Film Review: Brewster's Millions (1985)

Walter Hill is best known as the director of westerns and action films. When he departed from those genres and tried something different, results were, not that surprisingly, films that would become relatively obscure part of his filmography. That happened even with the film that turned out to be modest commercial hit, 1985 comedy Brewster’s Millions.

The plot is based on the eponymous 1902 novel by American writer George Barr McCutcheon (which had been adapted to big screen ten times, including three Indian films). Protagonist, played by Richard Pryor, is Monty Brewster, struggling Minor League Baseball pitcher from Hackensack, New Jersey. One day he gets invited to New York law firm offices where he learns that he is the closest living relative of Rupert Horn (played by Hume Cronyn), eccentric and immensely wealthy business tycoon who has passed recently. Before his death Horn made the will leaving 300 million US$ worth of fortune to Monty. He can, however, inherit that money only under one unusual condition – he is given 30 million US$ that must be spent to the last cent in next 30 days. After refusing safe alternative in form of unconditional 1 million US$ inheritance, Monty begins a spending spree which is carefully recorded by Angela Drake (played by Lonette McKee), accountant hired by the law firm. He is attracted to her, but she views him unsympathetically, aghast at the spectacular and sometime ingenious ways to squander money millions of ordinary people would have worked a lifetime to earn. To make things worse, conditions of the will prevent Monty to tell Angela and his best friend Spike Nolan (played by John Candy) the truth, while Warren Cox (played by Stephen Collins), Angela’s boyfriend and one of the law firm’s employees, wants to sabotage Monty’s plan.

McCutcheon’s plot concept is simple, but effective and it allows wide variety of approaches in screen adaptations – from simplest of screwball comedies to social commentary like Trading Places, classic comedy which was, like this one, written by Herschel Weingrod. Unfortunately, Walter Hill was wrong choice for director. This becomes obvious at the beginning, when Hill takes too much time to set the premise and the slow pace continues for the rest of the film. This allows audience to notice serious problems with script – namely the extremely low quality of humour and many jokes that are simply too repetitive. Pryor, one of the greatest American comedians, looks wasted in this role and, despite few episodes of brilliance, seems quite uncomfortable in his role. He fails, among other things, to create any sort of chemistry with Lonette McKee. John Candy, another giant of Hollywood comedy, is also tragically underused in his role. The main problem is, however, Hill’s inability to create sympathy for the character who, pursued by greed, begins behaving like an arrogant spendthrift. This task is even harder in today’s world, when global masses are faced with economic crisis, shortages and increasing gap between the rich and the poor. Although he made money and made studios happy, Hill wasn’t pleased with Brewster’s Millions and made his feelings known to the public. All those who watch this film would probably agree with him.

RATING: 3/10 (+)

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Movie URL: https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/11064-brewster-s-millions
Critic: AA