when everyone was whining about Renee Zellweger being cast as Bridget before the first Bridget Jone’s Diary came out and it was great.

  21. Dee says:

    NO! I love the books this looks horrible. The casting – it looks like it has been turned into every other horrible Katherine movie.

  22. Kath & Kim says:

    Don’t know the books but the trailer doesn’t look that bad.

  23. Rhiley says:

    I don’t know the books either so don’t have an idea of how the characters should be portrayed; however Heigl’s accent is horrible and is reason enough not to see the movie. I hate when people attempt an accent and do it poorly. Just don’t do it all.

  24. Shannon says:

    I’ve never read these books, but I can tell from the trailer that this is a role suited for Julia Roberts, not Katherine Heigl. She’s just too babyfaced to pull off the part convincingly. And the fake slightly New Jersey accent is killing it even more :/ I think the only saving grace will be the script. It does look like it’s a funny one. And maybe the older characters will pull the movie together where Katherine can’t? Or perhaps I’m being too optimistic.

  25. June says:

    I don’t do romcoms or Katherine what’s her name, but it looks goofy and stupid and oddly endearing. However, that role screams Bullock, not her.

  26. the original bellaluna says:

    Orlando Bloom as Ranger?!?!?!? Are you f’ing kidding me? He’s way too short! And whimpy.

    Lula is the only bright spot in this film, but Lula is a MUCH BIGGER woman than Sherri.

    KH is in no way, shape, or form Stephanie Plum.

    I could see Betty White as Gramma Mazur. She’s got the funny to OWN that role. I would say Bea Arthur, but (God love her!) she’s no longer with us.

  27. sauvage says:

    No. I read the books and I loved them. I know Jason O’Mara as psycho killer on “The Closer” and he’s a good actor. But Morelli he’s not. Same goes for Daniel Sunjata – know him as psycho rapist on “Lie to me”. Good actor. Ranger he’s not.

    I have actually never ever seen Katherine Heigl act, so I don’t know anything about that. But Stephanie Plum she’s not.

    No.

  28. Chloe (not chloe) says:

    So the general idea is that it’s like that movie with Aniston and Gerry Butler except in reverse? I’d be curious to see which one’s worse, but I’d have to watch them. Tough choice.

  29. JaneWonderfalls says:

    Katherine ruins every movie for me.

  30. girlwithapearl says:

    I HATE KATHERINE HEIGL SO MUC I JST

  31. Mary says:

    Oh god, at first I tought that was the duchess of cambridge

  32. TP says:

    oh no! Bounty Hunter redux

  33. dilettante says:

    I always pictured Benjamin Bratt for Ranger.

  34. Linnie says:

    Well said, Sweepea. Whothefiis is not too bright.

  35. Sue says:

    I no nothing of the books and I have to say this move looks funny to me.

  36. Elizabeth says:

    I might go see it. I have never read the books, so I’m not invested in how the characters are portrayed there. The movie is ALWAYS different, darlings, you just have to adapt or don’t go.

  37. Leonie says:

    I didn’t even know about the books, but this trailer looks pretty damn amusing to me! I’d totally go see it.

  38. Camille says:

    I’ve never read the books so I can’t judge this movie on anything but what it is- and it looks awful. Just awful. Heigl obviously can’t do accents either.

  39. Hautie says:

    That is the thing about the books, the characters were so well written. And I am willing to take all of the cast choices. I like both actors playing Morelli and Ranger… both pretty. Both I like to see naked! 🙂

    And I can even deal with them screwing with the whole premise of the book.

    But I can not take Debbie Reynolds as Grandma Mazur.

    Mazur is such a huge part of the books. With her humor and the fact she was not some dolled up female… with a full face of MAC.

    She is…
    http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0346893/

    This is who should have been casted. Ann Morgan Guilbert. (She played Millie Helper on the old Dick Van Dyke Show.)

    And she is excellent when she plays crazy older ladies. I can not fathom how she was not casted. She is tiny. She has not screwed with her face. And she would have enough sense not to play Grandma Mazur with a face lift and a MAC force field.

  40. Samigirl says:

    I LOVE Stephanie Plum. I’m currently re-reading ALL of the books (for maybe the 20th time-no exaggeration). This movie is going to suck. Big time. But…I’ll go see it. I still say it would have been better as a tv show.

    @whothefiis, I started reading these books in high school. I’m 25. Not old…at all. They’re amusing and a great escape. If you don’t like people who love books, then stay off of a thread about them.

  41. Anne de Vries says:

    Oh dear oh dear. I’m indifferent on the Ranger and Morelli casting, but grandma Mazur is all wrong and of course Heigl should never have come near this project. She is SO SO out of place here

  42. Carolyn says:

    Freak me out. I liked it. As a huge fan of the novels I was all ready to hate this and I go out of my way to avoid Heigl movies. But I really really liked it! Will go-see with my best friend. She’s Team Ranger and I’m Team Morelli. The casting is slightly not-right (Bullock for Plum) but the one liners and storyline taken from the novels will save it.

  43. Debby says:

    O.M.G. I kept hoping the movie would die before it was born – I have read the books for years – Heigl is so NOT Stephanie I just can’t even begin to say how miscast she is. And, an Irishman playing an Italian? o.O Well, I guess in Hollywood think they both start with “I”? Count me among the no sees.

  44. Mitch Buchanan Rocks says:

    Katherine looks so much like Hayden Panetierre.

  45. loveyourwork says:

    I think the movie looks cute! I like Katherine Heigl’s acting.

    And her hair looks great dark brown – she should dye it and stop rocking the Malibu Grandma look.

  46. Meadowlark says:

    I don’t care about the books at all (and if the plot is about a hot woman becoming a bounty hunter, I’m glad I’ve never heard about this series). That being said, this movie doesn’t look like my kind of movie. I’m waiting for Katherine Heigl/Jen Aniston/Kate Hudson/Sandra Bullock to play characters who don’t make me want to throw-up.

  47. Lindsay says:

    Whothefiis: yeah no one has ever learned anything from books. Tabloid fodder is so much more important and have the possibility of lasting generations longer than the author or original subject matter. This book may not be one for the ages; but all books, seriously?!

    Hunchback Geek – I’d = I would

  48. The Original Ashley says:

    Wow they got everyone wrong (except Lula I guess).

    The fact that this is being released in the no man’s land that is January says it all. The only movies that get released in January are the sh-tty ones the studios know no one will pay for. That’s the worst month to catch a flick at the theater.

    Oh well just like Shopoholic and the rest of the bad adapts, we’ll have to pretend like this doesn’t exist.

  49. Green_Eyes says:

    Totally agree a Sandra B role… LOL or Angelina, but no way Heigel!

  50. The Original Ashley says:

    Hautie – Yetta from “The Nanny” would have been a good one. Personally I do like the idea of Lechman though, she’s bawdy enough for the role. Yetta’s too sweet.

  51. cr says:

    poopie, Sandra Bullock would have been alright-back in the 90’s when the book first came out.
    The Original Bellaluna: the IMBD poster who suggested Bloom, well obviously they had reading comprehension skills. There is no way in hades that Bloom would be Ranger.
    Meadowlark, these are fun books. Not great literature, but fun.

  52. Daryn says:

    Sorry but I can’t help but notice that Celebitchy hates Heigl with a passion so this couldnt be more unobjective. It is just a basic lets slam Heigl again article. Kinda getting boring really. Change the record guys. I love the books and the movie looks fun and she does a decent job from what I can see.

  53. mrsezc says:

    I saw the trailer for this today and I was saying the same thing .. HELL TO F*** NO!! Couldn’t they get a REAL actress?? As for Grandma Mazur I pictured Estelle Getty for the role (but RIP) she’d of been perfect!! As for Ranger & Morelli .. I am sooooo not feeling the love here .. I’m disappointed in the whole mess, but as a fan of the book I will see it just to bitch about it.

  54. jjrox says:

    The only casting I liked were Sheri Shephard and the old man. Ranger is by far the worst. I mean that guy is hot but not the Ranger kind of hot. He needs to be a more swarthy Alcide ( Trublood).

  55. loop says:

    it looks sooooo bad, it has to be good. ok, the movie might really suck, but what i see here is a tv star! as in, she needs to get back on TV, staring in her own show, something action-comedy

  56. mzfilo55 says:

    I hate everything Heigl is in. She acts the same in ALL her movies!! Don’t know how she got this far sucking this bad!!

  57. Flounder says:

    I know she gets a bad rep, but I like her! I’m seeing it!

  58. KLO says:

    I really don’t get the Heigl-Hate besides the rumors that she might be a bitch on-set.
    I have liked her in everything she’s been in.
    And why the brunette-hate? XD
    i think she looks way sexier as a brunette, it brings out her huge doll-eyes better.

  59. Bite me says:

    Oh my

  60. poopie says:

    The guy who plays RAFE on Days of our Lives would be PERFECT for RANGER !

  61. Samigirl says:

    Ok, so I don’t think Jason O’Mara is right for Morelli, looks wise, but his attitude is perfect. IMO, he’s the best thing about the trailer. Also, Stephanie’s dad doesn’t talk that much. In that one trailer, he said more than he does in all 20 books. Seriously.

  62. Lindy says:

    I like the Plum books and honestly, I think Heigel will be great in the role. I agree about the casting for Moreli, though. Anyhow, I like Heigel a lot, and think she’s a pretty good actress (who works on getting better and better).

  63. Heatheradair says:

    What’s funny about reading all of these comments is how DIFFERENTLY we all imagined Morelli/Ranger. I always sort of had a modified version of “The Rock” for Ranger (but the Rock is too goofy, so like, a sort of morphed, hot-version of that same size, physique). Always got stuck on an actor I thought Morelli looked like — he was very distinct in my mind, but couldn’t find an actor that would work…..

    Either way — of course I’m in agreement that Heigl is ALL WRONG. BUT — I’m wondering if they can manage to smother her obnoxiousness in enough decent supporting characters to make her a moot point.

    Hope so — I actually polished through the first 3 Plum books in one day when I started reading them – they’re fluff crack that you can’t put down, so if H-wood would get it RIGHT, they’d have a huge franchise on their hands with a built-in base of devoted fans.

    looks like another fail, here.

  64. Sue says:

    to Coco #15: I agree with you. I have never read the books – don’t know who this Stephanie Plum is so the comments about miscasting really mean nothing. If this movie was not based on a book, would everyone be complaining about the casting? On its own, it’s not that bad although KH really hasn’t made good movie choices lately so perhaps this was another error on her part.

  65. Crash says:

    What a stupid comment. It IS based on a book. A very beloved series. Therefore, obviously, the casting matters. And as another Stephanie Plum fan I agree. The casting is completely off. The worst being Heigl as Plum.

  66. Happy21 says:

    This is a day old but I have got to weigh in!

    I am a fan of the Stephanie Plum books – more so the first 10 or so before they got to be a little much but I still read them all to see what Stephanie will get herself into.

    I couldn’t even watch the trailer. All I had to do was scroll down and see what was said to know that I will hate this movie and will NOT see it. I like KH. She’s cute and I like most movies she is in. If she can’t hack the Jersey accent though then its ruined even before it was made. I have no idea who should play Stephanie and maybe it would have been KH if she could pull the part off. Her hair needs to be curly though, not just brown.

    Lulu, not too sure. Maybe the actress they’ve picked will work. Grandma Mazur is Betty White or Cloris Leachman for sure. In my mind I’ve always picture Morelli as the actor who played Glen on the Wedding Singer (not too sure why) and Ranger is the Rock (not when he was HUGE but now that he’s more lean and muscular).

    Its too bad. They probably could have done a bang up job of this movie if they really tried.

  67. nanster says:

    I loved the Stephanie Plum books – the latest ones have not been as good, though. Looks like we’re all in agreement about the casting – they could have done a better job. As far as the dream cast goes, I also pictured The Rock as Ranger. I always pictured a better looking and younger Joe Pesce as Morelli. A younger Sandra Bullock or even Marisa Tomei would have been perfect for Stephanie and Estelle Getty would have been great as Grandma Mazur.

  68. KateNonymous says:

    I stopped reading the Stephanie Plum novels a long time ago–they started to all feel the same. Down to the exploding cars (I know, it was supposed to be an inside joke, I just thought it didn’t work).

    But there’s nothing about this that is right. It looks godawful.

  69. crtb says:

    I only read one book. Movies looks cute to me

  70. Firecracker says:

    Heigl looks HORRIBLE in this. Yuck, she is not Stephanie at all. I like the books, they are very entertaining. Only ones I like that seem close to the books are Lula and Connie.
    Ranger needs to be more of a smokin hottie, like everyone else has said, Morelli needs to be better looking.

  71. Chrissy says:

    I think her hair looks way better in the movie than real life. I can’t stand her fake accent in the trailer. I didn’t read this book, so I guess to me it doesn’t look awful, but I’m just not a fan of her stuff. I saw her in “Love Comes Softly” which is a totally different kind of book/movie, but I didn’t think she was really right for that either. I couldn’t stand that movie that was so popular where she played the woman who gets pregnant by that ugly loser who is supposed to be funny, (Sorry, I can’t remember the name of the movie) but that might have been due to him more than her.

  72. dj says:

    I tried 3 or 4 times to get through this book but I found it pretty bad (no disrespect to Plum readers out there). However, I did get the main characters down. Heigl NO WAY. Bullock or the Jennifer Esposito would have been good a few years ago–now, maybe Mila Kunis. Reynolds is so wrong also and I agree that Dick Van Dyke’s neighbor, Millie would be perfection for Grandma Mazur!

  73. K-Burrrd says:

    Correct Answer:

    Not as horrible as her face. She looks like Liza Minelli’s bleached taint…I imagine.

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