‘It’s a big house, we’ll divide it up! You stay in your half, I’ll stay in mine!’
I recently wrote an article on the top 10 Tom Hanks movies and it resulted in me plunging into a tailspin within which the only thing I am seemingly capable of doing is watching Tom Hanks films and eating. While it isn’t a bad old life, it would be nice to be able to move on…
A young couple played by Tom Hanks and Shelley Long plunge all their money into a housing renovation with disastrous results. Because this was the ’80s and cinema was simple goddammit. A time when film execs would shit out 20 films in one coke fuelled meeting. Halcyon days.
The Money Pit sees Tom Hanks on the fence between lovable bachelor and all American family man and it kind of suffers for that indecision. The relationship between Hanks and Shelley Long never really seems convincing, especially when she considers cheating on him with some douchebag who looks like he could have been the drummer in Motley Crue. Nobody is cheating on Tom Hanks, let’s be honest. Not on my watch.
While this lack of chemistry harms the films emotional resonance, it doesn’t hinder Hanks’ comedic chops and all the films laugh-out-loud moments come as a result of various Hanks related hi-jinks. The problem here is that if you take Tom Hanks out of The Money Pit, you are left with… well, nothing at all. The plot is rudimentary, the script is merely passable and the direction uninspired. It is testament to Hanks’ star power, even so early on in his career, that he can make what should be such an average film very watchable.
The Money Pit is not essential viewing, nor is it one of Hanks’ best movies. It isn’t particularly memorable. It doesn’t stand out. It is proof though that Tom Hanks can make any piece of shit into a film that people enjoy watching. You can’t polish a turd, but Tom Hanks can.