Product Details

• Actors: Danny DeVito, Gregory Peck, Penelope Ann Miller, Piper Laurie, Dean Jones
• Directors: Norman Jewison
• Writers: Alvin Sargent, Jerry Sterner
• Producers: Norman Jewison, Christopher Cook, Davina Belling, Ellen Krass, Kelley Baker
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• VHS Release Date: July 22, 1994
• Run Time: 103 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302313872
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #79,373 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

From The New Yorker

The film version of Jerry Sterner's 1989 play is an attempt to turn the corporate-takeover frenzy of the Reagan era into the material of farce. The main character is a greedy, unscrupulous Wall Street wizard known as Larry the Liquidator (Danny De Vito), who's trying to buy-and close down-a small, stable, profitable New England wire-and-cable company. This family business is run by a benign patriarch (Gregory Peck), who is meant to embody the old-fashioned values of American free enterprise: he hates debt, cares about his workers, and wears cardigan sweaters around the office. Shuttling between the opposing camps is Kate Sullivan, a young lawyer with a devious mind and good legs: she represents the wire-and-cable company, but she and Larry are manipulative soul mates, and in the course of negotiations their enthusiastic gamesmanship evolves into a weird kind of courtship. The director, Norman Jewison, and the screenwriter, Alvin Sargent, are old pros, and they set up the movie's intricate plot with admirable clarity. But they're conscientious to a fault. They lay out the moves and countermoves of the takeover battle so deliberately that even the Great Communicator himself might be able to follow the story. The movie feels like two hours of exposition; when it's over, we're still waiting for the fun to start. And the attempt to merge De Vito's trademark comic-vulgarian persona and the attributes of a romantic leading man doesn't come off at all. De Vito's performance is a Schwarzenegger-like exercise in image adjustment: it's not acting, it's spin control. Also with Piper Laurie and Dean Jones. -Terrence Rafferty
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Product Description

A comedy about a wall street corporate raider and his attempt to acquire an 81-year-old new england wire & cable company. He finds himself in the fight of his life against the company chief executive, his assistant and an attractive new york attorney who takes the attempted business conquest personally.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clever and deep business morality play, December 18, 1999

By 

John Paquette (Boston, MA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Other People's Money [VHS] (VHS Tape)

The theme of this movie is: Altruism versus egoism in the business world.

Gregory Peck delivers a great performance as an altruistic company owner. Devito is shrewd and irreverant as the corporate raider. The movie gives each of them plenty of screen time to present his argument, and you are the judge.

The twist to it all is that the lovely daughter (Penelope Ann Miller) of the company owner is a lawyer charged with using any legal means of protecting the company from DeVito. And DeVito is trying to win both her heart AND the company. He's the model of ambition.

The dialogue often sparkles with unexpected surprises: "I hate it when people ask me if they can be frank with me. It makes me wonder about what they are the rest of the time."

And BOTH the final speeches are masterpieces, clearly presenting both sides of the essential moral issue.

As a comedy, it may not completely satisfy. But as a morality play, it satisfies completely. Each time I see it, I understand more.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Welcome DVD, March 21, 2005

By 

Glenn R. Howes (Nashua, NH) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Other People's Money (DVD)

I've been looking forward to the DVD version of this film for ages. It's funny, and goes against form in showing the "heartless" capitalist as a moral, likable person. The proxy battle scene is one of my favorites in all of film, with Gregory Peck and Devito forcefully advocating different views on the purpose of a company.

I will go against popular opinion and say it is strange that Devito's character falls madly in love with Penelope Miller's character. She does a lousy job playing a sexy street-smart lawyer, and all the revealing dresses in the world couldn't cover that ineptitude. Thus the 4 star review.

The DVD is a pleasant surprise. The wide screen reveals what the cinematographer was going for with the short, stocky Devito strutting across the screen. It's both comic and adds to the character seeing a little man who walks like a giant. I saw this movie on my new Dell LCD monitor and the colors are deep and beautiful, with no noticeable dirt on the print: an excellent transfer for an obscure movie. Nothing special in the way of special features, but what do you expect?

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Realistic and thought provoking, July 19, 2001

By 

"frmokehee" (Alaska) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Other People's Money [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Gregory Peck is an idealistic, passionate, and paternal entrepreneur who is about to lose a business that he and many who work for him put their lives and spirit into. Danny Davido is a corporate raider but not portrayed as a Gordon Gekko. His reason for taking over Peck's business is not so much slaughter than it is economics.

The crescendo to the movie comes in the two speeches before the company shareholders. The speeches punctuate what is more the reality in today's world. Corporate take-overs and liquidations are not simply a bunch of greedy business people enriching themselves at everyone else's expense. From an economic point of view New England Wire and Cable should be shut down. It's in a business that is outmoded by new technologies and its assets are worth more sold off for some other purpose. Rationally it makes no economic sense to continue such a business. The money from selling this failing business can be invested in a business that is viable and growing - this will help create new jobs and add growth to the economy. Of course the people that have worked at New England wire and cable will lose their jobs and Peck will lose his business.

What's refreshing about the movie is the writer didn't set up a straw man to argue either point view. Both sides present intelligent arguments from believable characters. The movie challenges us that what is rational is not always what feels good. An efficient and productive economy is one that has the ability to change, but there are costs - people get displaced.

Where the script fell short and where many in our society lose perspective is that while businesses may die out people are flexible. One's skills can be revamped and applied to more productive pursuits. Instead, however, the scriptwriters concoct a not so believable happy ending. Still, though Other People's Money is probably one of the most honest movies to come out of Hollywood on the topic of capitalism.