Review of The Money Pit (1986) by Raji K — 10 Feb 2017

Tom Hanks and Shelly Long star in The Money Pit. Hanks and Long are Walter Fielding and Anna Crowley, a young couple that are strapped for cash, and need a place to live. Anna was staying at her ex-husband's place, but now they he is she must move out. They desperately look for a place in New York city that is in their price range, but are unable to find anything. The only option they have is an old house from an old lady an hour outside of the city. They each loan money and pay the 200,000 dollars to buy the old house. The house is valued at a million, so they wonder if there has to be a catch of some kind.

They are not in the house for more than 20 minutes when things start to go wrong. The stairs are dilapidated, the water is muddy, the electricity fuses are blown and that's only the beginning of their problems. Due to the distance and the condition of the house they are not able to get a decent contractor to help them repair the house. The stress of this puts strain on their relationship and they begin hating each other. A relationship is like a good house though, with a good foundation there is always a chance.

The Money Pit is a predictable, but enjoyable comedy. There is quite a bit of physical comedy involved as the house falls apart. This includes Hanks repeatedly trying to fix the stairs only to see them crumble them right under him. The film somewhat ignores the cost of the repairs particularly with respect to the loans they took on to buy the house. This is trivial, and you get what you expect in this early Hanks comedy. The film gets more well-rounded once it focuses away from the house woes, and the relationship between the two. The idea and foundation of trust and faith in each other that is required when things happen.

-2.10.2017.