Customer Reviews

Other Peoples Money [VHS]

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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?

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.

There is no nudity in this movie but there are some vaguely sexual discussions. Even some adults might miss the true points being made but you may want to consider that before allowing children to see OPM.

That said, this is the best business movie I have ever come across. When I first saw it in the theater I was all for Gregory Peck's character until DeVito's speech at the end which is truly thought provoking. In teaching business management at the University of Southern Mississippi, I have my students watch the whole thing at the beginning of the semester to acquaint them with the notion that those who have the goal of making money are not all bad. For some reason, even though they want to be in business, my students too often think of running a business and making money as grubby, nasty chores performed by evil people. The characters in OPM force them to examine those beliefs.

Other reviewers have made the point that this a funny movie and it truly is. The humor is probably better appreciated by adults than children since it is not of the slapstick kind but rather uses plays on words.

While the characters in OPM are somewhat one-dimensional, what I enjoyed is that they are always true to themselves. When offered a million dollars by Piper Laurie's character to go away , DeVito responds "It is not enough." She was being true to her goals of minimizing conflict in her company and he was being true to his goals of maximizing his wealth. When asked why, he gives an answer that shows that he doesn't accept the idea that he is the bad guy in this drama.

I particularly appreciated the movie not making DeVito's character out to be a totally bad guy. That is a real failing of most movies coming out of Hollywood. Other reviewers have talked about how his relationship with Penelope Ann Miller's character shows his humanity but I think people should take note of his relationship with his chauffeur and his secretary and their loyalty to him. He makes use of his reputation as a tough guy to serve his business needs but there is much more to the man.

All together, this is truly a great movie. It amazes me that it took so long for it to come out on DVD since it has all the stars in the world (DeVito, Peck, Miller, Laurie, Stockwell, etc.)

A cute little romantic comedy, which DeVito surprisingly carries off very well as a male lead. The real surprise, however, is the honesty in the writing -- instead of the usual casting of corporate raider as archvillain, it FINALLY gets pointed out that Peck's character DOESN'T own the company -- he's just managing it for the stockholders (something most viewers don't seem to understand). A nice little clear insight into another facet of capitalism, on top of a cute romance, with a lot of snappy dialog. Well worth adding to your video collection, especially if you're a DeVito fan.

This DVD is of pretty good quality, not "remastered", but normal DVD quality, and it is in "widescreen" format, the audio is fine. There are no extra features.

I wondered if this was ever coming out on DVD, and why not? Look at the cast - Danny DeVito, Penelope Ann Miller, Gregory Peck, Piper Laurie, Dean Stockwell. It did well at the box office, but then....nothing. Well it's finally here.

I agree that the match-up of Danny DeVito and Penelope Ann Miller seems a bit odd at the beginning, but as the movie unfolds, you begin to understand the attraction. Danny's attraction to Penelope's character is for obvious reasons, but her's are NOT so obvious. However, as she gets to know him she finds that, in spite of his appearance, he is not only rich and powerful, but also a smart, funny, romantic, caring person who also provides her with the most powerful aphrodisiac of all - he admits he's madly in love with her. We all find THAT very attractive in another person, don't we? Still, this movie doesn't provide that usual "guy gets the girl" ending, but leaves it hanging as a possibility, since Penelope's character, in spite of her attraction, is still somewhat put off - both by his appearance, and his profession.

This is a great movie about the "merger and acquisition" frenzy of the 80's, and has absolutely stellar acting and writing. I also like that Penelope's character doesn't mind using her obvious physical assets to her advantage. After all, if you've got the smarts to back it up, then why not? All's fair, and so on. All-in-all a very enjoyable movie, maybe not for everyone, but certainly just right for some.

And it really points out that you CAN'T judge a book by it's cover.

Not a bad movie -- not great, but better than average until the shareholder's meeting at the end. However, the speech that Larry the Liquidator (Danny DeVito) gives at the meeting is great! Larry explains -- very clearly -- why corporate takeovers are not a bad thing, and even why liquidation of an underperforming business is good. His speech ranks right up there with Francisco D'Anconia's speech in Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.

Remember the good old 80s, when Ronald Reagan ruled the roost? The stock market was part of the zeitgeist at large, but in a pre-CNBC way; it was there in the news, but Mainstreet America wasn't as plugged into it then as she is today. Consider that stocks can be bought and sold over the web with the click of a mouse- being coddled by a broker was so old news, so old economy. Information is online in reams and ready to be accessed at a moment's notice, one didn't have to peruse a bunch of pulpy pages to figure out what the return-on-equity of Disney calculated to. It's against this backdrop that OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY finds itself, a competent and interesting piece of film which presents two sides to the hostile-takeover-and-subsequent-liquidation scenario.

Danny DeVito portrays the odious Lawrence Garfield, affectionately christened with the salubrious sobriquet "Larry The Liquidator." Garfield loves one thing better than his beloved doughnut pastries: woefully undervalued companies. When his computer screen filters out the latest hot prospect, New England Wire & Cable, his shark-like senses smell the blood immediately and he sets out for a meeting with its owner, Andrew Jorgenson, played to great curmudgeonly effect by Gregory Peck.

Jorgenson is a fatherly figure to his workers, respected and revered almost to the point of deification, one would imagine. When Garfield points out that his company's stock price is out of whack in relation to its book value, Jorgenson is staunch in his reply: get out, and take your Wall-Street greed with you. But everyone knows that the little guy isn't going to be cowed so easily; he's as feisty and fanatic as he is sly and devious. They know he'll find a way to bulldoze over Jorgenson and his twenty percent ownership.

Enter Penelope Ann Miller's character, Kate Sullivan, a firecracker counselor who is as sexy as she is intelligent. Sullivan is the estranged stepdaughter of Jorgenson; antagonistic though the pair is, she is nevertheless willing to help him keep his business out of the hands of Garfield. Only problem is, Garfield is having difficulty keeping his hands off Ms. Sullivan. As detestable as the situation is, she decides to exert a bit of sexual leverage over him to facilitate achievement of her goals. The film eventually climaxes with a raucous shareholder's meeting and a pernicious proxy fight.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY serves as an excellent cinematic snapshot of that specific period of time when buzzphrases like "trickle-down economics" and "Star Wars defense system" were constantly uttered in media outlets and watercoolers alike. It's not a film which relies on an overabundance of clever camera moves or convoluted plot devices; instead, it builds from a foundation of useful thespian techniques and dexterously crafted dialogue (the source for the screenplay is a stage production, so it is obvious why the lines would be so precise). DeVito, Miller, and Peck excel in their roles, making them come alive with a conservative approach; the viewer never feels as if he/she is being suffocated by cloying histrionics. The triangle formed by these three characters is a dynamic one, much more expanisve than its one hundred eighty degrees.

DeVito in particular requires a spotlight look; it isn't so much that he's invented any novel blueprints toward his discipline- instead, one realizes upon post-viewing analysis that he fit the part like the proverbial glove. Garfield's vitriolic, killer-instinct demeanor proved a suitable substrate for the actor to react with; in the end, a more than successful catalysis is the result. But it wasn't just the acerbic tendencies he gelled with. Garfield possesses a healthy quanta of vulnerability, as he is also a lonely loner, looking for love and companionship; DeVito triumphed with this aspect as well (think of his outing in THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN, with Billy Crystal). One strategy which would have added depth to the film would have been an ongoing voiceover for Garfield; his insights would have enriched the overall narrative and injected it with a unique energy.

The movie, above all, presents a balanced take on a fascinating issue: is the hostile corporate takeover an evil act? Although one could argue that a subtextual ideology is present- in fact, in many ways, the script can be considered a yuletide cautionary tale written by Dickens sans the spectral spirits- it can easily be dismissed; there is never a feeling that the viewer is being spoonfed one propaganda or another. The soliloquies rendered by Jorgenson and Garfield at the end form the killer application of the piece. They deliver two diverse, diametrically opposed filters on the same subject, and both participants challenge all of us to come up with a sane, informed opinion regarding it. Jorgenson isn't right necessarily, and neither is Garfield; as we begin to squint the lenses of our collective mental faculties, we see that the black and white sides of the arguments converge into a tenuous gradient of grays. Both are idealists, and perhaps it is accurate to say that whatever set of ideals fit the mitigating circumstances of the time will win out in the end.

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY is a film worthy of attention. It won't change a person's life, certainly, but it will provide good entertainment value and an educational look at corporate dealings. Even in these post-80s times, it is still more than relevant; in fact, it will always be relevant. After all, every generation has its own Chrylser bailout, LTCM collapse, and Enron debacle; you can most definitely invest your money in that.

Other People's Money is a wonderful movie, full of smart dialogue, good music, and a terrific Danny DeVito performance. DeVito is his usual funny, and easy-going self, while Gregory Peck is a strong-willed patriarch. Very good stuff there. The weakest performance is from Penelope Ann Miller, who isn't really convincing as the corporate attorney, but the material is so good that it saves the movie. This is a 5 star film, however, it loses a 1/2 star, because of the last scene, which feels a bit tacked on. Otherwise, a smart and funny film from the director of Moonstruck.

I'm not particularly sure why this film has captured me so much, but I always look for it in the film stores in search of its purchase. Unfortunately, it is not available on DVD, yet! This is a great movie if you are interested in how the business world works and the battle that ensues over a business that wants to be part of a community against a corporate raider that wants to just make a profit. Danny Devito is excellent and Penelope Ann Miller is great as the sexy attorney. This movie is not only entertaining, but is smart and witty. One of the best, under-recognized movie of all time.