2986. Easy Money (1983)

Starring: Rodney Dangerfield, Joe Pesci, Geraldine Fitzgerald

Director: James Signorelli

Running Time: 95 mins

Easy Money is an American film about a man with a gambling addiction and a host of other imperfections who, in order to inherit his late mother’s immense fortune, is required to change his ways over the course of one year.

If you like your Rodney Dangerfield movies, then there’s no doubt you’ll enjoy Easy Money. Though it isn’t his most charismatic or memorable role, the film plays on all of Dangerfield’s most lovably buffoonish qualities, delighting with an easy plot featuring a handful of good laughs throughout.

Of course, with such a fluffy, easy plot comes what could be described as a rather far-fetched grasp on reality. The story is good fun, but it goes to some ridiculous lengths that are only entertaining if you really turn your brain off.

At times, the film can be rather annoying with its sheer ridiculousness, from preposterous plot twists to comedic set-pieces that just aren’t quite as funny as they set out to be.

But at others, Dangerfield’s effortless on-screen charisma and the small selection of big laughs make that purely moronic story all the more fun to watch. That doesn’t mean it quite has the moral depth the fable-esque tale perhaps aims to, but it’s still light-hearted and energetic enough to entertain all the same.

Beyond that, Easy Money is a perfectly enjoyable watch, but doesn’t really deliver the memorable entertainment that some of Dangerfield’s best movies do. Even his supporting turn in Caddyshack packs more laughs into it than all of this film, so it’s fair to say that this isn’t the most satisfying watch if you’re looking for big laughs, and that’s why I’m giving it 7.0 overall.