Key Takeaways
- Plot Overview: The series follows Margo, a college dropout and aspiring writer, as she navigates motherhood and financial struggles.
- Cast Highlights: Elle Fanning, Nick Offerman, and Michelle Pfeiffer deliver standout performances in this family drama.
- Director's Vision: Directed by David E. Kelley, the show blends humor with serious themes about modern parenting.
- Release Date: Margo’s Got Money Troubles premieres on April 15th on Apple TV.
Plot: A bold, heartwarming, and comedic family drama following recent college dropout and aspiring writer, Margo, the daughter of an ex-Hooters waitress and ex-pro wrestler, as she’s forced to make her way with a new baby, a mounting pile of bills, and a dwindling amount of ways to pay them.
Review: David E. Kelley has been a staple of television storytelling since he got his break writing for L.A. Law in the 1980s, before breaking out with Doogie Howser, M.D., and Chicago Hope. With The Practice and Ally McBeal to his credit, Kelley segued into more mature storytelling with Big Little Lies and The Undoing for HBO as well as Presumed Innocent for Apple TV. Kelley’s latest project is the adaptation of the best-selling novel Margo’s Got Money Troubles, featuring Elle Fanning, Nick Offerman, and Kelley’s wife, Michelle Pfeiffer. A blend of comedy and family drama, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is premiering at SXSW before it hits Apple TV in April, and we got a chance to check it out. Boasting a phenomenal cast, the series is a new benchmark for Elle Fanning, who has transformed from a talented child actor to one of the most dynamic performers in Hollywood. Combining timely subject matter with staying true to the source material, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a great limited series with the potential to become an ongoing one.
Elle Fanning plays Margo Millet, a talented college freshman with aspirations to be a writer. When her literature professor, Mark (Michael Angarano), praises her work, the two begin a romantic affair that leads to Margo getting pregnant. Keeping the child, Margo must contend with being a single mother with no steady income. That is when Margo discovers OnlyFans, and her financial issues may be solved. But exposing yourself physically and emotionally comes with all sorts of repercussions, which Margo must face alongside her blended family, including her mother, Shyanne (Michelle Pfeiffer), and her estranged father, former pro wrestler Jinx (Nick Offerman). What follows over the eight-episode series is a story that is both profoundly funny, emotional, and relatable, even if you are not a fan of, well, OnlyFans. Chronicling motherhood in the twenty-first century from the vantage of a new generation of parents, Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a beautifully written ode to new parents and their parents.
While Elle Fanning is no stranger to nudity in her films, it is jarring how much we see her nude in Margo’s Got Money Troubles. The twenty-seven-year-old has been in revealing roles in The Neon Demon and The Beguiled, but this series treats the sexually provocative nature of sex work as an art form rather than pornography. That means that while there is an erotic angle to the nudity on display, it is portrayed frankly and just as much for laughs as it is as a turn-on. It also helps that Margo is a realistic character who navigates the pitfalls of being a single parent along with the stress of scrambling to make ends meet while also dealing with her estranged parents. Michelle Pfeiffer, sporting veneers and a tight-fitting dress, plays Shyanne as a reluctant grandparent preparing to marry church president Kenny (Greg Kinnear). Keeping her drinking and promiscuous ways a secret, Shyanne wants to protect Margo from the same mistakes she made when she was younger. Enter Jinx, who recently got out of rehab and was not around for Margo’s childhood. Now looking to make up for it, Jinx serves as a manny to his grandson while also pining for the missed opportunity he had with Shyanne. Fanning, Pfeiffer, and Offerman all play well off one another, and all three have an effortless family dynamic that lets you root for them because you deeply care for them from the very beginning.
While the focus is squarely on Elle Fanning as Margo and her parents, the entire cast gets plenty of room to shine. Michelle Pfeiffer has a solid combination of very different roles hitting the air around the same time between this and The Madison, two showcases for her talents. Nick Offerman, known mostly for his comedic work, is underrated as a dramatic actor with this character ranking alongside his turns in Devs, The Last of Us, and last year’s Death by Lightning. The supporting cast is all great with Thaddea Graham playing Margo’s cosplaying wrestling-fan roommate Susie and Rico Nasty and Anora’s Lindsey Normington playing Margo’s OnlyFans collaborators KC and Rose. Marcia Gay Harden appears as Mark’s mother Elizabeth while David E. Kelley’s star from Big Little Lies and The Undoing, Nicole Kidman plays Lace. I won’t spoil how Kidman factors into the story but it is a fun change of pace for the acclaimed actress. The overall structure of Margo’s Got Money Troubles keeps each episode at about 30 to 40 minutes keeping you engaged throughout. Most of the core supporting players get ample screen time along with some fun wrestling cameos that will keep WWE fans entertained.
Based on the novel by Rufi Thorpe,Margo’s Got Money Troubles hails from David E. Kelley who wrote three episodes and co-wrote two with Eva Anderson. Anderson wrote an episode solo along with Boo Killebrew and Keiko Green. Some elements from the novel are rearranged or excised to improve narrative flow but most of the series remains faithful to the source material. Director Dearbhla Walsh helmed four episodes including the first and final chapters with Loki helmer Kate Herron and Alice Seabright each directing two apiece. The opening credits feature a catchy remix of Robyn’s “Blow My Mind” which sets the tone for this series. Produced by A24,Margo’s Got Money Troubles is a timely series with an indie vibe and sensibility that can easily be enjoyed by all ages. The subject matter may be controversial for some but David E. Kelley approaches it without judgment unlike some characters in the story.
I was sold on Margo’s Got Money Troubles based on the trailer but it was the earnest performances from Elle Fanning Nick Offerman and Michelle Pfeiffer that kept me coming back for more. Each chapter is engaging sweet and makes you feel good even when you start to feel bad when things go wrong for the characters. The series finale manages to upend expectations by offering a happy ending but not a flawless one. I know that Margo’s Got Money Troubles is designed as a limited series that covers the events of the novel but this could easily be a cast of characters worth revisiting to see where they go next. David E. Kelley has experience expanding source material into ongoing shows (Big Little Lies) but if the story of Margo and her money troubles ends here it will have been a satisfying journey.
Margo’s Got Money Problems premieres on April 15th on Apple TV.
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Source:
JoBlo.com
