Brewster's Millions (1985 film)
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| Brewster's Millions | |
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 Promotional movie poster |
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| Directed by | Walter Hill |
| Produced by | Lawrence Gordon Gene Levy Joel Silver |
| Written by | Timothy Harris George Barr McCutcheon (novel) Herschel Weingrod |
| Starring | Richard Pryor John Candy |
| Music by | Ry Cooder |
| Cinematography | Ric Waite |
| Editing by | Freeman A. Davies Michael Ripps |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | in film |
| Running time | 100 min. |
| Country | U.S.A. |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Brewster's Millions is a 1985 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.
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[edit] 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.
[edit] Plot Summary
- See Brewster's Millions for the plot of the original novel
Brewster is an aging minor league baseball pitcher, with the (fictional) Hackensack Bulls. The amounts involved in the inheritance in this version are $30 million (to be spent) and $300 million (the real windfall). 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 campaign urging a vote for "None of the Above," only to be forced to withdraw from the race when he learns that he is leading in the polls. He also hires the New York Yankees for a three-inning exhibition against his Hackensack team, with himself as the pitcher.
Brewster is almost thwarted by a junior lawyer (Warren Cox) from the firm which is executing the inheritance. 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. Of course, 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 and complete the transfer of her affections.
It should be noted that in the ending of this version of the film, Brewster gives the money to Angela as a retainer for her services as a lawyer. Technically, this makes Brewster the owner of "pre-paid legal services", an asset which should void the terms of the will. This discrepancy is never addressed, probably because the firm technically cheated Brewster.
[edit] 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
