Principal photography took place in New York between September and November 2009. After having its release date moved twice, Money Never Sleeps was released theatrically worldwide on September 24, 2010, by 20th Century Fox. Prior to its official release, many journalists connected to the financial industry were reportedly shown advanced screenings of the film.
Despite opening to positive reception at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, Money Never Sleeps received polarized reviews from critics, who generally praised the acting, but considered it an unnecessary sequel. Though failing to meet its commercial expectations, the film was successful at the box office, topping the United States's ranking during its opening weekend, and earning a worldwide total of $134 million in ticket sales, and more than $15 million on DVD.
Plot
In 2001, Gordon Gekko (Michael Douglas) is released from prison after serving over fourteen years for insider trading and securities fraud. Seven years later, Gekko is promoting his new book Is Greed Good?, while his estranged daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), runs a small news website and is dating Jacob Moore (Shia LaBeouf), a top proprietary trader at Keller Zabel Investments. Jacob is a protegé of managing director Louis Zabel (Frank Langella), and is trying to raise money for a fusion research project.
After Keller Zabel's stock loses more than 30% of its value, Zabel tries to arrange a bailout for KZI from other Wall Street banks but is blocked by Bretton James (Josh Brolin), head of rival firm Churchill Schwartz, which Zabel had refused to bail out eight years earlier. The next morning Zabel kills himself by jumping in front of a subway train. Distraught, Moore proposes marriage to Winnie, who accepts. Later, he approaches Gekko after a lecture. Gekko tells Jacob that his daughter refuses to speak to him and that Keller Zabel's collapse started when rumours of the company having toxic debt started to spread. Jacob and Gekko arrange a trade: Jacob will reconcile Winnie and Gekko, while Gekko will gather information to destroy Bretton.
Aided by Gekko, Moore learns that Bretton James profited from the Keller Zabel collapse. In revenge he spreads rumors about the nationalization of an African oil rig owned by Churchill Schwartz. The company loses $120 million and Bretton offers Moore a job, which he accepts determined to avenge Zabel. At his new job, Moore convinces Chinese investors to fund the fusion research he has been supporting. Bretton is impressed by Jacob's initiative and glad for the new investment.
As the economy starts to crumble, Winnie announces to Moore she is pregnant and Bretton reveals to Moore that the Chinese investment is going into fossil fuels instead of fusion research, which upsets Moore. Gekko proposes a solution using a $100 million trust fund account in Switzerland, which Gekko set up for Winnie in the 1980s, to fund the research and save the company. She signs the money over to Moore who then entrusts it to Gekko to legitimize the funds for investment in the fusion research company. However, the money never arrives and Gekko has left the country. Winnie asks Jacob to leave as she no longer trusts him nor feels safe around him.
Moore tracks Gekko to London where he is running a start-up financial company with the $100 million. Jacob proposes one last trade: Winnie gets her money back, and Gekko gets a grandson but Gekko refuses. Moore pieces together everything from Keller Zabel's collapse to the economic bailout of Bretton's company and gives the information to Winnie telling her that revealing it will bring her website publicity and credibility. Winnie runs the story and Bretton James is exposed. The board of directors fire Bretton and hire Gekko on the back of his $1.1 billion return. As Jacob finds Winnie in New York, Gekko appears and tells them that he deposited $100 million into the fusion research's account anonymously. He apologizes to Jacob and Winnie, who then reconcile. One year later, Gekko is seen at his grandson's first birthday.
Cast and characters
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| Douglas at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, where this movie premiered. |
Michael Douglas reprises his role as Gordon Gekko. Gekko has recently been released from prison and, after a failed attempt to warn business leaders of the imminent economic downturn, he decides to try to rebuild a relationship with his estranged daughter Winnie. Shia LaBeouf portrays Jacob "Jake" Moore, an ambitious, young proprietary trader who works for Keller Zabel Investments, and is in a relationship with Winnie.LaBeouf's role in the film has been said to be a role similar to that of Charlie Sheen’s in the original. The young actor said he was able to relate to his character's background and found similarities in their motivations. Initially the actor was intimidated by the idea of working on a film that was going to stretch his dramatic abilities and came to the film set with a different approach, which was that if he disappointed his fans twice, his career was finished after making two recently panned sequels.
Carey Mulligan was cast as Winnie Gekko, Gordon's estranged daughter and Jacob's fiancée. Winnie has not spoken to her father since his imprisonment; she blames Gordon for the suicide of her brother, Rudy.The character has been said to be the "moral center of the story" and described as being liberal, and to some extent passive Mulligan is British and had to speak with an American accent for her role. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps was her first major studio film. When she had first met Stone for the role she explained that she did not want her character to be a "token girlfriend", they both agreed to work to make sure that would not happen. During the same encounter Stone learned that she had short hair he initially discussed having her wear a wig which Mulligan did not agree to; stating that she did not feel like herself when wearing the hair piece, Stone trusted her and made an exception. According to Mulligan, Stone cast her in the Wall Street sequel based on her performance in An Education (2009).
Frank Langella was cast as Louis Zabel. His death "ultimately leads the characters to discover the shady practices" of James's hedge fund. Susan Sarandon portrays Sylvia Moore, Jacob's real-estate agent mother who is just as consumed by greed as Gekko is, but in a different sense. Audrey, a "tough, intelligent trader in the Wall Street trenches", is portrayed by Vanessa Ferlito. John Buffalo Mailer plays Jacob's Long Island financier friend, Robby and Eli Wallach plays the part of Jules Steinhardt, a Churchill Schwartz top executive and Wall Street patriarch who considers the current economic climate to be like the 1929 stock market crash. Pressman deemed the actor's role as the "crier of doom," who, "reveals just how much more devastating things can be today."
Production
Development
In early 2007 The New York Times reported that a sequel to Wall Street, then tentatively titled Money Never Sleeps, had entered pre-production and was in the early stages of development with a screenplay by Stephen Schiff of The New Yorker. Shortly after the film was confirmed, Douglas was reported to be interested in reprising his role as Gordon Gekko, depending on the script. In October 2008, 20th Century Fox announced that it had officially green-lit the film and would serve as a distributor. In the same month it was announced that Allan Loeb had been approached to write a script that was being referred to as a "page one rewrite", meaning that he would be starting "from scratch". Shortly after the film had entered pre-production it was announced that both Charlie Sheen and Daryl Hannah would not be involved with the sequel for unknown reasons. Despite stating that Sheen was not going to return, Stone confirmed he would briefly reprise his role as Bud, which would be worked into the script.
At the time of the film's announcement the plot details were kept under-wraps, but Loeb later confirmed that its plot would primarily focus on Gekko, recently released from prison and re-entering a much more "chaotic" financial world than the one he once oversaw from the previous film. Its budget was reported to be between $60 million ($50 million with the tax credits) and $70 million. Money Never Sleeps was being used as the film's working title before being re-named Wall Street 2 at the director's request and finally changed to Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. As part of research for the film, Douglas and Stone had a dinner meeting with Samuel D. Waksal, the founder of the bio-pharmaceutical company ImClone Systems, who spent five years in federal prison for securities fraud.
Writing
In October 2008, 20th Century Fox confirmed that Allan Loeb, who is a licensed stock broker, had been selected to re-write the script. Stanley Weiser had worked on a treatment for a sequel set in the present with Gekko being released from jail; the second part would be set in China. The studio felt that the material was dated, and put the project in turnaround. Stone had a falling out with the Pressman, the producer, and began work on W. with Weiser. Weiser's treatment for Wall Street Two was discarded and the film began taking shape from an original script by Stephen Schiff. It was reported that Aaron Sorkin had turned down the opportunity to work on the film's script.
During December 2008, while still in the process of drafting, Loeb said that he had been riveted by the Bernie Madoff headlines and showed interest in referencing him in the film, noting: "the thing that is so crazy about this story is that Ponzi schemes seem to be the simplest low-class scam," and "but this was carried out in the highest-echelon of high-finance. You couldn't even get in to see this guy unless you had $2 million to invest."Stone clarified that Madoff will not be mentioned in the film, commenting that he considered Madoff's actions to be "a crook running a Ponzi scheme" which is "legal robbery." The filmmaker returned to the project in April on the strength of this script, feeling Loeb's draft was "so great" that he did not feel the need to touch it, although he did have the option.
It was reported that Loeb had taken advice from a "number of real Wall Street movers and shakers" to ensure "horrifying accuracy" for the film's script. Of the re-writes done to script, Stone said: "We sort of started over with the story of a young man who is at the center of it, and how he needs Gordon Gekko's help to navigate those waters." In a reference to the GEICO Gecko commercial, which was suggested by New York Governor David Paterson, Gekko says "even a caveman could do it" in the movie. At the request of Mulligan and LaBeouf, the filmmaker cut some dialogue from the character's break-up scenes, which he at first was initially hesitant to do.
Filming
A shift in location in the sequel reflected some of the changes in the world since then: while the The New York Stock Exchange and its trading floor had featured heavily in the first film, they are less prominent in the second. Instead, more time is spent at the Federal Reserve Building, reflecting its new position as a "bulwark of the system" according to Stone. The location provided a link to the contemporary crisis the film examines, since September 2008 is has been an important site for meeting on the crisis. Stone decided not to prominently use the Stock Exchange because interest in stock trading made the system available and comprehensible to everyone and also because it was foreign territory.
Although August 10 was reportedly the start date, principal photography began on September 9.The filmmaker continued to make additions to the script and meet with financial consultants about the project whilst filming. Mulligan was able to film all of her scenes in 15 days. Stone said that they were on schedule and on budget, but claimed that the constantly changing weather was a problem for filming. He also said that the filming on location process was similar to the first film. While filming, LaBeouf said that Douglas was an "opened wound on the set" due to his oldest son's arrest in July for drug trafficking, adding that Stone filmed a "struggling" Douglas.
Sheen was able to shoot his scenes in one day and described being on set with the director and Douglas as strange, with Stone adding that it was difficult for the actor. While Sheen was filming his scenes, he had trouble remembering his lines and required some prodding to remember his cue during the party scene in which Gekko encounters Fox.
Marketing, box office and home media
An advertisement for Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
The film was screened out of competition during May 2010 at the Cannes Film Festival in France. Pressman thought that Cannes would be the "perfect platform to launch a film that speaks of today’s economic dilemma".It was met with positive reviews from film critics at the festival, although numerous reviewers "objected to an ending deemed somewhat pat". A spokesperson for Fox said that Stone had changed the ending since its screening at Cannes. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps opened The Ischia Global Film and Music Fest, held during July 11–18. Michael Corkery of The Wall Street Journal reported that numerous journalists involved in the financial industry had been invited to see advanced screenings of the film. To promote Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, several cast members visited the NASDAQ Market site in Times Square, on September 20 and presided over the NASDAQ Opening Bell.
Also on September 20, the movie's New York premiere was held at the Ziegfeld Theater in midtown Manhattan. According to Deadline Hollywood the film originally had a February 2010 release date, but it was later given an April 23, 2010, release. In March 2010, the film's release date was pushed back to September 24. Brolin stated that he hoped that audiences would wonder about the ethics of the banking industry, asking "How much is enough?," he concluded, "There used to be a ceiling. Now there's no ceiling". Surveys indicated that the main audience for the movie would be older adults who remembered the first film.
Money Never Sleeps opened at a total of 3,597 theaters in the United States, earning nine million on its first day and approximately nineteen million in its opening weekend in the US, averaging $5,330 per theatre and becoming the number one movie at the box office, although falling short of studio estimates. Nonetheless it still marked one of the best openings for a Stone film. Despite an increase of thirty-two screens for its second weeke, Money Never Sleeps saw a forty-seven percent decrease on its earnings, falling to third place at the box office and making slightly over ten million for the week.
Critical reception
Reviews
The film's reception was mixed, review tallying website Rotten Tomatoes reported a rating of 54%, based on a sample of 209 reviews;for comparison, Wall Street had achieved a 78% positive rating. Joe Neumaier of the New York Daily News publication awarded it five out of five stars saying that it is a sharp sequel that is worthy of its investment. He also saluted the cast's performance and noted that Douglas gives Gekko "uncounted layers as he fakes, deals and fuels fire". Matthew Toomey of Australia's 612 ABC Radio Brisbane gave it a B-rating and said that Douglas is the film's "biggest positive", finding LaBeouf to be unconvincing in his role. Christy Lemire, in The Canadian Press, claimed that the film ultimately "goes soft and loses its way" and described the contrast in its final scenes as being "laughable". Furthermore, the subplot between LaBeouf and Mulligan's characters as unneeded and pointed out that their relationship leads viewers to wonder why Winnie, who despises Gekko, would be involved with a man who does exactly the same thing as him, which she condemns; however, Lemire acknowledged that the movie is an uncommon sequel that seems to be both relevant and necessary and said that it proves that "greed can still be good". Film critic Colin Newton of the Brisbane Sunday Mail felt that the plot lacked the enthusiasm of the first film. Along the same lines, Village Voice contributor Nick Pinkerton pointed out that the Wall Street sequel did not have the "clean, fable-like arc" formula of its predecessor.
Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter said that the film succeeded in being one of the good sequels in a while, but that Stone "gets too fancy here and there", the film's "heavy reliance on multiple screens, graphics and digital tricks makes it feel like one is watching CNN with all its computer-screen busyness." Roger Ebert, reviewing the movie in the Chicago Sun-Times, noted that it ended with a better conclusion when Stone had edited the film after its Cannes viewing, but still felt it was a little too long. He considered the film to be sophisticated and said its photography was aestheticlly pleasing but stated he wanted it to be "outraged." In The Guardian Peter Bradshaw gave the film two out of five stars, commenting that "despite the pious waffle about market craziness being like cancer, no one is ever shown enduring the actual misery of losing money." Writing for Time magazine, Richard Corliss stated that the film has the "drive, luxe and sarcastic wit of the snazziest Hollywood movies." David Edelstein, writing in New York Magazine, described the film as being "full of promise, with minuscule returns." He concluded that, like Stone's other recent work, it is difficult to distinguish what the project's focus is supposed to be. New Zealand Herald's Russell Baillie gave it two and a half out of five stars, with the verdict for the film being that it does not fall flat of its expectations and hype.
Joe Morgenstern from The Wall Street Journal wrote that the movie manages to keep a hold on its audience's attention. He thought that Douglas measured up to Gekko's standards in the film, believing that he was the only actor to sustain a "sense of nasty fun", and felt that LaBeouf's effectiveness was within the range of the film-maker's direction, but was unimpressed with Brolin's portrayal of James. He concluded that the script takes an unconvincing jab at Gekko's "spiritual regeneration," which was due to a scene that he considered to be "inherently illogical and emotionally inert." The Daily Telegraph's David Gritten said that Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps lacked the "punch" of the original film and was annoyed by the number of cameos throughout the film. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps received three out of five stars from Stephen Lambrechts of IGN Australia. Lambrechts felt that Stone's growth as a film director might mirror Gekko's as a person; having had used time to calm down over the years and settle into a more relaxed state of being. He concluded that the film's final result is not "quite the incendiary attack that it could have been, but it still has plenty to say while also managing to be an entertaining crowd pleaser."
In contrast to the film's detractors, Boxoffice Magazine journalist Pete Hammond said the film was "brilliantly cast" and labeled it a "crackerjack powerhouse of a movie that shines a light on the financial machinations". He stated that Douglas does not lose any of the substance of Gekko and LaBeouf is firm as Jacob. The writer predicted the Wall Street sequel's box office performance would be brisk, while the prospects were assured on DVD. Andrew O'Hehir's of Salon.com reviewed the film from Cannes, calling it an "ambitious, uneven, surprisingly talky melodrama, which mixes a quasi-documentary approach to the crash of 2008 with the story." O'Hehir's considered the film to express a more "personal, intimate sense of moral hazard". Marshall Fine, writing in the Huffington Post, viewed the film as an "overstuffed blend of agitprop and melodrama" that contains a cautionary story pertaining to unchecked capitalism. He considered Stone to be proclaiming a message of the "cancerous effects of greed".
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