The Money Pit
Encyclopedia
The Money Pit is a 1986
comedy film
and remake
of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
. Directed by Richard Benjamin
and executive produced by Steven Spielberg
, the film stars Tom Hanks
and Shelley Long
as a couple who attempt to renovate a recently purchased house. The Money Pit was filmed in New York City
and Lattingtown
, Long Island
, New York
. Villa Vizcaya
in Miami, Florida
was used for the epilogue scene set in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
d millions of dollars from their musician clients. The next morning, the couple hears noises and are surprised to find workmen putting furnishings around their apartment and a man asking them, "you’re still here?!" We learn that Walter and Anna do not own the apartment; it belongs to Anna's ex-husband Max Beissart (Alexander Godunov
), a self-loving conductor who has returned unexpectedly early from a tour in Europe
and intends to take up residence again.
Walter and Anna now need a place of their own. Through an unscrupulous real estate agent friend, Walter learns about a million dollar distress sale
mansion. He and Anna meet the owner, Estelle (Maureen Stapleton
), who claims she must sell the house quickly because her husband has been arrested by the Israelis, having been accused of being Adolf Hitler's pool boy. Her sob story and insistence of keeping the place in candlelight in order to save money "for the goddamn, bloodsucking lawyers" distracts Walter and enchants Anna, who finds it romantic. Walter and Anna decide to buy the house, but Anna insists on putting up half of the money needed for the repairs. She turns to Max for her half of the money by selling him back what she got in their divorce. Walter gets his half from his wealthiest client, a rock star named Benny, who happens to be a kid.
From the moment Walter and Anna take possession of the house, it quickly begins to fall apart. The entire front door frame rips out of the wall, the main staircase collapses, the plumbing is found to be full of gunk, the electrical system catches fire, the bathtub crashes through the floor (this causes Walter to laugh vehemently), the chimney collapses and a raccoon
has invaded the dumbwaiter
.
Contractors Art (Joe Mantegna
) and Brad Shirk (Carmine Caridi
) are called in, work permits are issued and the job is originally estimated to take two weeks. This is because the original intent was to demolish the house. Still, the estimate of two weeks is a running gag throughout the movie. When asked how long a process will take, the answer is always "two weeks". Walter is increasingly frustrated by the delays and increasing cost and dubs the house "the Money Pit".
The repair work ends up taking four months. Anna attempts to secure more funds from Max by selling him some artwork she received in their divorce. Max doesn't care about the artwork, but gives her the money anyway. He wines and dines her and she ends up in a compromising situation. The morning after he agrees to buy the paintings from Anna, Max allows her to believe her assumption — having woken up in Max's bed — that she has cheated on Walter, but in reality Max slept on the couch. Walter later asks Anna point-blank if she slept with Max, but Anna hastily denies it. Walter's suspicions push Anna to admit that she slept with Max, but the damage is done. Anna later confides in Max that, "He (Walter) can't forgive me and I can't forgive him for that."
Due to Walter and Anna's stubbornness, their relationship becomes more and more hostile and in a rare moment of agreement, vow to sell the house once it is restored and split the proceeds. This nearly happens, but Walter misses Anna and says he loves her even if she did sleep with Max. Anna happily states that she didn't sleep with Max and the two reconcile. In the end, they are married in front of their new house.
The movie ends with a cutaway back to Rio de Janiero, where Estelle and Carlos (John van Dreelen
) — now revealed to be con artist
s — are taking a cash-filled briefcase
from Walter Sr. and his new bride, who is thrilled to be getting such a great deal for a house.
, a review aggregator
website, reports that only 47% of critics have given the film a positive review, based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10. Even with negative reviews, the film had modest success in the box office.
1986 in film
-Events:*April 12 - Actor Morgan Mason marries The Go-Go's Belinda Carlisle.*April 26 - Actor Arnold Schwarzenegger marries television journalist Maria Shriver.*May - Actress Heather Locklear marries Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee....
comedy film
Comedy film
Comedy film is a genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humour. They are designed to elicit laughter from the audience. Comedies are mostly light-hearted dramas and are made to amuse and entertain the audiences...
and remake
Remake
A remake is a piece of media based primarily on an earlier work of the same medium.-Film:The term "remake" is generally used in reference to a movie which uses an earlier movie as the main source material, rather than in reference to a second, later movie based on the same source...
of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House is a 1948 American comedy film directed by H.C. Potter and starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. The film was written and produced by the team of Melvin Frank and Norman Panama...
. Directed by Richard Benjamin
Richard Benjamin
Richard Benjamin is an American actor and film director. He has starred in a number of productions, including Goodbye, Columbus , based on the novella by Philip Roth, and Westworld .-Life and career:...
and executive produced by Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
, the film stars Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
and Shelley Long
Shelley Long
Shelley Lee Long is an American actress best known for her role as Diane Chambers on the sitcom Cheers, for which she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress...
as a couple who attempt to renovate a recently purchased house. The Money Pit was filmed in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Lattingtown
Lattingtown, New York
The Village of Lattingtown is a village located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 1,739 at the 2010 census. Initially, Lattingtown was a marsh, populated by Matinecock Indians who lived nearby. The Matinecocks sold the area in 1660 to...
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Villa Vizcaya
Villa Vizcaya
Vizcaya, now named the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, is the former villa and estate of businessman James Deering, of the Deering McCormick-International Harvester fortune, on Biscayne Bay in the present day Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida...
in Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
was used for the epilogue scene set in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil.
Plot
The story begins with attorney Walter Fielding and his girlfriend Anna Crowley learning of his father Walter Sr.’s wedding in Rio de Janiero, after escaping the country after having embezzleEmbezzlement
Embezzlement is the act of dishonestly appropriating or secreting assets by one or more individuals to whom such assets have been entrusted....
d millions of dollars from their musician clients. The next morning, the couple hears noises and are surprised to find workmen putting furnishings around their apartment and a man asking them, "you’re still here?!" We learn that Walter and Anna do not own the apartment; it belongs to Anna's ex-husband Max Beissart (Alexander Godunov
Alexander Godunov
Alexander Borisovich Godunov was a Russian-American ballet danseur and film actor, whose defection caused a diplomatic incident between the USA and the USSR.-Biography:...
), a self-loving conductor who has returned unexpectedly early from a tour in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and intends to take up residence again.
Walter and Anna now need a place of their own. Through an unscrupulous real estate agent friend, Walter learns about a million dollar distress sale
Forced sale
A Forced Sale of Real Estate is an action that taken in a civil court forcing the owners to sell the property at issue and divide the profits. A forced sale would be the result of a petition to partition action.- Why forced sales occur :...
mansion. He and Anna meet the owner, Estelle (Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton
Maureen Stapleton was an American actress in film, theater and television.-Early life:Stapleton was born Lois Maureen Stapleton in Troy, New York, the daughter of Irene and John P. Stapleton, and grew up in a strict Irish American Catholic family...
), who claims she must sell the house quickly because her husband has been arrested by the Israelis, having been accused of being Adolf Hitler's pool boy. Her sob story and insistence of keeping the place in candlelight in order to save money "for the goddamn, bloodsucking lawyers" distracts Walter and enchants Anna, who finds it romantic. Walter and Anna decide to buy the house, but Anna insists on putting up half of the money needed for the repairs. She turns to Max for her half of the money by selling him back what she got in their divorce. Walter gets his half from his wealthiest client, a rock star named Benny, who happens to be a kid.
From the moment Walter and Anna take possession of the house, it quickly begins to fall apart. The entire front door frame rips out of the wall, the main staircase collapses, the plumbing is found to be full of gunk, the electrical system catches fire, the bathtub crashes through the floor (this causes Walter to laugh vehemently), the chimney collapses and a raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
has invaded the dumbwaiter
Dumbwaiter (elevator)
Dumbwaiters are small freight elevators intended to carry objects rather than people. Dumbwaiters found within modern structures, including both commercial and private buildings, are often connected between two floors...
.
Contractors Art (Joe Mantegna
Joe Mantegna
Joseph Anthony "Joe" Mantegna, Jr. is an American actor, producer, writer,director, and voice actor. He is best known for his roles in box office hits such as Three Amigos , The Godfather Part III , Forget Paris , and Up Close & Personal...
) and Brad Shirk (Carmine Caridi
Carmine Caridi
Carmine Caridi is an American television and film actor. He has appeared in a wide variety of roles over the past 30 years. He lives in West Hollywood.- Career :...
) are called in, work permits are issued and the job is originally estimated to take two weeks. This is because the original intent was to demolish the house. Still, the estimate of two weeks is a running gag throughout the movie. When asked how long a process will take, the answer is always "two weeks". Walter is increasingly frustrated by the delays and increasing cost and dubs the house "the Money Pit".
The repair work ends up taking four months. Anna attempts to secure more funds from Max by selling him some artwork she received in their divorce. Max doesn't care about the artwork, but gives her the money anyway. He wines and dines her and she ends up in a compromising situation. The morning after he agrees to buy the paintings from Anna, Max allows her to believe her assumption — having woken up in Max's bed — that she has cheated on Walter, but in reality Max slept on the couch. Walter later asks Anna point-blank if she slept with Max, but Anna hastily denies it. Walter's suspicions push Anna to admit that she slept with Max, but the damage is done. Anna later confides in Max that, "He (Walter) can't forgive me and I can't forgive him for that."
Due to Walter and Anna's stubbornness, their relationship becomes more and more hostile and in a rare moment of agreement, vow to sell the house once it is restored and split the proceeds. This nearly happens, but Walter misses Anna and says he loves her even if she did sleep with Max. Anna happily states that she didn't sleep with Max and the two reconcile. In the end, they are married in front of their new house.
The movie ends with a cutaway back to Rio de Janiero, where Estelle and Carlos (John van Dreelen
John van Dreelen
John van Dreelen was a Dutch-born American-based actor, who frequently performed on television from the 1960s through the 1980s...
) — now revealed to be con artist
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
s — are taking a cash-filled briefcase
Briefcase
A briefcase is a narrow box-shaped bag or case used mainly for carrying papers and other documents and equipped with a handle. Lawyers commonly use briefcases to carry briefs to present to a court, hence the name...
from Walter Sr. and his new bride, who is thrilled to be getting such a great deal for a house.
Cast
- Tom HanksTom HanksThomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
as Walter Fielding Jr. - Shelley LongShelley LongShelley Lee Long is an American actress best known for her role as Diane Chambers on the sitcom Cheers, for which she won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress and two Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress...
as Anna Crowley - Alexander GodunovAlexander GodunovAlexander Borisovich Godunov was a Russian-American ballet danseur and film actor, whose defection caused a diplomatic incident between the USA and the USSR.-Biography:...
as Max Beissart, the Maestro - Maureen StapletonMaureen StapletonMaureen Stapleton was an American actress in film, theater and television.-Early life:Stapleton was born Lois Maureen Stapleton in Troy, New York, the daughter of Irene and John P. Stapleton, and grew up in a strict Irish American Catholic family...
as Estelle - Joe MantegnaJoe MantegnaJoseph Anthony "Joe" Mantegna, Jr. is an American actor, producer, writer,director, and voice actor. He is best known for his roles in box office hits such as Three Amigos , The Godfather Part III , Forget Paris , and Up Close & Personal...
as Art Shirk - Philip BoscoPhilip Bosco-Personal life:Bosco was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of Margaret Raymond , a policewoman, and Philip Lupo Bosco, a carnival worker. Bosco went to high school at St. Peter's Preparatory School in Jersey City. He attended the Catholic University of Washington, D.C. Bosco married Nancy...
as Curly - Josh MostelJosh MostelJoshua "Josh" Mostel is an American actor who is best known for his roles in Jesus Christ Superstar and two Adam Sandler films .-Life and career:...
as Jack Schnittman - Yakov SmirnoffYakov SmirnoffYakov Naumovich Pokhis , better known as Yakov Smirnoff, is a Ukrainian-born American comedian, painter and teacher. He was popular in the 1980s for comedy performances in which he used irony and word play to contrast life under the Communist regime in his native Soviet Union with life in the...
as Shatov - Carmine CaridiCarmine CaridiCarmine Caridi is an American television and film actor. He has appeared in a wide variety of roles over the past 30 years. He lives in West Hollywood.- Career :...
as Brad Shirk - Brian BackerBrian BackerBrian Backer is an American actor who has starred in film and on television. He is best known for his role in the 1982 hit comedy film Fast Times at Ridgemont High as shy teenager Mark "Rat" Ratner...
as Ethan - Mia DillonMia DillonMia Dillon is an American actress.Born in Colorado, Dillon graduated from Marple-Newtown Senior High School in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. She made her Broadway debut in Hugh Leonard's Da in 1978...
as Marika - John van DreelenJohn van DreelenJohn van Dreelen was a Dutch-born American-based actor, who frequently performed on television from the 1960s through the 1980s...
as Carlos - Douglass WatsonDouglass WatsonLarkin Douglass Watson III was an American actor.Before an acting career, he received two Purple Heart awards for his service in World War II. A character actor since 1950, his most notable roles were in the movies Julius Caesar , Sayonara , and The Money Pit...
as Walter Fielding Sr. - Tetchie AgbayaniTetchie AgbayaniVisitacion Parado, who is better known by her screen name Tetchie Agbayani, is a Filipina movie and television actress, Mutya ng Pilipinas, psychology instructor and Playboy model. She appeared in a regular issue of German Playboy and a special American edition entitled "Women of the World"...
as Florinda Fielding
Reception
The Money Pit received mixed to negative reviews. Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, a review aggregator
Review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services . This system stores the reviews and then uses them for purposes such as: creating a website for users to view the reviews, selling information to third parties about consumer tendencies and creating databases for...
website, reports that only 47% of critics have given the film a positive review, based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 4.8/10. Even with negative reviews, the film had modest success in the box office.
Locations
- Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
(opening) - New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
- LattingtownLattingtown, New YorkThe Village of Lattingtown is a village located within the Town of Oyster Bay in Nassau County, New York in the United States. The population was 1,739 at the 2010 census. Initially, Lattingtown was a marsh, populated by Matinecock Indians who lived nearby. The Matinecocks sold the area in 1660 to...
, Long IslandLong IslandLong Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
(Walter and Anna bought the house) - Miami (House in the ending is Villa VizcayaVilla VizcayaVizcaya, now named the Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, is the former villa and estate of businessman James Deering, of the Deering McCormick-International Harvester fortune, on Biscayne Bay in the present day Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami, Florida...
)
See also
- Are We Done Yet?Are We Done Yet?Are We Done Yet? is a 2007 family comedy film starring Ice Cube. The film is both a remake of the classic Cary Grant comedy Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House and a sequel to 2005's comedy Are We There Yet? The film was directed by Steve Carr from a screenplay by Hank Nelken...
, another remake of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream HouseMr. Blandings Builds His Dream HouseMr. Blandings Builds His Dream House is a 1948 American comedy film directed by H.C. Potter and starring Cary Grant and Myrna Loy. The film was written and produced by the team of Melvin Frank and Norman Panama...