Director: Richard Benjamin
Writer: David Giler (Screenplay)
Starring: Tom Hanks, Shelley Long, Alexander Godunov, Maureen Stapleton, Joe Mantegna, Philip Bosco, Josh Mostel
Plot: A young couple struggles to repair a hopelessly dilapidated house.
Tagline – For everyone who’s ever been deeply in Love or deeply in debt.
Runtime: 1 Hour 31 Minutes
There may be spoilers the rest of the review
Verdict: Nice Little Comedy
Story: The Money Pit starts Walter (Hanks) and Anna (Long) lose their apartment in New York City, they must scramble around looking for somewhere to stay and they come across a million-dollar house for a fifth of the price, they simply must jump at the chance.
They move into the house only to learn about the numerous problems the house has and must work on fixing it using up the remaining funds they have.
Thoughts on The Money Pit
Characters – Walter Fielding has been living in his father’s debt for years and he wants to settle down in a house over an apartment with his girlfriend. When the house becomes a dream, he jumps at the chance only to learn he is now living a nightmare. Anna Crowley is the girlfriend of Walter that has been living in her ex-husband’s apartment, she loves Walter but isn’t ready to get married, she supports Walter in his dream house and doesn’t care about the money troubles they will be facing. Max Beissart is the ex-husband that is an arrogant composer that believes he is the best, he does want Anna back and will try anything to do so.
Performances – Tom Hanks was in the middle of his comedy run here and it shows because he is great with his comic timing, something we don’t see enough in his newer films. Shelley Long works very well as the girlfriend which showed how her fame had risen with Cheers behind her. The rest of the film has good performances with the cast knowing where they can hit it off with comedy.
Story – The story here follows a couple that must move out of their apartment and the only place they can afford in a massive house outside of the city. The house looks like a dream home, but soon turns into a nightmare and a money pit, needing repairs in every single part of the home. This is the basics of the story, we do have a small subplot surrounding Anna and her ex-husband who is trying to win her back, otherwise this is just about how the house is destroying the life and relationship of the couple.
Comedy – The comedy comes from all the events the couple must go through with making the house work, the best parts come from all the mishaps they have which does play more towards the slapstick.
Settings – The film spends most of the in the new house, this is where the best moments happen, the comedy, when we are away from the house we get to go through the normal New York locations.
Scene of the Movie – Bath Tub.
That Moment That Annoyed Me – The subplot gets in the way of the comedy.
Final Thoughts – This is one of the comedies that showed us all just how capable Tom Hanks was going to be. The comedy hits well and even though we have a small subplot that takes away from the film.
Overall: Good comedy that still stands the test of time.
Rating
