Easy Money (1983) ** 1/2 (out of 4) Minor comedy has Rodney Dangerfield playing Monty, a rather useless man who drinks, smokes and gambles too much, which causes his mother-in-law (Geraldine Fitzgerald) to hate him with a passion. After the rich woman dies, she puts it in her will that Monty and the rest of the family will inherit $10 million but only if he gives up all of his bad deeds. EASY MONEY is a passable comedy that has a few laughs but in the end you really can't help but look at it as a disappointment. There's no question that we get a few good laughs but the screenplay, written by Dangerfield and three others, offers up very little in regards to anything original. The main problem with the screenplay is that the premise just doesn't have much going for it. The bet of Dangerfield turning around his life doesn't come until about the forty-minute mark, which leaves us nearly an hour to sit around and watch him get sober. The first portion of the film gets some pretty funny jokes as the drunk Monty is constantly doing one wrong scene after another but these jokes are never as funny as the stand up from the actor. Another problem with the picture is a running joke where his daughter (Jennifer Jason Leigh) has gotten married but she refuses to lose her virginity. Was this meant to be funny? If so there's not a single laugh that comes from it. Also, at 100-minutes the film goes on a bit too long. Still, there are still some funny laughs to be had and there's no question that Dangerfield is going a mile a minute as you certainly can't accuse him of slacking off. His full energy is on display and he manages to have some nice chemistry with Joe Pesci even if the actor isn't given much to work with. EASY MONEY is far from perfect and its not really what I'd call a good movie but fans of Dangerfield know the actor didn't have too much success on the big screen so this here is actually one of his better films.

This movie is a must see for the Rodney Dangerfield fan. I think its his finest work as the main character. I grew up around neighbors like this character. The over protective father, pissing away the mortgage at the track for a "tip" that turns out to be mush. Out drinking late with his buddy every night.Rodney and Joey have great chemistry in this ... much funnier than Back to School yet doesn't get the credit ... some of the funniest zingers in a single movie aside from Midnight Run..you just cant help but laugh from beginning to end. Rodney plays the blue collar married father of two daughters to perfection. Joey plays the single playboy buddy / neighbor perfectly as well. Geraldine Fitz is great as the rich ball busting mother in law. Jennifer Jason Leigh has the "guidette daddy's little girl" down pat.

If you've seen any Rodney Dangerfield movie, then you should know what sorts of things to expect in "Easy Money". He plays a rowdy guy who has to end his vices so that he and his wife (Candice Azzara) will inherit a department store. Mostly, the movie is an excuse for Dangerfield to play his common role of the eternally obnoxious guy. But don't get me wrong, he ends up doing some funny stuff, with great support provided by Joe Pesci as his irresponsible friend, Geraldine Fitzgerald as the irritating mother-in-law and Taylor Negron as the mischievous son-in-law. One of the funniest scenes is the whole sequence in the department store; that must have been so much fun to film! All in all, it's not the funniest movie of all time, but does elicit a few laughs. Also starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tom Noonan, Tom Ewell (of "The Seven Year Itch") and Lili Haydn.

I remember owning an old VHS copy of this movie back in the eighties, and if memory serves, I pretty much played the movie ragged.The late great Rodney Dangerfield is the star of the movie without a doubt, his mannerisms, complete with his one liners always had me in stitches.Of course my VHS copy bit the dust, and I was most fortunate to spot that TCM were showing the movie just the other night, and although it had been twenty plus years since I had watched it, I still found myself laughing at the same points in the movie.Ably assisted in the comedy stakes by the likes of Joe Pesci before he found his Cousin Vinny, the whole movie does revolve around the maestro himself.I have to say, that when I was watching the movie, it's charm instantly transported my back to that early eighties, especially considering that Jennifer Jason Leigh was also in the movie playing Monty's nubile daughter.I remember watching her such genre classics as 'The Hitcher' and Paul Verhoeven's 'Flesh And Blood', overall though, the whole cast rocks, the director James Signorelli would go onto direct another little cracker in the shape of 'Elvira Mistress Of The Dark' And what about that ending, when Rodney Dangerfield waxes lyrical about his mother in law 'My Mother in law! For years I wouldn't kiss her face! Now I end up kissing her ass! Without a doubt, 10/10