Brewster's Millions (1985)

A minor league baseball player has to spend $30 million in thirty days, in order to inherit $300 million. However, he's not allowed to own any assets, destroy the money, gift it, give it to charity or tell anyone about the deal.

Director:

Walter Hill

Writers:

George Barr McCutcheon (based on the novel by), Herschel Weingrod (screenplay)

Stars:

Richard Pryor, John Candy, Lonette McKee

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Richard Pryor	...	Montgomery Brewster
John Candy	...	Spike Nolan
Lonette McKee	...	Angela Drake
Stephen Collins	...	Warren Cox
Jerry Orbach	...	Charley Pegler
Pat Hingle	...	Edward Roundfield
Tovah Feldshuh	...	Marilyn
Hume Cronyn	...	Rupert Horn
Joe Grifasi	...	J.B. Donaldo
Peter Jason	...	Chuck Fleming
David White	...	George Granville
Jerome Dempsey	...	Norris Baxter
David Wohl	...	Eugene Provost
Ji-Tu Cumbuka	...	Melvin
Milt Kogan	...	Heller

Storyline

Brewster is a minor league baseball player. Unknown to him, he had a (recently deceased) rich relative. In order to test if Brewster knows the value of money, he is given the task of disposing of $30m in 30 days. Brewster isn't allowed to have any assets to show for the $30m or waste the money in any way. If successful, Brewster gets to inherit $300m. The biggest problem of all however, is that Brewster can't tell anyone what he's doing, so everyone thinks he's crazy. Add to this the fact that if he fails, two scheming trustees will get their hands on the money, Brewster's task is not an easy one.

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Plot Keywords:

minor league baseball | baseball player | spending money | wasting money | inheritance challenge | 

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Taglines:

From the people that brought you "The Warrriors", "48 Hrs.", and "Streets of Fire" comes a film about one man's chance to be rich... with a catch.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Walter Hill says later he purposefully made the film "to improve his bank account and success quotient".

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Goofs

In the opening baseball scene when Brewster is facing Rudy, he is wearing a batting helmet with ear covers over both ears indicating he is a switch hitter. When facing Brewster, a right handed pitcher, he is batting right handed instead of left handed which would have been to his advantage. However, as with even lower levels of play, in the minor leagues there is certainly not always the luxury of having a single-flapped helmet for each batter and often non-switch-hitters end up wearing two-flap helmets as well since those type are often the ones carried most by teams since they can be used for right-handed or left-handed batters.

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Quotes

[discussing the redecoration of Monty's room]
Marilyn: Imagine this. Mesopotamia...
Monty Brewster: Mesopotamia...
Marilyn: meets Busby Berkeley.
Monty Brewster: Busby Berkeley...
[Monty has a bewildered look on his face]

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Connections

Remade as Hello Mr. Billionaire (2018)

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Soundtracks

Auld Lang Syne
(uncredited)
Traditional

User Reviews

Pryor and Candy go wild, while Larry Tate is a slimy executive yet again

Believe it or not, "Brewster's Millions", in which Richard Pryor plays a guy who has to spend $30 million in 30 days so that he can inherit $300 million from his late uncle (Hume Cronyn) but can't tell anyone the second part, is based on a 1902 novel. And a funny adaptation it is! Pryor plays a baseball player who prefers partying with his buddy (John Candy). Once it's time for him to start spending, he goes all out. I will say that this isn't the best work for either of them, but Walter Hill's movie definitely elicits its share of laughs. The best part is Brewster's mayoral campaign: he's the most truthful candidate of all time (or at least the most realistic).

The executives who formally give Brewster the money reminded me very much of the Dukes in "Trading Places". As it is, one of them is played by a man who seems to have spent much of his career playing bombastic executives: David White, aka Larry Tate on "Bewitched". He went from playing an executive in "The Apartment", to playing the boss of a man married to a witch, to playing an executive who gives $30 million to a rule-trashing cool dude. What a country indeed!

Anyway, the movie is at once a parable about profligacy and also just a plain old fun comedy. Brewster is a guy who, quite simply, knows how to party. Like I said, it's not the funniest movie ever, but you definitely get some laughs out of it.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 May 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Brewster's Millions

Filming Locations:

L'Orangerie - 903 North La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,858,905, 27 May 1985

Gross USA:

$40,833,132

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$45,833,132

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, Davis Entertainment, Lawrence Gordon Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1