TV director Julie Anne Robinson's insipid adaptation of this first volume in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series has more in common with Young Adult than with the average gumshoe yarn. In both films, a desperate 30-ish woman returns to her hometown to renew bonds with a teenage flame. Plum (Katherine Heigl), however, isn't out to bust up the old beau's marriage, but to put him in jail. Fired from her job retailing lingerie, she's back in Trenton working as a bounty hunter for her cousin's bail-bond agency. Her first case is murder suspect Joe Morelli (Jason O'Mara), to whom she "sold her cannoli" when she was 17 and never heard from him again. With lines like that and "We're ancient history like the pyramids, baby!," the dialogue isn't exactly Chandler-esque, though the stereotypes are hardboiled. Boasting a high body count for a light romp, Money at least pushes empowerment rather than Adult's self-loathing.
