It was a sign of the times that Rodney Dangerfield was rejected for inclusion by the American Academy; Caddyshack is one of the great comedies of the 80’s, or any era, and Dangerfield parlayed his bug-eyed class-warfare shtick to several successful films including Back to School and Easy Money, both of which were number one box-office hits. There’s pretty much no outlet for this kind of film in 2022, yet Dangerfield’s routines, with a comedy persona honed from decades of club and tv work, still plays pretty well today.
Easy Money, co-written by the late, great PJ O’Rourke and directed by James Signorelli, takes a long time to get to a familiar situation; Monty loves booze, spliffs, over-eating and over-indulging; when he discovers his mother-in-law has passed away, he’s thrilled at the prospect of increased freedom. Her passing comes with a catch: Monty has three months to reform his character, or he won’t get a share of the old gal’s loot.
Easy Money takes about 40 minutes to establish Monty’s vices before we cue predictable but effective gags about unattractive salads, with Joe Pesci on hand as Monty’s encouraging pal, Jennifer Jason Leigh as Monty’s daughter, and Jeffrey Jones as his rival. Tom Noonan turns up in a role clearly intended for Bill Murray, and there’s a fair roster of talent involved.
Dangerfield’s comedy largely came from a concerted attack on snobbery, which makes it ironic that his work wasn’t valued by an atrophied elite who failed to move with the times. Like Groucho Marx, Dangerfield didn’t fancy any club that would accept him as a member, and refused the Academy’s offer when they finally came back to him. No matter; Dangerfield laughed all the way to the back, and his comic persona is shown in a good light here; it’s all reckless, irresponsible fun. And yes, Easy Money comes complete with a Billy Joel title song. What more could you want?
http://gfinblog.finance.blog/2022/06/16/5-legit-ways-to-make-money-online-2022/
Love Rodney Dangerfield – the man has no shame. Will search this out…
Back to School is even better, but this will do.
Of course, but they can’t all be classics…
I remember Back to School and Caddyshack but I don’t think I ever caught this. Watching the trailer I think I’ll pass, despite the interesting cast. Looks pretty weak. So another nope. Can I hear a “This Is Not What We Want?”
No. I would say that this forms a seminal trilogy with the other two films you mentioned, although not hitting the heights of either. Whatever else he was, Dangerfield was a character, and his persona is well developed here.
Come on, you must applaud the swift change of direction today? Compare and contrast, two sides of the same coin?
I know it is shallow, but I could never look Dangerfield in the eye….
He suffered from eye injuries I think.
Is that what caused his eyes to look like that? I’d always wondered if it was something he did.
I lack the desire to find out.
Huh, me too. I’d say we both have incredibly good taste then.
Is the correct answer.
Who wants to join a club that will never in a million years give you a nomination? Save your money. Think of the salads you can buy. I liked the early Dangerfield work but his schtick was soon obvious. Can’t remember where this fitted into his canon.
This is part of the early, good stuff.
Umm nope.
As RD would say, I can’t get no respect!