Money Talks

Money talks and bullshit walks, though in this unsophisticated comedy, Chris Tucker does nothing but talk bullshit. You may remember Tucker as the annoyingly loquacious pop star of the future in The Fifth Element. Here he has 90 minutes to strut his stuff as a petty thief and Eddie Murphy wanna-be who teams up with Charlie Sheen's investigative TV reporter to thwart the plans of a psychotic international smuggler (Gerard Ismael). The plot, which tries to get its laughs from the interracial and intercultural disharmony of its two leads, is an uninspired ripoff of the 48 HRS buddy formula with a dash of Die Hard thrown in for bad measure. Sheen's out to scoop an exclusive story and redeem his falling career; Tucker has his eye on a cache of hot diamonds hidden in a sleek European roadster. The two occasionally find pockets of chemistry, but you know the film is in trouble when Heather Locklear pops up as Sheen's sticky-sweet girlfriend who is self-conscious about her . . . weight? Upon learning this, Tucker tells her she's "phat." That's par for the course in Money Talks. Opens Friday at the Harbour Mall, Holiday, Showcase, Tri-Boro, and Woonsocket cinemas.

-- Tom Meek