Easy Money (1983)

To inherit his mother-in-law's colossal fortune, a hard-living gambling addict must change his unhealthy ways before they get the best of him.

Director:

James Signorelli

Writers:

Rodney Dangerfield, Michael Endler

Stars:

Rodney Dangerfield, Joe Pesci, Geraldine Fitzgerald

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rodney Dangerfield	...	Monty Capuletti
Joe Pesci	...	Nicky Cerone
Geraldine Fitzgerald	...	Mrs. Monahan
Candice Azzara	...	Rose Capuletti (as Candy Azzara)
Val Avery	...	Louie the Bartender
Tom Noonan	...	Paddy
Taylor Negron	...	Julio
Lili Haydn	...	Belinda Capuletti
Jeffrey Jones	...	Clive Barlow
Tom Ewell	...	Scrappleton
Jennifer Jason Leigh	...	Allison Capuletti
Jeff Altman	...	Bill Jones (as Jeffrey Altman)
David Vasquez	...	Hector
Kimberly McArthur	...	Ginger Jones
Frank Simpson	...	Father McIntyre

Storyline

Monty Capuletti could receive 10 million dollars as an inheritance from his late mother-in-law's estate. Her will states he must first curb his vices for a year, which include smoking, drinking and gambling to name a few.

---

Plot Keywords:

female frontal nudity | mother in law son in law relationship | friend | birthday party | snobbery | 

---

Taglines:

No cheating! No gambling! No booze! No smoking! No pizza! No nothin'!

---

Genres:

Comedy

---

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film Monty is watching is 'The Lost Weekend' about an alcoholic on a four day bender.

---

Goofs

Near the end in the hospital room, Allison and Julio are sitting on the side of a bed getting frisky with each other. Next, Allison lays on her back and Julio is moving towards her. At that moment, the camera angle changes as the door opens and a couple of nurses walk in, but we see Allison and Julio sitting up as they were instead of laying on the bed.

---

Quotes

Nicky Cerone: I'm so hungry I could eat the waitress!

---

Alternate Versions

There are two versions of this movie known to exist. One is the original theatrical cut, which has made its way to video and DVD. The other, which has been seen on premium cable stations (HBO, Showtime), has an additional scene at a boxing fight with Monty, Nicky, and Paddy. After Monty tells the parents to "shut the fat little bastard up." We see an aerial view of a boxing ring with the sound of the national anthem. After the announcer sings the national anthem at the match, we see Monty passing peanuts, beer, and hot dogs around while looking at them in vain. As he watches the fight, he sees one of the fighters get knocked out and he sees himself as that fighter two times. Yelling "I got to get out of here!", Monty begins to leave, but things stop him. A vendor holding out a hot dog saying "Have a hot dog, son." He turns from them and sees his Mob pals beckoning him with girls and money. He then sees his next door neighbor offering him a joint with his girlfriend who pulls up her top. Finally, he sees Scrapleton with Mrs. Monahan dressed in a devil suit. He holds the deed for Monty's money. All of these people he sees are of his own imagination. As Nicky yells out "Where you going!", Monty exits the arena. We then see him sitting in front of the television. All TV versions of "Easy Money" also exclude this scene.

---

Connections

Featured in The Making of 'Easy Money' (1983)

---

Soundtracks

Easy Money
Written and Performed by Billy Joel
Produced by Phil Ramone
Orchestrated by Dave Matthews
Engineer: Jim Boyer
Courtesy of Columbia Records

User Reviews

Rodney and Joe Pesci Rule the screen!

The funniest film I have ever seen (29 viewings and counting)! Rodney's overall lifestyle as a married with two daughters Staten Island baby photographer who happens to drink, gamble, go to strip bars and get late night diner food with his best pal Nicky Marino (played by Oscar winner Joe Pesci), is unlike anything I've seen before and since. His struggles to live without his vices in order to collect the "easy money" are hilarious and include dealing with his daughter's slimy Puerto Rican boyfriend Julio and having to photograph a bratty child while still going through withdrawal. Pesci is a cross between his Good Fellas and Lethal Weapon 2 characters and has never been funnier.

This is a companion film for anyone who liked Caddyshack.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 August 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Herança da Sogra

Filming Locations:

Abraham & Straus Department Store, 422 Fulton St., Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,844,974, 21 August 1983

Gross USA:

$29,309,766

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$29,309,766

Company Credits

Production Co:

Easy Money Associates

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1