“Money Talk$” short.
The short “Money Talk$” boasts an impressive cast and Director/Writer Tony Mucci has 33 directing credits for music videos. The director’s full name is Anthony Scaramucci, Jr. If you wondered if he was the son of “the Mooch” (who was infamously fired in 2017 after a very brief stint working for DJT), yes, he is. For someone who is only 25, having 33 directing credits is impressive. Tony Mucci directed music videos for artists like Lil Wayne, Travis Barker, Lil Uzi Vert, Juice WRLD, Machine Gun Kelly, Justin Bieber and Drake, and worked in the visual effects and motion capture department at Activision on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. He co-wrote the script for “Money Talk$” with David Mazouz.
PLOT
At the center of this 33-minute film is a $100 bill, passed hand-to-hand through a web of strangers. My reaction: condense the number of strangers. There are too many of them for a 33-minute film. When you have access to young actors who are so experienced, it is probably tough to eliminate or pare down the parts. (Sounds a bit like government; easier to expand than to cut back.)
The log line is: “On the day of Reagan’s inauguration, a $100 bill travels through the underbelly of 1981 New York City.” We actually hear a snippet of Reagan, speaking on a television screen, saying, “Those that say we are in a time when there are no heroes, they just don’t know where to look.” A close-up of Reagan’s face shows him delivering that line with a very grim countenance. I did think, immediately, of how President Reagan was a very different man than the current occupant of the White House—the one who hired Anthony Scaramucci, Sr., to be his Communications Director from July 21 to July 31 of 2017. Finding heroes in government today is nearly impossible, but finding politicians who are profiting from their position in office is pretty easy and downright depressing. Since money is a big theme of “Money Talk$,” that observation is relevant (and needs repeating).
THEME
“Money Talk$” examines the impact of money and how it reveals character. Young Tony Mucci’s father (Anthony Scaramucci Sr.) had this to say about money ( New York magazine , January 23). “The thing I have learned about these people in Washington is they have no money. So what happens when they have no fucking money is they write about what seat they are in and what the title is. Fucking congressmen act like that. They are fucking jackasses.”
Tony Mucci’s (Anthony Scaramucci, Jr.’s) take on money, as scripted in this 33 minute short is this: “Nothing reveals one’s true character quite like money.” The script adds, “When you are good to others, you are best to yourself.” Young Tony plays the cashier in one small scene involving 8-year-old Benjy (Jaxon Grundleger) buying toys of the era. The stripper-with-a-heart-of-gold (Natalie Shinnick) reveals her good-heartedness. Another encounter shows a cold-hearted opportunist taking advantage of a wounded war veteran.
THE GOOD
Ethan Cutkosky. (Photo by John Salangsang/Habitat For Humanity/Shutterstock (12842302v)
Ethan Cutkosky
Los Angeles Builders Ball, Arrivals, California, USA – 09 Mar 2022)
Music
The music is great, beginning with the title track and also in the scene set in a stripper bar. The original score was composed by Andrew Luce with sound design by Thomas Jovon Nielsen; the music is top-notch, which speaks to the director’s previous work. There are multiple musical artists involved. One character, Ethan Cutkosky, Carl Gallagher on “Shameless” for 10 years and 134 episodes, is now into music, as well as acting. So, music: A+.
Cinematography
The moody lighting in alley sequences, with smoke filling the frame, as well as the instances when a camera shot was looking up (kudos to cinematographer Cory Burmeister) were excellent and interesting choices. One such shot is of 8-year-old Benjy (Jaxon Grundleger) purchasing toys of the era in Tony’s Toy Store. Another such camera vantage point was to have Iris lying on her back onstage, looking up at an admirer. Then there was the $100 bill that ties the entire short together, tucked into Iris’ s bosom as she leaves the stage—also a good choice.
So, music and sound: good. Cinematography: good. How about the story?
THEME
The idea of a $100 bill that moves through the city and joins disparate elements in 1981 New York City was a good one. Back when phone booths were a thing (remember phone booths?), I once had the idea for a screenplay that would use a phone booth as the unifier in a plot joining diverse characters. The $100 bill that initially flies out the window of a moving cab is the creative unifying device. There were too many people to substantially develop any of them satisfactorily in such a short time. Some—like Francesca Scorsese’s opening sequence where she is the first to lose the bill–seem gratuitous and shoe-horned in. (Francesca, billed as “damsel in distress” is dressed in a luxurious white mink coat and ornate jewelry, so why the cabbie would think she wouldn’t be able to pay him once they reached the destination puzzled me. Francesca’s initial appearance as the individual who loses the bill out the window was one of the weakest of the many included in the 33-minute video.)
This film won the Producer award at 2025’s HollyShorts Film Festival for David Mazouz, Tony Mucci, Scott Aharoni and Bryan Schmier. It’s easy to see why the producers were lauded when you see the quality of the cast assembled.
CAST
Zolee Griggs.
The film features an outstanding ensemble cast, including David Mazouz (Gotham), Zolee Griggs (Wu-Tang: An American Saga), Ethan Cutkosky (Shameless), Fredro Starr D.C. (The Wire), Francesca Scorsese (We Are Who We Are), Bo Dietl (Goodfellas), George Denoto (The Last Airbender), Golden Landis Von Jones (rapper/singer 24kGoldn), Swoosh God (rapper), Sean Pertwee (Gotham), Tyler Senerchia AKA “Hook” (professional wrestler), Natalie Shinnick (The Brutalist), Claudia Robinson (Severance), Alexander Khait (Sneaky Pete), and Jaxon Cain (Broadway). It’s sort of a “Who’s Who” of shorts participation. Most shorts are lucky to get one big name star involved; this one may have too many for the short time span.
Tony Mucci serves as the film’s director, writer, producer, and lead actor (cashier scene). David Mazouz is also a co-writer and producer. A Stanford University graduate, Mazouz has worked in development at Disney and is best known for his role as young Bruce Wayne in Gotham.
The film also boasts the involvement of Scott Aharoni, an award-winning producer and director whose films have screened at Sundance, SXSW, Tribeca, and beyond. One of his short films was shortlisted for Best Live Action Short at the 94th Academy Awards. His most recent feature, starring Steve Buscemi, John Magaro, and Britt Lower, won the Audience Choice Award at the 2024 Tribeca Film Festival and is now available on Apple TV and Amazon
THE BAD
From the first shots of the “damsel in distress” (Francesca Scorsese) losing the $100 bill out the window of a cab the phrase “Nepo baby” surfaced. There are so many well-known names and experienced actors in this one, that I can’t think of any other 33-minute short that had this kind of star power for a first-time shorts director. I immediately recognized Ethan Cutkosky from “Shameless,” who played Karl Gallagher (the young troublemaker). Cutkosky was just the beginning of a bevy of accomplished and experienced young actors. It’s an embarrassment of riches. Famous family names and all of the participants are pros, either as actors or as musicians. I found photos of many of the cast, but the only photo of Anthony (Tony) Mucci, (wearing a jacket labeled Louis Vuitton) was not able to be copied. (Yes, he resembles his father,)
CONCLUSION
Actors are only as good as their scripted material. If there isn’t compelling conflict and intensity and an absorbing story on the page, it won’t show up onscreen. You can have a gorgeously photographed film with great music that simply fails to engage. The number of encounters in “Money Talk$” needed to be pared down. Some of the encounters worked; some did not.
For me, while all of the actors acted with confidence, the story wasn’t as compelling as the cinematography, music, set direction, or the expert grounding in the toys and cultural touchstones of 1981. A good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. The weakest thing about this project, for me, was the flimsy somewhat bloated and meandering story-line. After a great opening that grabs you via the music, “Money Talk$” is a stylish, polished 33 minute short that showcases style over substance.
As a directing debut for Tony Mucci after his earlier work in music videos, it was a great start. He’s not the only director to get his start doing music videos. Last year’s “Dream Scenario” (Nicolas Cage), one of the most creative films of 2023, was directed by a Norwegian director, Kristoffer Borgli, who began by directing skateboard and music videos and commercials. Shorts are where most great directors begin. This short shows great promise. Pair Tony Mucci with a writer as accomplished as his cast and he will not disappoint. I get the feeling that he will be working on features soon.
