When you put Tom Hanks and Shelly Long together in a comedy about home ownership, you're bound to get a great film. And that's just what The Money Pit is: great fun that passes onto the audience even if the story is basic and the laughs are juvenile. Well, maybe, but whatever. Let's review.
So here's the plot:
Walter, played by Tom Hanks, and his girlfriend Anna, live in an apartment and are awoken one morning by strange men in the house. They announce the return of Anna's ex-husband Max, a conductor who is extremely selfish and who happens to own the apartment.
Walter, who may be a little over his head, begins to look for a house that is not an apartment to own. He finds out about one outside New York, a sort of old country home that might as well be almost a mansion. The owner, Estelle, a widow after her husband became Hitler's pool boy, sells the house to them. Little do they know they are being swindled.
So now the fun begins: Walter and Anna take a week or two off from work to fix up the house, which is in not so great shape. Disaster strikes with every swing of the hammer. The front door falls both in and out, the stairs collapse with Walter running up them, rescuing Anna while she is being attacked by a raccoon, the kitchen catches fire, and the tub falls through the floor. And that's not all, even more wacky and crazy stuff happens, but not to completely spoil the movie, I'll let you watch it and find out what else happens.
Four months pass, and soon the house looks much better. But the only problem is Max. He starts to like Anna again and begins to try to make her love him. Walter gets suspicious and when it seems Anna cheats on him, they almost split. Time passes and Walter forgives Anna eventually.
The two get married and decide rather than selling the house, which they planned on, they will live in it. Meanwhile, Estelle and her husband, Carlos, who is alive, sell Walter's father a house down in Rio de Janiero. It is obvious now that the two are con-artists and run away with the money as the wife comments on how little the house cost and how good it looks.
So now for the grading scale:
Acting: 7 out of 10. Hanks does his usual good job, but Shelly Long can be kind of wooden sometimes.
Entertainment: 8 out of 10. The middle is a little dull, but the first part and the end are great.
Screenplay: 6 out of 10. A little above standard.
Directing: 5 out of 10. Very standard.
Technical Credits: 5 out of 10. Pretty basic.
Genre Fit: 9 out of 10. A few fits and starts sometimes with the comedy but it doesn't try to be anything else.
MPAA Rating: 10 out of 10. Just fine at PG.
Stupid Scenes: 7 out of 10. A few gags here and there just misfire right away, while others really work.
Deeper Message: 3 out of 10. Talks a little about trusting someone in an unlikely situation.
Beginning: 28 out of 30. Absolutely hilarious with repairing the house.
Middle: 17 out of 30. A bit dull.
Ending: 20 out of 30. Gets better.
Final Rating: 125/180 or 69%. A B, which means it's good.
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