La surprise

I've loved this movie ever since I was a kid, and after about a dozen viewings (damn, I've been having too much time) there's one question that still bothers me: who's this movie aimed at? On the surface it definitely looks like a family movie. You have your Disney-like music under almost every scene, you have your tired, clichéd story about kids wanting to make sugary sweet adults fall in love, you have your character that gets his heart cut out wait what? You have your hapless but likable kids who pull all kinds of school shenanigans, you have...Malcolm McDowall as a crazed pimp who pulls out his gun at a school dance? This movie just bounces all over the place, but it's fascinating rather than bothersome. Furthermore, even after so many times this is still a pretty effective little tearjerker. You know this stuff is probably going to end well (with someone getting his heart cut out?), but getting there is quite touching. You know she'll stay in the end, but still, don't leave. Ed Harris and Melanie Griffith also have near-perfect chemistry, it always helps if the protagonists of your romantic comedy look like they actually want to be there. "Milk Money" has its shortcomings because it's essentially an off-brand "Pretty Woman", but it's a childhood memory that I kinda cherish to this day.

In the Ohio suburb of Middleton three boys gather their 'milk money' so they go to the nearby city, Cincinnati, and see a prostitute naked. One of the boys, Frank (Michael Patrick Carter), befriends the woman (Melanie Griffith) and wants her to meet his single dad (Ed Harris), a teacher who's trying to save the nearby wetlands. Malcolm McDowell is on hand as a heavy while Anne Heche appears as a kept woman in the city.

"Milk Money" (1994) is a modern day fairy tale that's part pubescent coming-of-age dramedy and part romantic-comedy. Critics reviled it, obviously because the subject matter made it an easy target but it has a lot of heart once you look beyond the prostitution component. For instance, Frank really just wants a caring mother, as well as a wife for his lonely, workaholic father who needs a good woman to rock his mundane world. The question is, can a call girl possibly be a 'good woman'? In other words, is there redemption for a soiled sex worker and what is the key to that redemption? Not only is love the answer it's also the element necessary for bringing out submerged love in the one being redeemed.

There's also a lesson about objectifying a woman. The boys only see the prostitute as an object to appease their curiosity and blossoming lust, but soon discover she's a human being with feelings and value beyond her body. Even more, the woman clearly wants OUT of the empty, repugnant lifestyle she fell into since she was 14; she craves love, wholesomeness and respect. Say what you will, but these are some heavy morals for a farce about some boys wanting to become men, a nice father concerned about the condemned wetlands and a pretty sex worker.

The film runs 1 hour, 47 minutes, and was shot in Cincinnati, Ohio, including the Wheeler house and the school, while the ice cream parlor & town scenes were done in Lebanon, about a 20 minute drive northeast of the city. Some shots were also done in Pittsburgh.

GRADE: B-

Bad direction, a weak script and a career-low performance by Ed Harris sideline 'Milk Money', a movie which could've been excellent, but wasn't.

Onetime-respected-actor-now-reduced-to-B-movie-star Malcolm McDowell delivers a hilarious performance with help from Melanie Griffith and talented newcomer Michael Patrick Carter, but they alone do little to rescue the film.

The first half hour or so is perfectly on tune, then everything seems to change gears and 'Milk Money' is pushed from a comedy to a sappy drama with an awful dance sequence, and an ending that's even worse. To complicate matters even more, Harris is completely miscast, and future star Anne Heche is seriously underused.

Melanie Griffith,(V) played a woman of the streets who meets up with three boys who want to see what a girl looks like in the nude. Of course, if they really wanted to do it the correct way, they could ask their dad's and possibly their mothers. However, this is a Hollywood film and it made the entire story quite funny, especially when they have a sex education class and decided to use a rather non-kosher way of presenting the facts. Ed Harris,(Tom Wheeler) plays the father to Michael Patrick Carter,(Frank Wheeler) who gets to be good friends with Melanie Griffith and introduces her to his father. This is a very entertaining film and you can find fault with this film whether you are on the left or right side in life, but comedy and laughs are good for everyone and I recommend this film for great viewing.

Milk Money (1994)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

A group of young boys save up their "milk" money so that they can buy a father (Ed Harris) a hooker known as V (Melanie Griffith).

There's a bit more to the plot of MILK MONEY but that's the basic set-up. After the success of WHEN HARRY MET SALLY... these types of romantic comedies were in high demand so we got all sorts of strange stories and this here is certainly one of the strangest.

Once you get over the idea of young kids buying a hooker for dad, the film itself really isn't all that bad and in many ways it's pretty charming for what it is. You've basically got two fine actors turning in fun performances and that's what makes the film worth watching. Harris is especially good as the father who is still grieving over his wife. Griffith easily steals the film as the hooker with a heart of gold as well as a great body that is constantly in tight clothes.

The film's screenplay has a pretty basic set-up and it pretty much plays out as you would expect it to. There's certainly nothing ground-breaking here and it's not one of the best films that the genre has to offer but if you're a fan of the cast then it's worth watching.