Watched: 07/21/2024
Format: Amazon
Viewing: Unknown
Director: Walter Hill
I know! I didn't know this was directed by Water Hill until a few hours ago. Crazy world.
Also - somehow this was the second movie I saw today with Yakov Smirnoff in a minor role. In Soviet Russia, movie watches you!
Brewster's Millions (1985) was one of those movies I loved when I was a kid. Saw in the theater, yadda yadda. I found the mad scramble to spend money hilarious and charming. I love the idea of the baseball game, and while Pryor himself isn't particularly hilarious in this movie, the overall movie works.
It's also a movie with a very odd pedigree. This is actually the 6th movie version of a 1905 novel, and what's maybe most surprising is that it hasn't been re-made every other decade since. This is the last produced version.
The prior five versions - three of which must be silent
And there's a proposal up on IMDB that includes actual children of Richard Pryor for some sort of follow up. And a second one for something called Brewster's Billlions.
The set-up the 1985 version a good one. In this version - in order to inherit $300 million, Monty Brewster has to spend $30 million in 30 days, and at the end of that timeline, own nothing but the shirt on his back.
Of course, he also can't tell anyone what he's doing, so it just looks like he's going crazy. Within an hour, he's created a media frenzy, hiring security guards at outrageous rates and finding every way he can to spend the money down. The one that sticks in my head is always the iceberg-shipping guy - because it's so stupid and yet, plausibly, accidentally turns a profit.
This is maybe my personal Space Jam Fallacy movie as I don't think Jamie cracked a smile even once during what I consider to be a pretty funny movie. If you don't like Rick Moranis showing up for one scene as the guy who will repeat whatever you say (for a fee), man... that's comedy.
The cats includes John Candy as his best pal/ his catcher from his baseball team - and pretty much every movie with John Candy is made better for his participation. Lonette McKee plays the paralegal/ accountant tracking the spending (but doesn't know why), and, by gum, she might just be very pretty when she takes off her glasses and takes down her hair.
But the movie is just littered with 80's-era character actors and stars. Jerry Orbach! Hume Cronyn! Pat Hingle! Peter Jason! Joe Grifasi!
And plenty of other "that guy!" actors.
Does the movie stick the landing and show how stressful money is? For me: yes. I mean, given the limitations, I think I would just be hiring people for dumb stuff to do. I would definitely hire, like, Diana Ross to come play a block party or something. Buy out a movie theater for a month, let people just come in, and pay for everyone's snacks. Try and think of one-time expenses that could help folks. And I would definitely go spend a day watching The Cubs blow a lead in the 8th.
Anyway, given Jamie's mirthless viewing, I may need to consider that before declaring this movie holds up *great*. It might not.
I think we had a conversation on Twitter when I watched this about a year or so ago, and I recall stating that there should be a remake of this but the dollar amount would be ridiculous. $300 million in 30 days for $3 billion? That's not even Bezos or Musk money. (the jokes about NFTs write themselves though)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part is when Brewster buys the priceless stamp then uses it to mail a letter to the bank.
The *problem* with the stamp bit is that I think it breaks the rules set at the beginning. Monty is told he can't buy a bunch of famous art and then burn it. I think a good attorney could make the argument this is what he did. Maybe a better one would argue the stamp still exists, but is now in the hands of someone else?
ReplyDeleteI don't remember the rules laid out, but Brewster used the stamp thus rendering it worthless. You can argue that's unlike burning a painting because the item was used for its intended purpose and not destroyed.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm going with, essentially. Plus, he's transferred ownership. But, yeah, it's a fun puzzle of a movie. I really would dig a Brewster's Billions, but I grew up on Richard Pryor in the role, and I don't know who I would accept in the role. I think Simu Liu would be hilarious.
ReplyDelete