The 1985
comedy Brewster’s Millions is a movie that didn’t get the recognition
it deserved as a comedy, despite starring both Richard Pryor and John Candy. By
"recognition," I mean the movie leaned more dramatic than funny. It’s
one of those movies where you’ll want to see how it ends rather than give up
halfway through because it fails to make you laugh.
The big
challenge this movie faced in the comedy arena was the task given to the
character Monty Brewster. This movie is an adaptation of a book of the same
name, and the plot couldn’t be simpler. Monty had to spend a huge sum of money
within a limited amount of time to inherit ten times that amount.
His task? Spend 30 million in 30 days, with enough rules to ensure he spends
it properly rather than just wasting it. That being the major plot of the movie—it
could have been funnier if he’d been allowed to go wild, but those were the
rules. If you think of it, it can be near impossible to achieve if you meant to
spend in accordance with some rules.
The way he went
about trying to make it happen, along with some of his antics, was very
inventive. But there’s the problem of his best friend, Spike (John Candy),
who’s trying to help Monty. Spike is unaware of the conditions placed on Monty
and tries to help his friend keep his money.
The pain Monty
feels when Spike makes money from things Monty tries to lose money on can only
be fully appreciated when you see the movie yourself. All these happenings
aren’t framed in a comedic tone, which makes me wonder if the movie could have
been better written.
Furthermore,
Monty was distracted by a love interest, a subplot I believe could have been
deleted from the script entirely.
In the end, I
didn’t laugh much, but I did see why someone might say, “Go watch this movie.”
I wouldn’t necessarily preach the same, but I can say I was glued to the screen
to see it through.
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