Tracey Frink"Here lies Walter Fielding. He bought a house and it killed him."
May 28th 2009 18:18
This movie has long faded into 80s obscurity, but it still has a place in my video library. Yes, some of us still have those, even if mine is scattered among many boxes. I'm talking about the 1986 movie The Money Pit, starring Shelley Long and Tom Hanks (before Big).
The beginning of the movie is pretty slow. Actually, it's almost dead. There are a few chuckles, but it could have been about fifteen minutes shorter, in my opinion. The movie really picks up when Shelley and Tom's house literally starts falling down around them. Moral of the story: When something seems too good to be true (like the sweet old lady selling the huge, beautiful home at a steal), it usually is. Buyer beware! Especially when it comes to sweet, little old ladies.
The winding staircase fell apart. The chimney landed in the fireplace. The wiring went to Hell in a matter of a couple minutes, shooting the turkey out of the oven, around the house and into the bathtub (where the turkey's timer conveniently popped up). And shortly thereafter, the porcelain tub fell through the second floor, crashed into the first floor and broke into a thousand pieces. Anything that could go wrong went wrong. But, funnier than the chaos, are construction and repair guys all saying the same thing to our frazzled couple, the Fieldings.
The repairs and reconstruction will only take two weeks.
Now, if you believe that (like they did) you are truly an eternal optimist. That poor house had to be gutted down to its foundation and it took months. This couple is so buried in debt that their grandchildren will never get out of it and it's only natural that this puts a strain on their relationship. I won't go into details, because the drama is fairly formulaic. At least it's brief.
And, yes, they get back together, because no one could stray from that schmaltzy 80s movie formula.
However, this movie is good for laughs. If you don't believe me check out the "Cheap Girls." (Trust me when I say it's not what you think.) And, if you have had this misfortune to live in a substandard dwelling, like I have, at least you know it could be much, much worse.
The beginning of the movie is pretty slow. Actually, it's almost dead. There are a few chuckles, but it could have been about fifteen minutes shorter, in my opinion. The movie really picks up when Shelley and Tom's house literally starts falling down around them. Moral of the story: When something seems too good to be true (like the sweet old lady selling the huge, beautiful home at a steal), it usually is. Buyer beware! Especially when it comes to sweet, little old ladies.
The winding staircase fell apart. The chimney landed in the fireplace. The wiring went to Hell in a matter of a couple minutes, shooting the turkey out of the oven, around the house and into the bathtub (where the turkey's timer conveniently popped up). And shortly thereafter, the porcelain tub fell through the second floor, crashed into the first floor and broke into a thousand pieces. Anything that could go wrong went wrong. But, funnier than the chaos, are construction and repair guys all saying the same thing to our frazzled couple, the Fieldings.
The repairs and reconstruction will only take two weeks.
Now, if you believe that (like they did) you are truly an eternal optimist. That poor house had to be gutted down to its foundation and it took months. This couple is so buried in debt that their grandchildren will never get out of it and it's only natural that this puts a strain on their relationship. I won't go into details, because the drama is fairly formulaic. At least it's brief.
And, yes, they get back together, because no one could stray from that schmaltzy 80s movie formula.
However, this movie is good for laughs. If you don't believe me check out the "Cheap Girls." (Trust me when I say it's not what you think.) And, if you have had this misfortune to live in a substandard dwelling, like I have, at least you know it could be much, much worse.
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