Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

For Love or Money Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov November 9, 2021

Barry Sonnenfeld's "For Love or Money" (1993) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include exclusive new audio commentary by entertainment journalist and author Bryan Reesman as well as vintage trailers for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

If you believe that five-star hotels in America hire guys like Michael J. Fox’s character, Doug Ireland, and they successfully do the things he does for money, which is big money, not pocket change, you probably believe that the superheroes from the Marvel universe are real, too. Are you that kind of a person? I hope not.

A fixer -- because this is precisely what Ireland is, not a concierge -- will never be allowed to run his own business in a real five-star hotel. A concierge can do a lot for the guests of the hotel, but not the things that Ireland does. Bringing in high-end escort girls, urging guests not to purchase expensive items in the hotel because they can get better deals from a nearby ‘businessman’ who then kicks back some of their money to him, and even abandoning the hotel for hours to assist cheaters and console the cheated? I am sorry, but there isn’t a five-star hotel in America where these types of ‘services’ are tolerated. In other words, the scenario that is at the center of For Love or Money is yet another Hollywood fantasy, shaped up by people that have absolutely no idea how the real world works.

But isn’t For Love or Money one of those feel-good romantic comedies where some fantasizing is good to have? Yes, it is that kind of a genre film, but this is why the feel-good part in it isn’t happening. Indeed, the core of the story needs to be legit so that it encourages the fantasy to flourish, not make it appear so ridiculous that you are instantly turned off. You watch Ireland doing favors for cash in this elegant hotel that is supposed to be one of the best in New York City, and you cannot but feel disdain for him because he is a huge stain on its image. He isn’t any better than the cheaters doing card tricks a few blocks away from the hotel, he just happens to be wearing a decent suit.

Oddly enough, the screenplay not only avoids this very obvious flaw, but actually uses it to generate just about all of the feel-good material. While working in the hotel, Ireland accidentally discovers that Andy Hart (Gabrielle Anwar), the girl from the nearby department store he really likes, is secretly seeing Christian Hanover (Anthony Higgins), a very wealthy married businessman who is supposedly getting ready to divorce his wife. Of course, Hanover isn’t planning to start a new chapter in his life and is just another player taking advantage of the naïve girl for as long as possible, so when eventually his lies are exposed, Ireland is asked to step up and fix the mess. In exchange for his efforts, Hanover promises to help him secure a terrific piece of land where he would be able to build his dream hotel. (By the way, this is another utterly ridiculous fantasy). Deeply disturbed by the discovery, Ireland is then faced with an awful dilemma: expose the cheater so that he can get a chance to become the girl’s new boyfriend, or stay with the cheater and use his connections to secure the lucrative piece of land.

For Love or Money must be Barry Sonnenfeld’s roughest film. Indeed, there are very large chunks of it that just feel awfully dull because the main characters do so much that does not feel right. Most interestingly, however, it appears that this is how the film was scripted, meaning that the stars are intentionally placed in situations that actually kill off the crucial feel-good vibe. In one of these situations, for instance, Anwar’s character goes back to the cheater after she learns about his game just to make sure that there is nothing else she can do to separate him from his wife. Think about this. She is no longer the naïve girlfriend that has been played by the supposedly suave businessman. She knows everything there is to know to immediately terminate her relationship with the cheater, and yet she goes back to the hotel with him. Fox’s character then wonders whether all along she was just another desperate golddigger and all of his efforts to melt her heart were in vain. Now think about this. At the same time Fox’s character is reevaluating the girl he has fallen in love with, he is fully focused on and going forward with the business arrangement that will profoundly change his life. Yes, there is some romance in this film, but what is on everyone’s mind is money. A lot of it, too.

For Love or Money Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, For Love or Money arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. Even though it has some obvious limitations, I would say that it is one of the better such masters to emerge from the studio's vaults. Why? Because there are no obvious traces of digital corrections on it, which is why the bulk of the film looks rather nice. Now, this does not mean that some of the visuals do not look dated -- they most certainly do. For example, most highlights should be much better balanced, plus in some indoor/darker footage it is pretty easy to tell that blacks begin to crush (see screencapture #3). From time to time grain can appear a tad lumpy too, so in wider shots in particular delineation could be somewhat underwhelming (see screencapture #1). However, the overall quality of the visuals is still mostly decent, at times even surprisingly good. Various close-ups, for instance, can look very nice, and there are background nuances that appear healthy, too. Color balance is good, but as noted above there is room for some meaningful adjustments. Image stability is very good. A few tiny white specks pop up here and there, but there are no distracting large debris, cuts, damage marks, warped or torn frames to report. All in all, it is obvious that the release is sourced from an older master with a few shaky areas, but despite the inconsistencies I think it is fair to conclude that the film looks mostly decent in high-definition. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

For Love or Money Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I chose to view the entire film with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. I thought that it was outstanding. Clarity, depth, and balance were as good as I expected them to be, though this isn't exactly surprising because For Love or Money comes from the 1990s. So, I think that when the current master was prepared, someone at Universal did what needed to be done right to ensure that the current 5.1 track handles the native dynamic contrasts as well as possible. I did not encounter any traces of age-related anomalies.

For Love or Money Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - in this new audio commentary, entertainment journalist and author Bryan Reesman. It is a typically informative commentary with plenty of information about the production of For Love or Money, key locations in New York City as well as areas that have changed dramatically since the early 1990s, Michael J. Fox's career, some stereotypes about rich people, etc.

• Trailers - two vintage trailers for For Lover or Money. In English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Trailer One (2 min).
  2. Trailer Two (3 min).

For Love or Money Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The absurd characterizations and seemingly endless string of ridiculous situations make it impossible for Barry Sonnenfeld's For Love or Money to impress as a charming romantic comedy, which is precisely the type of film it was conceived to be. I actually like some of the cynicism that is infused in it, but it is mismanaged in a way that makes Michael J. Fox and Gabrielle Anwar's characters quite off-putting. Indeed, until the final fifteen or so minutes the film very effectively creates the impression that they are fixated on money, so when eventually their priorities change it becomes awfully difficult to feel good about their future as a couple. Kino Lorber's release is sourced from an old but rather nice master that was supplied by Universal Pictures. You should consider picking it up only if you are a die-hard fan of any of its stars.