Une baraque à tout casser

It really surprised me to see this movie get such a critical beating when it was released. I was even *more* surprised at how good it is.

Even before I popped this badboy in, I knew pretty much what to expect from it, and I left satisfied. Tom Hanks and Shelley Long are delightful; so is Alexander Godunov, he plays the vapid eurotrash so well in this.

It's a lighthearted '80s comedy, and when disaster isn't striking, it makes with the witty banter between spouses. It's just likable.

To that end, Hanks is in his comedic prime here, and man, he is on fire. He makes slapstick look easy but it's also a lot of fun watching him unravel in his harried state. That barking seal laugh he does after the bathtub plummets had me dying. His best is still "A League of Their Own", but this is a close second.

It's nice that there's a happy ending to this, what with the relationship drama. But we all came here to see the house try to kill itself from within, and I say mission accomplished.

I know, the critics ripped at "The Money Pit" when it got released. They apparently didn't realize that it wasn't pretending to be a masterpiece; it was a big excuse to be funny, and they succeed. Some of the gags her seem to forecast the equally funny "Mousehunt". Personally, I think that Tom Hanks needs to act in some more comedies, and Shelley Long needs to get more roles in movies. My favorite scene? Well, I get the giggles whenever I think of the whole chain reaction. Just the kinds of things about which anyone should worry when moving into a new house (although my family didn't have such experiences when we moved into our house).

All in all, it shows that Richard Benjamin is as great a director as he is an actor. My generation ought to give him the recognition that my parents' generation gave him. Also starring Alexander Godunov (one of the Amish guys in "Witness"), Maureen Stapleton, Joe Mantegna and Josh Mostel.

I loved this movie. Granted, I was a teen when I first saw it, but even so, I laughed often and that is my standard of judgment. Shelley Long is as good as she was in Cheers (which is gooood). Tom Hanks shows off the early "Bosom Buddies" hopes of physical comedy genius here in a way that he never did again. The bee-attack scene to the flight of the Bumblebee violin solo is fabulous. the whole "We're Sitting on a Dream" sequence with the stairs and doorbell and raccoon and the bathtub is hilarious but PEOPLE. Come on. The entire collapsing stairs bit is the best, capped off by Hanks sweet little blown kiss at the end ... slayed me. My brother and I still reference it whenever everything is more crap than bearable, and we always will. I think this is an overlooked gem and will always have it in my video catalogue. Finally, a quote: Paint. Don't tickle. Alexander Gudonow will be missed.

Richard Benjamin, actor (Westworld, 1973) goes director, directed this entertaining film fun about a down-on-his-luck couple desperately fighting for the survival of their relationship while the roof over their heads - and their bank account - slip into an increasingly precarious predicament.

With Tom Hanks and Shelley Long prominently cast, both have convincing chemistry in this classic piece reminiscent of comedies of the '50s and '60s.

The humor comes more with slapstick interludes and is very physical. The film is very entertaining and diverting.

A compelling good-mood film with a young Tom Hanks.

One of the things that makes this movie so enjoyable is that millions of Americans can easily empathize and draw upon their own experiences with the travails of fixing up a dilapidated house.

The plot is a familiar one and follows in the footsteps (which usually collapse) of such classic films as "George Washington Slept Here," "The Egg and I" and "Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House."

Shelley Long and Tom Hanks seem evenly matched as the tormented couple who suffer almost every wacky indignity and calamity imaginable. Tom Hanks has a flair for physical comedy, which he rarely got the chance to exploit in his later films. Unfortunately, except for Philip Bosco and Maureen Stapleton, the supporting players in "The Money Pit" are not in the same league as the actors who added so much flavor to films in the old studio days.

Indeed, as a classic movie buff, I find today's crop of character actors pallid in comparison with their counterparts of more than 50 years ago.

Who can forget Percy Kilbride and Hattie McDaniel as Mr. Kimber and Hester the maid in "George Washington," and Harry Shannon As Mr. Tesander, the well digger, in "Blandings"? Don't forget Donald MacBride and the coupling of Marjorie Main and Percy Kilbride as Ma and Pa Kettle in "The Egg." We'll never see the likes of them again.

Still, "The Money Pit" is all good fun and very entertaining.