I must confess upfront that years ago I read a few of the Stephanie Plum series including "One for the Money" so that creates certain expectations of a film adaptation that non-readers of the book do not have. That said I did like Katherine Heigl as the heroine Stephanie Plum in this film. Stephanie is a down on her luck Jersey gal laid off from her lingerie buyer job who takes on the role of bounty hunter to make ends meet. She lands a big case that connects her to her past - a high school flame turned vice cop is on the run after a shooting and Stephanie can't wait to bring him in but she uncovers information that may help him instead.
While I liked Heigl in this role there just seemed to be something missing from the film compared to what I remember of the books. I think one problem is that the film is 91 minutes and it feels that the action is compressed to fit so there's less time for character and relationship development. Another issue is that I guess the director wanted the PG-13 rating enough to water down some of the bawdiness that gives the book some of its heart. This makes Stephanie less of the badass tough-talking chick and more of a rom-com gal and I think that was a mistake. Stephanie, the lovable but bawdy Jersey gal who loves her crazy family and relates to the criminals she brings in, needs the freedom to be herself even if that brings an R rating. One positive for the film is Sheri Shepherd as Lula, the hooker turned informant because Shepherd brought some sass.
Bottom line: If you read and liked the book then you may be a bit disappointed here otherwise it's a decent film and Heigl does her best with the script. C in my book.
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