[yasr_overall_rating]
Senior investment banker Naomi Bishop is threatened by a financial scandal and must untangle a web of corruption.
Like the New York City banking mecca it focuses much of its attention on, Hollywood has had its trouble breaking feminine stereotypes over the years. “Equity” seeks to shatter stereotypes for both Wall Street and film. It follows investment banker Naomi Bishop (Anna Gunn) as she recovers from a disappointing business deal. Along the way, she and her female colleagues face a range of obstacles from outright sexism to a subtle double-standard applied to everything from evaluations of their work ethic to the overall results they garner. The women here fight their way to the top, combating themselves and each other as much as the male dominated system which keeps them from their goals. While it’s a refreshing break from such bad-boy fare as “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Equity” is a good film made from a great idea.
Gunn headlines an excellent cast featuring British stalwart James Purefoy as Bishop’s mutual fund investor boyfriend, Michael Connor, along with solid performances from Sarah Megan Thomas as assistant vice president Erin Manning and Alysia Reiner as government investigator Samantha. Gunn fits easily into her role as a strong business woman who challenges conventions on her way up, even arguing for women to “like money” in one scene a la Gordon Gecko’s “Greed is Good” speech from “Wall Street.” Her speech has a much different feel to it because she’s really arguing for a woman’s right to like money as much as men do, not simply arguing for greed as a business philosophy the way Michael Douglas did in his Oscar-winning performance. Gunn handles her lines forcefully and exudes strength even as the pitfalls of her career begin to catch up to her. She’s no one-dimensional actress cast to play essentially a generic character. Bishop is all woman in her attitude, style and responses to the various obstacles placed in her way.
Thomas gets some powerful scenes as well. In her portrayal of Manning, we see a woman whose life goals and business goals don’t always line up. She demonstrates both naivete and determination as a younger woman impatient for her turn at the conference table. The fact that Bishop and Manning must compete with each other as much as the men in their firm emphasizes the few opportunities women have to attain higher paying, more powerful positions within this world. Both Gunn and Thomas fit well into their roles. Reiner’s performance as Samantha becomes more complex as the film goes along. She’s a lesbian whose wife is an actress, meaning her job with the Federal Trade Commission makes her the family’s primary breadwinner. She struggles to make ends meet knowing full well she could make more money working the other side of Wall Street. Her development from idealist to woman on the rise is perhaps the most interesting part of the film.
For her part, director Meera Menon creates a fantastic world for these characters to inhabit. The environment looks far more expensive than the budget allowed, creating as believable a setting for this story as any other Wall Street based film in recent memory. She makes excellent use of advisers who assisted with wardrobe, environment and details right down to the letterhead on office stationary. While she interprets events from a decidedly feminine point of view, the story itself gets mired in predictability. For the many things about “Equity” which feel authentic and natural, the action doesn’t leave much room for surprise. The tension isn’t what it could be. It doesn’t make this a bad film. On the contrary, there is much to like about the characters and the actors who portray them. We simply get so much characterization and attention to detail that the overall story line suffers a bit.
“Equity” was born out of Thomas’ story, developed by Thomas and Reiner and fleshed out by playwright Amy Fox. It’s a worthy first effort which holds lots of promise, as demonstrated by the fact that it had been optioned for TV by Tristar in the weeks before its release. Watching it develop on the small screen should be compelling since there are so many places to take the idea.
In select theaters August 12th
