Life Stinks (1991)

Director:

Mel Brooks

Writers (WGA):

Mel Brooks (story) &
Ron Clark (story) ...

Release Date:

26 July 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance

Plot:

A filthy rich businessman bets a corporate rival that he can live on the streets of L.A. without the comforts of home or money, which proves to be tougher than he thought.

Plot Keywords:

Bet | Wealth | Betrayal | Homelessness | Male Female Relationship

Cast

Mel Brooks	...	Goddard 'Pepto' Bolt
Lesley Ann Warren	...	Molly
Jeffrey Tambor	...	Vance Crasswell
Stuart Pankin	...	Pritchard
Howard Morris	...	Sailor
Rudy De Luca	...	J. Paul Getty
Teddy Wilson	...	Fumes
Michael Ensign	...	Knowles
Matthew Faison	...	Stevens
Billy Barty	...	Willy
Brian Thompson	...	Mean Victor
Raymond O'Connor	...	Yo
Carmine Caridi	...	Flophouse Owner
Sammy Shore	...	Reverend at Wedding
Frank Roman	...	Spanish Interpreter

Also Known As:

Life Sucks (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

92 min | Finland:96 min (theatrical version)

Country:

USA

Language:

Spanish | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Finland:K-3 (cinema release) (1991) | Finland:S (video rating) (1991) | Iceland:L | Australia:M | Norway:10 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Culver Studios - 9336 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Brooksfilms

Trivia:

The film's original title, "Life Sucks", was changed at the studio's insistence.

Quotes:

Sailor: Pops ain't gonna be around long; his 'elevens' are up.
Goddard Bolt: What?
Sailor: His elevens! Look at the back of his neck. You see them two cords, stickin' out? They make, like, an 'eleven'. Once their up that's it. He's a goner.
Fumes: Maybe he'll come back in the world as somethin' better. Personally, when I die, I'd like to come back as a bird.
Sailor: Why?
Fumes: Ohhh, because man, I could fly free, and easy, and if I saw someone I really didn't care for, I'd drop a hot one on 'em!
Sailor: When I die, I want to be 'excramated' and I want my ashes sprinkled in the old briny. At least I'd be part of the sea forever, and ever.
Fumes: Oh, that's beautiful, man, beautiful. Like when I die, I want to go just like my daddy, boom! Peaceful, in his sleep.
Sailor: Yeah, they told me my grandmother died peacefully in her sleep, It's a good way to go.
Molly: NOBODY dies peacefully, in their sleep! It's what they tell people, to make them feel good. Want to know how people REALLY die, in their sleep?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Matrix Revolutions (2003)

Soundtrack:

EASY TO LOVE

A different Mel Brooks movie, but manages to make you smile and think

Homelessness (or Houselessness as George Carlin stated) has been an issue for years but never a plan to help those on the street that were once considered human who did everything from going to school, work, or vote for the matter. Most people think of the homeless as just a lost cause while worrying about things such as racism, the war on Iraq, pressuring kids to succeed, technology, the elections, inflation, or worrying if they'll be next to end up on the streets.

But what if you were given a bet to live on the streets for a month without the luxuries you once had from a home, the entertainment sets, a bathroom, pictures on the wall, a computer, and everything you once treasure to see what it's like to be homeless? That is Goddard Bolt's lesson.

Mel Brooks (who directs) who stars as Bolt plays a rich man who has everything in the world until deciding to make a bet with a sissy rival (Jeffery Tambor) to see if he can live in the streets for thirty days without the luxuries; if Bolt succeeds, he can do what he wants with a future project of making more buildings. The bet's on where Bolt is thrown on the street with a bracelet on his leg to monitor his every move where he can't step off the sidewalk. He's given the nickname Pepto by a vagrant after it's written on his forehead where Bolt meets other characters including a woman by the name of Molly (Lesley Ann Warren) an ex-dancer who got divorce before losing her home, and her pals Sailor (Howard Morris) and Fumes (Teddy Wilson) who are already used to the streets. They're survivors. Bolt isn't. He's not used to reaching mutual agreements like he once did when being rich where it's fight or flight, kill or be killed.

While the love connection between Molly and Bolt wasn't necessary to plot, I found "Life Stinks" to be one of Mel Brooks' observant films where prior to being a comedy, it shows a tender side compared to his slapstick work such as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, or Spaceballs for the matter, to show what it's like having something valuable before losing it the next day or on the other hand making a stupid bet like all rich people do when they don't know what to do with their money. Maybe they should give it to the homeless instead of using it like Monopoly money.

Or maybe this film will inspire you to help others.