Money is powerful, but it cannot buy true happiness or the love of family. This reality is made clear in Ridley Scott’s movie All the Money in the World 2017. This tells the true story of J. Paul Getty, a famously stingy billionaire, and his determined ex-daughter-in-law Gail. They came into contention when her teenage son J. Paul Getty III was kidnapped in Rome and held for ransom in 1973. Getty, the richest man in the world at the time of the kidnapping, refused to pay the ransom that the abductors demanded in exchange for the boy’s life, which led to the abductors cutting off a part of his ear. Although the film shows the unconditional love of a mother for her son, it also illustrates the atrocious impact of money on people’s behavior, happiness, and family relationships.
First, money can affect people’s behavior. Lack of money can sometimes lead people to do criminal activities. In this movie, poverty leads a group of people to kidnap the grandson of a wealthy family to receive easy money. The kidnappers believe that threatening the boy’s freedom will result in ransom money. Unluckily for them, Getty refuses to give them any money, thinking that the kidnapping is a hoax. As a result, the kidnappers sell the boy to the more vicious group because they are desperate for money. Criminals can be violent; they tend to torture people just to get what they want in a ferocious way. On the other hand, the mother of the abducted boy will do anything to save her beloved son, even if it means losing everything she owns. She won’t stop pleading with the rich grandfather to help save her son. In fact, she signs an agreement giving up custody of her children in exchange for Getty’s providing the ransom money. The negotiations are settled, although not with the original amount. Having a tremendous amount of money is definitely a problem; it even threatens the safety and security of a rich person. Indeed, wealthy people are the targets of most thieves and feel as though their rights are violated when their money is taken. In most cases, they are concerned about being attacked.
Money also can have a major impact on happiness. Without a doubt, when a person desires something, it becomes the only entity that is important in that person’s life. In addition, the person will worship money and become greedy. For example, even though Getty is the richest man in the history of the world, he is still not satisfied. His focus is on his investments and on accumulating more money. He also seeks happiness by purchasing art and antiques profitably and without a second thought. He even installs alarms on his prized possessions out of fear of losing them. The director’s cut of the film shows Getty’s greed and selfishness in not paying the ransom for his grandson, which proves he does not want to risk diminishing his fortune. He won’t share any amount of money with people asking for help. Furthermore, the money he does give as ransom is tax- deductible. For the same reason, he lends the rest of the money to his son with interest. All the Money in the World shows that money is incredibly powerful, because an extremely wealthy person can buy all the luxuries in life, but he cannot buy the love of his family. Eventually, access to a large amount of money will not make a person content or happy with his life.
Having a lot of money can affect family relationships too. One of the best uses of money is to provide for the needs of one’s family and help them enjoy life. The worst decision is choosing to love money over one’s family. Getty is a visionary businessman, who sees money as the top priority in life. He is so devoted to wealth and power that he neglects the rights and needs of his family, and acts as if the kidnapping is not important. He despises his son because he believes that he will destroy the family business by becoming a drug addict. Moreover, Getty suspects his grandson has staged the crisis to extract money from him, and even claims he is a liar. Getty is passionate about accumulating money and possessions, but distant from his family. Besides, he would gasp at the painting with more affection than he has shown his family. As a consequence, he dies miserably, staring at his material wealth.
Overall, people’s behavior, happiness, and family relationships can be affected by money. Lack of money can lead people to commit crimes such as kidnapping a member of a rich family. Kidnappers believe that by asking for ransom, they can have more money. What some people don’t know is that money cannot buy happiness. A higher income will not bring happiness or satisfaction with life. That’s why making more of it will not increase a person’s happiness, even if he values money above other things. Having a large amount of money can be more necessary than even taking care of one’s family. However, money is not meant to be worshiped.
