Other People's Money - 1991

Warner Bros. Pictures, Yorktown Productions

Directed by Norman Jewison

Cast:

• Lawrence Garfield – Danny DeVito
• Andrew “Yorgy” Jorgenson – Gregory Peck
• Kate Sullivan – Penelope Ann Miller
• Bea Sullivan – Piper Laurie
• Bill Coles – Dean Jones
• Arthur – R. D. Call
• Harriet – Mo Gaffney

Story: "Larry the Liquidator" is a man on a mission. As a Wall Street Investor and a player in the game, he wants to make as much money as possible. His computer, named “Carmen”, is the first thing he looks at in the mornings, and she's telling him about New England Wire and Cable, a sixty year old company on the verge of obsolescence. As a stockholder, he decides to visit the company and see if he can buy them out. His visit doesn't go so well. The owner and chairman of the board, “Yorgy” Jorgenson, almost has him thrown out of the building. But Larry is undeterred. He begins buying stock in the company to force a takeover. “Yorgy” enlists the help of his stepdaughter, a successful New York City attorney, who begins filing injunctions and using all sorts of legal tactics to protect the company, but when Kate Sullivan finally walks into Larry's office, Larry begins what has to be the strangest romance ever seen in cinema. Through maneuver after maneuver, he tries to woo the beautiful Kate, while continuing to pursue the defunct company.

Review:About four years earlier, Gordon Gecko became the most hated man in America, the epitome of greed and corruption. Danny DeVito, that diminutive tyrant from Taxi, manages to give us a fresh perspective on the successful, honest Wall Street investment type. Lawrence lives well, a posh NYC townhouse, a valet/cook/chauffeur, and a corner office in his own firm on Wall Street. This is a side of DeVito unseen up to this film, and it shows you just how versatile he can be. He is the romantic leading man in this delightful study of human interaction, and he carries it off beautifully. Penelope Ann Miller, that ravishing redhead with the lithe body and delicate bone structure, plays the modern, independent woman who has battled her way to the top and knows how to play the game. She is forceful with just the right amount of submissiveness, prideful with just the right balance of humility, and classically beautiful in a very subtle, yet Venus de Milo way. Gregory Peck delivers a stunning performance as the aging, stubborn, factory manager who refuses to accept the advice of others, sort of a mortal Yoda with no ability to see into the future. Dean Jones departs from his ever bubbly Disney persona to deliver a serious role of the president of a company with an uncertain future. Piper Laurie, well, there is a very short list of desirable women in the world, but she is definitely on it. She comes across as the ever present cheerleader, the woman behind the man. Overall, the plot is fast paced and entertaining, with plenty of DeVito personality to make this one of the finest romantic comedies to ever hit the screen. Rated R for language and sex-related dialog, I hardly think the teens in your household will be offended or negatively impacted by this delightful film. Definitely a collectible for you connoisseurs of fine romantic comedy, and fans of DeVito.