Brewster's Millions (1985 film)

Infobox Film
name = Brewster's Millions


caption = Promotional movie poster
director = Walter Hill
producer = Lawrence Gordon
Gene Levy
Joel Silver
writer = Timothy Harris
George Barr McCutcheon (novel)
Herschel Weingrod
narrator =
starring = Richard Pryor
John Candy
music = Ry Cooder
cinematography = Ric Waite
editing = Freeman A. Davies
Michael Ripps
distributor = Universal Pictures
released = 1985
runtime = 100 min.
country = USA
language = English
budget =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id = 1:7072
imdb_id = 0088850

"Brewster's Millions" is a 1985 comedy film starring Richard Pryor based on the 1902 novel of the same name by George Barr McCutcheon. It is the seventh film based on the story, with a screenplay by Herschel Weingrod & Timothy Harris. It was directed by Walter Hill.

Taglines

*You don't have to be crazy to blow $30 million in 30 days. But it helps.
*Yesterday he was a relief pitcher in the minor leagues of life. Today he's been handed the American Dream...on a very hot plate.
*An American excess story.
*Why else would anybody spend ten million dollars to get a sixty-thousand-dollar-a-year job, unless he planned to steal it back with interest.

Plot summary

Monty Brewster is an aging minor league baseball pitcher, with the (fictional) Hackensack Bulls. He suddenly finds that his recently deceased great-uncle was an eccentric multi-millionaire who wanted to discourage him from spending excessively. Under the terms of the will, Brewster is challenged to spend $30 million within 30 days in order to inherit $300 million. There are some conditions attached: at the end of the 30 days, he may not own any assets that are not already his, and he must get value for the services of anyone he hires. Furthermore, he may donate only 5% to charity and lose another 5% by gambling, and he may not waste the money by buying expensive goods and then destroying them or giving them away. Finally, he is not allowed to tell anyone about the nature of this challenge.

As well as the usual range of wasteful spending gags, Brewster joins the race for Mayor of New York City and throws most of his money at a protest campaign urging a vote for "None of the Above." The two major candidates sue Brewster for his confrontational rhetoric, leading to a massive settlement which of course furthers their competitor's true goal. He also hires the New York Yankees for a three-inning exhibition against his Hackensack team, with himself as the pitcher. Unfortunately, Brewster is forced to end the occasion by stopping his protest campaign when he learns that he is leading in the polls as a write-in candidate; he publicly announces that he cannot accept the mayoralty if he were to win it.

He is almost thwarted by Warren Cox, a junior lawyer from the firm that is acting as executor of the estate. Cox has been bribed by partners of the firm to ensure Brewster fails to spend the entire $30 million, which he does by hiding a small amount of cash intended as a holding deposit on a purchase. At the last moment, Cox reveals his duplicity to Angela Drake, his fiancée and a paralegal who has been doing Brewster's accounting during the 30 days. Brewster himself has developed an unrequited attachment to Angela; when Cox reveals the plot to her with barely a minute to spare, Angela steps in to save Brewster, telling him about Cox's scheme. Brewster writes a check in the amount of the hidden fund as a retainer for her services as a paralegal. He thus completes the challenge at the stroke of midnight, inheriting the whole $300 million and winning Angela's affections for himself.

Cast

* Richard Pryor - Monty Brewster
* John Candy - Spike Nolan
* Lonette McKee - Angela Drake
* Stephen Collins - Warren Cox
* David White - George Granville
* Rick Moranis - Morty King
* Jerry Orbach - Charlie, Manager of the Hackensack Bulls
* Pat Hingle - Edward Roundfield

External links

*imdb title|id=88850|title=Brewster's Millions
* [http://www.fast-rewind.com/brewstersmillions.htm Brewster's Millions at the 80s Movie Gateway]
*amg title|id=1:7072|title=Brewster's Millions