The Money Pit (1986)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Richard Benjamin

Writer:

David Giler (written by)

Release Date:

26 March 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

For everyone who's ever been deeply in Love or deeply in debt.

Plot:

A young couple struggles to repair a hopelessly dilapidated house.

Plot Keywords:

Irony | House | Music Rehearsal | Home Renovation | Orchestra Rehearsal

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Walter Fielding, Jr.
Shelley Long	...	Anna Crowley Beissart / Anna Fielding
Alexander Godunov	...	Max Beissart, the Maestro
Maureen Stapleton	...	Estelle
Joe Mantegna	...	Art Shirk
Philip Bosco	...	Curly
Josh Mostel	...	Jack Schnittman
Yakov Smirnoff	...	Shatov
Carmine Caridi	...	Brad Shirk
Brian Backer	...	Ethan
Billy Lombardo	...	Benny
Mia Dillon	...	Marika
John Van Dreelen	...	Carlos
Douglass Watson	...	Walter Fielding, Sr.
Lucille Dobrin	...	Macumba Lady

Runtime:

91 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:PG (1986) (cut) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Canada:PG | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Singapore:NC-16 | Singapore:PG (cut) | Spain:T | Sweden:7 | UK:15 | USA:PG | West Germany:12 | Norway:12

Filming Locations:

Astoria, Queens, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Amblin Entertainment

Trivia:

The band White Lion performs twice in this movie with a line-up that was pre their debut album. The bass player joined Black Sabbath between this movie and White Lion's first album.

Goofs:

Continuity: Initially, the front door swings into the house and the door knob is inside and the handle is outside. They are on the left (as viewed from outside the house). After the door and frame fall off the house it is propped up in the doorway, but the door now swings outward. The door could only do that if it were propped up backward, which it is not: the door handle is still outside and the knob is inside, and they are still on the left (when facing the house from outside).

Quotes:

Montgomery Shrapp: [Walter is stuck in the floor and can't answer the door] Are you in there, Fielding?
Walter: Yes! Yes! I'm here! My - my chest is constricted! I can't shout!

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in FC Venus (2006)

Soundtrack:

LA BAMBA

Amusing, but falls short of potential

A typical '80's slapstick farce style comedy that would have been a lot more fun if it wasn't burdened with a lot of needless sub-plot clutter. The film's one-joke premise of a couple trying to renovate a disintegrating fixer-upper house was a clever idea. Apparently, however, the film makers believed peripheral stories should be tossed in.

Tom Hanks is a plus for every movie he's in, and he makes the most of what the script offers. Most of the comic material in the script is recycled stuff, but Hanks manages to hit the right level of slapstick to generate some humor from it. Shelley Long displays great comic timing and delivery too, and she and Hanks make a pretty cute couple to look at.

The house falling to pieces whenever somebody touches something is an OK idea, but it only can carry a story so far, even with the strong lead actors. After a while, everything falling apart or falling down, or falling on characters gets stale. By the time a long winded scene of a domino-effect series of destructive accidents takes place, the joke is over. Then there's weird characters thrown in that just annoy the principal characters and the audience. The unwanted suitor bit is worthless and unfunny, especially the counterfeit accent the actor does. A few other comic relief characters, based on tiresome stereotypes used way too often in this sort of movie, are just extra baggage with no laughs.

The movie has moments, especially early on. If the director had utilized Hanks and Long to the level of their talents, this movie would have been more akin to a Tracy/Hepburn screwball comedy. Instead, some of the comic potential falls apart much like the house does.