# Money Talks (1997 film)
*Money Talks* is a 1997 American action comedy directed by [Brett Ratner](https://www.edgepedia.org/brett-ratner) in his feature debut, starring [Chris Tucker](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-tucker) as a small-time Los Angeles hustler who, falsely accused of leading a prison break, makes a deal with a television newsman ([Charlie Sheen](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-sheen)) for protection while police and criminals pursue him.[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0119695/) • [2](https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/1997/08/money-talks/) New Line Cinema released it in the United States on August 22, 1997.[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0119695/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | August 22, 1997 (domestic, wide), distributed by New Line Cinema[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0119695/) |
| Director / writers | Brett Ratner (directing debut); screenplay by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/61076) |
| Stars | Chris Tucker as Franklin Hatchett; Charlie Sheen as James Russell[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/61076) |
| Box office | $40,922,619 domestic, $7,484,992 international, $48,407,611 worldwide against a $25,000,000 production budget[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0119695/) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Money-Talks-%281997%29) |
| Opening weekend | $10,654,369 from 2,005 theaters, ranking second for the weekend[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Money-Talks-%281997%29) |
| Rating and runtime | R for graphic violence and pervasive strong language; 97 minutes[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Money-Talks-%281997%29) |
| Critical reception | 20% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (20 reviews); 71% among audiences on the Popcornmeter (25,000+ ratings)[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/money_talks?search=Money+Talks) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Petty crook Franklin Hatchett (Chris Tucker) is unwittingly drawn into a violent prison break while being taken to jail, and the police pursue him under the mistaken belief that he killed several officers.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/money_talks?search=Money+Talks) He turns to James Russell (Charlie Sheen), a television reporter who has just been fired by his cynical boss (David Warner), and Russell agrees to hide him over a weekend, under cover of his own wedding, so he can produce Franklin on camera during a sweeps (rating-survey weeks when shows stage big events to boost audience numbers) ratings period.[6](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/money-talks-1997) Figuring he has stumbled onto the story of a lifetime, the journalist agrees to prove Franklin is innocent; things go badly, and both men end up on the run.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/money_talks?search=Money+Talks)
## Cast and production
The credited cast pairs Chris Tucker and Charlie Sheen with [Heather Locklear](https://www.edgepedia.org/heather-locklear) as Grace Cipriani, Paul Sorvino as Guy Cipriani, Gerard Ismael as Raymond Villard, David Warner as Barclay, Veronica Cartwright as Connie Cipriani, and [Mary McDonnell](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-mcdonnell) as Lady Capulet.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Money-Talks-%281997%29) • [3](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/61076) [Elise Neal](https://www.edgepedia.org/elise-neal) also appears.[2](https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/1997/08/money-talks/)
**Production.** Brett Ratner, an NYU graduate and music video director, made his feature directing debut with the film; he was thrown into the major Hollywood production just two weeks before shooting began.[7](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/aug/22/money-talks-slick-loud-violent-ludicrous/) • [8](https://www.laweekly.com/brett-ratner-the-popcorn-king/) Filming ran from July 5 to September 25, 1996, on locations including Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and the Frontier Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.[9](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/money-talks) The screenplay was written by Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow, who had received Oscar nominations for *Toy Story*; [Lalo Schifrin](https://www.edgepedia.org/lalo-schifrin) composed the score, Robert Primes and Russell Carpenter served as cinematographers, and Mark Helfrich edited.[7](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/aug/22/money-talks-slick-loud-violent-ludicrous/) • [3](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/61076) Ratner's connection to Tucker predated the film: Tucker had appeared in Ratner's 1994 music video for [Heavy D](https://www.edgepedia.org/heavy-d)'s "Nuttin' but Love," three years before the two were cast together on *Money Talks*.[8](https://www.laweekly.com/brett-ratner-the-popcorn-king/)
## Box office
The film opened on August 22, 1997 in 2,005 theaters, earning $10,654,369 for the weekend and finishing second on the chart.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Money-Talks-%281997%29) It peaked at 2,033 theaters in its second week and ran an average of 6.8 weeks per theater.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Money-Talks-%281997%29) Domestic grosses reached $40,922,619 by [Box Office Mojo](https://www.edgepedia.org/box-office-mojo)'s count and $41,076,865 by The Numbers, with international receipts of $7,484,992 for a worldwide total of $48,407,611, about 1.6 times its $25,000,000 production budget.[1](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0119695/) • [4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Money-Talks-%281997%29) Inflation-adjusted, the domestic total equals about $101,215,542.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Money-Talks-%281997%29) New Line Home Video released it on video on August 4, 1998.[4](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Money-Talks-%281997%29)
## Reception
Critics were largely negative while often singling out Tucker. Roger Ebert, the [Chicago Sun-Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-sun-times) critic and 1975 [Pulitzer Prize](https://www.edgepedia.org/pulitzer-prize) winner, gave the film three stars, calling it a clone of black-white buddy pictures such as *48 Hrs.*, *Lethal Weapon*, and *Nothing to Lose*, with a plot he found absurd, but judging Tucker's performance a personal triumph in which his talent blossomed on screen.[6](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/money-talks-1997) [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter)'s review, carried by the Spokesman-Review, called the film slick, violent, loud, and instantly forgettable, finding Tucker's motormouth character tiresome after half an hour while crediting him for trying to carry a ludicrous plot.[7](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/aug/22/money-talks-slick-loud-violent-ludicrous/) Jonathan Rosenbaum of the Chicago Reader dismissed it as a crude action comedy whose few good set pieces and goofy conceits, including Tucker posing as the son of Vic Damone and Diahann Carroll, could not offset its overall cynicism.[2](https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/1997/08/money-talks/) On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds 20% among critics but 71% among audiences.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/money_talks?search=Money+Talks)
## Legacy
The film is remembered chiefly as an early showcase for Chris Tucker and as Brett Ratner's first feature. Ratner called it his funniest film and described it as a fine early showcase for Tucker and a solid effort by an untested director.[8](https://www.laweekly.com/brett-ratner-the-popcorn-king/) Immediately after completing it, Ratner entered pre-production on his next New Line film, *Rush Hour*, again starring Tucker, whose role there is often linked by viewers to the visibility *Money Talks* gave him.[10](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-sep-02-fi-28043-story.html)
## References
1. [Money Talks (1997), Box Office Mojo](https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0119695/)
2. [Money Talks, review by Jonathan Rosenbaum (August 12, 1997)](https://jonathanrosenbaum.net/1997/08/money-talks/)
3. [Money Talks (1997), AFI Catalog](https://catalog.afi.com/Catalog/moviedetails/61076)
4. [Money Talks (1997), The Numbers](https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Money-Talks-%281997%29)
5. [Money Talks, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/money_talks?search=Money+Talks)
6. [Money Talks, review by Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (August 22, 1997)](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/money-talks-1997)
7. ['Money Talks' Slick, Loud, Violent, Ludicrous, The Hollywood Reporter via Spokesman-Review (August 22, 1997)](https://www.spokesman.com/stories/1997/aug/22/money-talks-slick-loud-violent-ludicrous/)
8. [Brett Ratner, The Popcorn King, LA Weekly](https://www.laweekly.com/brett-ratner-the-popcorn-king/)
9. [Money Talks, Moviebuff.com](https://d1f72a6kha0tf8.cloudfront.net/money-talks)
10. [Money Also Walks, Los Angeles Times (September 2, 1997)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1997-sep-02-fi-28043-story.html)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Comedy and romantic films (individual works) › Comedies of 1995 to 1999*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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