Review of The Money Pit (1986) by Rainer K — 04 Aug 2012

They just don't make them like this anymore... and wisely they don't...

This is another one of these 80s rom-coms that live from a bunch of one-liners and a charismatic male lead. Like so many early Tom Cruise, Michael J. Fox, (add any other comparable youngster of the decade) vehicles The Money Pit is far from cinematic gold but I also can't hate films like this.

Tom Hanks, before he could prove his dramatic chops, but already established as the likable everybody buys a house which is a complete ruin. A classic set-up, we've seen many times before but this time it's stretched out into a 90 minute feature - with only a small love triangle subplot - it works pretty well though and never gets slow or boring. As they renovate the mansion, the relationship with his sweetheart (played by Shelley Long) deteriorates but in the end everything turns out just fine.

The Money Pit adapts the logic of similar rom-coms and just ignores financial problems and ridiculous plotholes to provide movie audiences with some easy laughs and a wonderful Hollywood-tailored happy ending.

Sometimes though, I kinda appreciate such stuff. Not that it'll go on my all-time favourite list but you can waste 90 minutes far worse. Thankfully, you know what you're into as early as the first tunes of the 80s pop soundtrack sound - and that's even before the first shot.