(February 9, 2012) — Typically, whenever I think about a bounty hunter in my head, there is often some scumbag being chased down a shady street by a large, burly man with a gun. However, the same can’t be said when it comes to comedy film One for the Money , based on the 1994 novel of the same title by Janet Evanovich. Set in New Jersey, unemployed Stephanie Plum (Katherine Heigl), desperate for cash, becomes a bail enforcement agent—AKA, a bounty hunter— regardless of the fact that she has zero experience or any type of equipment. Not that it really matters to her, she’s just in it for the loot. First role of the job: track down a former cop who skipped out on his trial in court and is wanted for murder, Joe Morelli (Jason O’Mara). Awkwardly enough, Morelli also flirted with and dumped Plum back in high school. Only problem is that he’s not getting turned in without a fight to clear his name, and Plum has to sift through a series of people in order to continuously track him down. Right from the first line of the movie, “My name is Stephanie Plum and this is my story,”—which is followed by her description of most, if not all, of the reasons why her life has led to an almost downward spiral—I already had a feeling that the film would have a rather bland feel to it. I was right. Apart from the actors’ notably fake “Joizy” accents, there is no progression with the protagonist’s character, and it was as if the director tried to create a Jersey Shore styled mystery through the use of film. I was never truly sold to believe its attempted atmosphere and setting of New Jersey’s blue collar area; it didn’t feel as if Heigl fit into place of Plum. Plus, there was nothing particularly special of the cinematography. The same goes for others within the story: it is disappointing to find out that they did not play much of a role in the plot, but come up in a mere few scenes. Some characters are forgettable because of that, making the story just revolve around Plum’s problems, and her problems becoming other characters’ problems. Still, I can’t say that One for the Money isn’t entertaining to watch, even if some of the funniest moments were already shown in its trailer. Watching the movie made me progressively more curious as to who was in danger next and whether or not they would get in trouble. The film went from a story of a pitiful woman practically pretending to be a cop into a mysterious detective chase where multiple lives are on the line. I’ll be honest and acknowledge the moments of tension and feelings of anxiety, which does add some depth with a tasteful touch.