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Brewster's Millions
Universal // PG // May 21, 2002
List Price: $19.98 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
George Barr McCutcheon was one of the nation's most popular authors at the turn of the twentieth century, and his novels Graustark, Beverly of Graustark, The Prince of Graustark, Nedra, Jane Cable, The Daughter of Anderson Crow, The Man from Brodney's, and Truxton King were all best sellers in the century's first fifteen years. Though a number of his novels have been developed into motion pictures, Brewster's Millions has been produced more frequently than any other. Oscar Apfel and Cecil B. DeMille directed the first film adaptation in 1914, with five move following over the next fifty years. The concept was revived a seventh time for 1985's Brewster's Millions, a Richard Pryor vehicle that would be one of his final great successes in Hollywood.
Pryor stars as Monty Brewster, an aging minor-league pitcher for the Hackensack Bulls. Brewster and catcher Spike Nolan (John Candy) dream of an unrealistic shot at the big leagues, but their hopes are dashed when a bar brawl leaves them dropped from the roster. Their fortunes literally improve when it's revealed that Brewster is the only living heir to one of the country's wealthiest men. His great-uncle Rupert (Hume Cronyn) was unwilling to merely dole out bundles of cash. The will stipulates that if Monty wishes to receive $300 million, he must first spend $30 million in a month's time. His motivation behind spending that amount of money so quickly must remain a secret, and he cannot have accumulated any assets once the month has passed. If Monty fails, the fortune will be divvied out to various charities, though the law film handling the estate plans to charge a hefty administrative fee for its services. Some of the greedier higher-ups at the firm plot against Monty, whose attempts to blow the eight-figure sum aren't helped by some of his risky schemes unintentionally paying off.
Brewster's Millions was a Sunday afternoon favorite on my Friendly Local UHF Stations™ growing up. Years have passed since I last saw it, but Brewster's Millions held up much better over time than I thought it would. Virtually every iota of its success can be attributed to the comedic talents of Richard Pryor and John Candy, and a slightly different casting decision would've made for a considerably less entertaining movie. The supporting cast is strong too, brimming with "hey, I recognize him..." faces lurking in the background. Lonette McKee reprises her role from Which Way Is Up? as the target of Pryor's affections, though she's much more interesting here as Brewster's stuffy accountant. Television stars Jerry Orbach (Law and Order) and Stephen Collins (7th Heaven) also have fairly prominent roles, and given the saccharine nature of Collins' hit series, it's mildly amusing to see him play a slimy, exploitive lawyer. The comedy generally works, though Brewster's Millions isn't really a 'laugh out loud' sort of movie.
This isn't Brewster's Millions first time on DVD. Goodtimes Home Video put out a bargain-bin disc nearly four years prior to the release of this edition. Though I haven't given that now-discontinued release a peek, Universal's DVD offers a small smattering of supplemental material and would is certain to be vastly improved video.
Video: Universal has provided a spiffy new anamorphic widescreen transfer for this DVD. Presented at an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the image is, with the exception of two or three soft shots, reasonably sharp and detailed. Colors are somewhat inconsistent, generally appearing strong, but looking somewhat dull and lifeless in a comparatively small percentage of the movie. Film grain only appears intermittently and never becomes a nuisance, and dust and flecks are kept to a bare minimum. Such concerns are relatively minor, however, and the overall quality of the presentation is high enough that owners of the current letterboxed Goodtimes release may want to consider an upgrade.
Audio: The specifications on the case state that this DVD release of Brewster's Millions sports a 2.0 mono track. This is strange, since from what I understand, the film was released theatrically in Dolby stereo. Reviews of the Laserdisc and previous Goodtimes DVD both note stereo surround tracks as well. Perhaps the packaging is mislabeled, though there isn't any strikingly noticeable stereo separation to indicate such a mistake. The track is serviceable, but nothing beyond that. It sounds somewhat dated and anemic, which isn't much of a surprise for a fairly low-budget comedy produced seventeen years ago. This DVD probably does not offer much of an improvement over the movie's appearances on basic cable, but the quality of the video more than makes up for that.
Supplements: Along with a full-frame theatrical trailer, Brewster's Millions includes a handful of text-based extras. First up are biographies for Richard Pryor, John Candy, Lonette McKee, Stephen Collins, Hume Cronyn, and Walter Hill. There are also a few pages of production notes that touch on the various incarnations of Brewster's Millions, concluding with a couple of quotes from producer Joel Silver. Rounding out the supplements are an option to sign up for a DVD newsletter and recommendations for two other Universal titles featuring Richard Pryor, Which Way Is Up? and The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings.
Conclusion: Brewster's Millions isn't the most enthusiastically recommended film from either of its stars, but its harmless fun will be worthwhile to even the most casual fans of Pryor and Candy. A rental would probably be the safest bet, but its $19.98 list price is low enough that a purchase isn't cost-prohibitive.
Pryor stars as Monty Brewster, an aging minor-league pitcher for the Hackensack Bulls. Brewster and catcher Spike Nolan (John Candy) dream of an unrealistic shot at the big leagues, but their hopes are dashed when a bar brawl leaves them dropped from the roster. Their fortunes literally improve when it's revealed that Brewster is the only living heir to one of the country's wealthiest men. His great-uncle Rupert (Hume Cronyn) was unwilling to merely dole out bundles of cash. The will stipulates that if Monty wishes to receive $300 million, he must first spend $30 million in a month's time. His motivation behind spending that amount of money so quickly must remain a secret, and he cannot have accumulated any assets once the month has passed. If Monty fails, the fortune will be divvied out to various charities, though the law film handling the estate plans to charge a hefty administrative fee for its services. Some of the greedier higher-ups at the firm plot against Monty, whose attempts to blow the eight-figure sum aren't helped by some of his risky schemes unintentionally paying off.
Brewster's Millions was a Sunday afternoon favorite on my Friendly Local UHF Stations™ growing up. Years have passed since I last saw it, but Brewster's Millions held up much better over time than I thought it would. Virtually every iota of its success can be attributed to the comedic talents of Richard Pryor and John Candy, and a slightly different casting decision would've made for a considerably less entertaining movie. The supporting cast is strong too, brimming with "hey, I recognize him..." faces lurking in the background. Lonette McKee reprises her role from Which Way Is Up? as the target of Pryor's affections, though she's much more interesting here as Brewster's stuffy accountant. Television stars Jerry Orbach (Law and Order) and Stephen Collins (7th Heaven) also have fairly prominent roles, and given the saccharine nature of Collins' hit series, it's mildly amusing to see him play a slimy, exploitive lawyer. The comedy generally works, though Brewster's Millions isn't really a 'laugh out loud' sort of movie.
This isn't Brewster's Millions first time on DVD. Goodtimes Home Video put out a bargain-bin disc nearly four years prior to the release of this edition. Though I haven't given that now-discontinued release a peek, Universal's DVD offers a small smattering of supplemental material and would is certain to be vastly improved video.
Video: Universal has provided a spiffy new anamorphic widescreen transfer for this DVD. Presented at an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, the image is, with the exception of two or three soft shots, reasonably sharp and detailed. Colors are somewhat inconsistent, generally appearing strong, but looking somewhat dull and lifeless in a comparatively small percentage of the movie. Film grain only appears intermittently and never becomes a nuisance, and dust and flecks are kept to a bare minimum. Such concerns are relatively minor, however, and the overall quality of the presentation is high enough that owners of the current letterboxed Goodtimes release may want to consider an upgrade.
Audio: The specifications on the case state that this DVD release of Brewster's Millions sports a 2.0 mono track. This is strange, since from what I understand, the film was released theatrically in Dolby stereo. Reviews of the Laserdisc and previous Goodtimes DVD both note stereo surround tracks as well. Perhaps the packaging is mislabeled, though there isn't any strikingly noticeable stereo separation to indicate such a mistake. The track is serviceable, but nothing beyond that. It sounds somewhat dated and anemic, which isn't much of a surprise for a fairly low-budget comedy produced seventeen years ago. This DVD probably does not offer much of an improvement over the movie's appearances on basic cable, but the quality of the video more than makes up for that.
Supplements: Along with a full-frame theatrical trailer, Brewster's Millions includes a handful of text-based extras. First up are biographies for Richard Pryor, John Candy, Lonette McKee, Stephen Collins, Hume Cronyn, and Walter Hill. There are also a few pages of production notes that touch on the various incarnations of Brewster's Millions, concluding with a couple of quotes from producer Joel Silver. Rounding out the supplements are an option to sign up for a DVD newsletter and recommendations for two other Universal titles featuring Richard Pryor, Which Way Is Up? and The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings.
Conclusion: Brewster's Millions isn't the most enthusiastically recommended film from either of its stars, but its harmless fun will be worthwhile to even the most casual fans of Pryor and Candy. A rental would probably be the safest bet, but its $19.98 list price is low enough that a purchase isn't cost-prohibitive.
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