The Money Pit Reviews

When a young couple are evicted from their New York apartment, they buy the home of their dreams and soon discover that the house does nothing but conSteven Spielberg produced this underwhelming 1986 effort at a slapstick spin on Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. The pre-Oscar Tom Hanks stars with Shelley Long as a married couple whose efforts to finish construction on their home are sabotaged by costly and sporadically funny accidents. The unfinished domicile becomes a metaphor for their troubled relationship, as evidenced by Long’s character’s attraction to a madman violinist (Alexander Godunov). Hanks is the only reason at this point to check this film out. Richard Benjamin (My Favorite Year) directs but with no flair or distinction. –Tom Keogh.

Rating: (out of 115 reviews)

List Price: $ 14.98

Price: $ 5.95

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5 Comments

S. N. Gaines

October 27, 2010 at 5:57 am

Review by S. N. Gaines for The Money Pit
Rating:
Go ahead and buy this one. The movie is an absolute riot. Anyone who has ever looked at a home improvement project and thought, “piece of cake”, will probably need to wear Depends while watching this movie.There are so many great lines in this movie that they just keep cropping up in my life. All I need to say to my wife is, “maybe a little dinner, some dancing, that’s it” and she’s on the floor.There is one “conflict” scene that I think the movie could’ve done without, but what do I know, I’m only a viewer. But it does give a setup for a great plasterer line.If you have “weak trees”, bad plumbing, or any of a plethora of other home adventures you will enjoy this movie.Recommended with absolutely no reservations.

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H. Memmel

October 27, 2010 at 5:32 am

Review by H. Memmel for The Money Pit
Rating:
I love this movie, but in the DVD version there are some scenes that are missing. The entire sequence where they spend there first night in the house and actually break the step is totally left out! Also the scene with the trees falling is cut short. Those were the two I noticed but there may be more. Why do studios do this? It is a total letdown to fans.

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sipping_earl_grey@yahoo.com

October 27, 2010 at 4:41 am

Review by sipping_earl_grey@yahoo.com for The Money Pit
Rating:
This is one of my favorite movies and I cannot understand why it was dismissed by critics. A lot of the comedy is slapstick, with collapsing stairs, flying Perdue chickens and “weak” trees. But in the context of rehabilitating the house, they can get away with it. This is a truly funny movie with none of the grossness that usually passes for comedy in Hollywood. And it is a must see for anybody who has ever rennovated a house. We are currently remodeling our home and use terms from the movie all the time from the “Shirk Brothers” to “anybody call a plumber?”

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S. Tucker

October 27, 2010 at 3:55 am

Review by S. Tucker for The Money Pit
Rating:
One of the best screwball comedy/romance movies of the last 20 years. Finally on DVD after a long standing dispute with its famous director.Shelly Long gives what is likely the best performace of her career, she actually carries Tom Hanks, who also puts in a good performance.People who dont like this movie seem to take it too seriously, not expecting screwball gags from the likes of Hanks and Long. Once you embrace this movie for what it is, every moment is pure comic genius.

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M. Hart

October 27, 2010 at 3:21 am

Review by M. Hart for The Money Pit
Rating:
“The Money Pit” is an underrated, romantic, slapstick comedy telling the story of an unmarried couple that unwittingly decides to purchase a large house in dire need of repair. The couple, Walter Fielding, Jr. (Tom Hanks) and Anna Crowley Beissart (Shelley Long), have a strong relationship until Anna’s former husband, Max Beissart (Alexander Godunov), returns to claim the apartment where they have been living in NYC. Being forced to move, Walter and Anna decide to purchase a house and find what they believe is a dream house being sold by a seemingly eccentric widow, Estelle (Maureen Stapleton), in Long Island. Walter and Anna hurriedly purchase the house and move in. However, after a series of mishaps, they soon discover that their dream house has a number of problems. Having both invested a sizeable amount of their savings into the house, Walter and Anna have no choice except to hire contractors with dubious reputations to repair the problems.Anyone who has dealt with home repair issues (as I have) will no doubt identify with the trials and tribulations endured by Walter and Anna. Of course, many of the mishaps they experience in the film are exaggerated but very memorable, including the falling staircase, the crashing bathtub and the exploding kitchen. Naturally, stress resulting from the amount of money invested, the various mishaps and the prolonged loss of privacy due to the presence of many construction workers severely tests Walter and Anna’s relationship. Max’s presence as conductor of the symphony where Anna performs as a violinist doesn’t help matters either.Being an exceptional actor, Tom Hanks did an excellent job with his portrayal of Walter, ranking equally with his performances in “Splash” (1984), “Big” (1988) and “Joe Versus the Volcano” (1990). Shelley Long’s performance is also quite good. Other memorable characters in the film include the Shirk Brothers (the dubious contractors): Art Shirk (Joe Mantegna) and Brad Shirk (Carmine Caridi); as well as construction foreman Jack Schnittman (Josh Mostel). Sadly, when the film was released in 1986, it was snubbed by critics and earned poor box office receipts. Admittedly, the film is not perfect, but I rate “The Money Pit” with a very strong 4 out of 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good slapstick comedy or to anyone contemplating the purchase or renovation of a house. The film also has a strong and simple lesson: buyer beware.

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