Review of The Money Pit (1986) by Jordan K — 03 Oct 2012

The Money Pit is one of those funny movies that is making you question whether it is funny or silly. I thought most parts were funny but then again I considered other parts to be plain stupid.

Anna and Walter are a soon-to-be couple who desperately need a house. After all, it's not easy to get a house in New York, but the best they can get is a house from a bossy 13 year-old for $200,000. However, this is clearly a disaster house and the Fieldings are trapped in a money pit when windows break, stairs collapse, chimneys are destroyed, and many other silly and slightly unfunny antics ensue. I think it would be good if the whole story was simply about a disaster house, but no. There's a romcom subplot, though, which is, of course, ordinary for Hanks. Shelley Long's character, Anna, is caught between Walter and her composer/former lover Max. Here's the thing: Max is incredibly ANNOYING. He's practically Dolph Lungren with Tommy Wiseau's voice. So Anna sleeps with Max one night and Walter finds out, leading into a big argument with Anna and him. Of course, everything is fine in the end and the whole house is fixed because it's rated PG! Thanks, Spielberg!

It's an alright movie. I have a liking for Tom Hanks' films but I usually go hard on his comedies and usually like his dramatic performances. It's kinda like a Three Stooges episode but modern day, if you consider "modern day" to be 1986. Once again, Max is an annoying character so avoid him if you want to prevent being deaf from hearing such an annoying voice. I would suggest you watch the film, but be warned if you are not a silly movie guy. I, for one, usually am but at times things get too silly (Watch your back, Harry Crumb).