What would you do if you found a million dollars? That’s the situation John Cusack’s character Joey Coyle must deal with in the 1993 film Money for Nothing.
The Plot
Joey Coyle is down on his luck and struggling to find work. Even though his brother Billy oversees job assignments at the dock, Joey just doesn’t have any luck. Down on his luck, and unsure of his future, Joey finds over a million dollars on a remote road. Maybe today is his lucky day.
Unwilling to turn the money in, Joey is scrambling to figure out what to do with the cash. Turning to a local thug named Dino, and a gangster named Vincente, Joey tries to get the money laundered only to be double crossed.
Trying to escape from Philadelphia with his girlfriend Monica, Joey is stopped at the airport by Detective Laurenzi. Arrested for his escapades on the doorstep of freedom, Joey is led off to jail seeing if he will be able to avoid jail.
The Good
The supporting characters are great, from Michael Rapaport as Kenny, as well as seeing a young Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Cochran. Money for Nothing has a talented supporting cast which gives life to these minor characters because they add so much to the film.
James Gandolfini as Billy Coyle is perfect casting. He embodies the dominant older brother, but at the same time an understanding caring sibling, who when the chips are down, helps his younger brother Joey when he needs it the most.
Detective Laurenzi never gets much time to shine, but when he is on screen, Michael Madsen helps us care about this character. Laurenzi would be easily forgettable were it not for Madsen.
The Bad and the Ugly
Joey Coyle is not a likable character. It’s hard to root for him and I wanted him to get caught immediately. The problem is that we don’t get enough time to get to know Joey before the money. Since we meet Joey and he finds the money quickly, the audience is never certain as to why it’s right for him to keep his instant fortune.
John Cusack is a talented actor but he never gets the chance to show us the depth of Coyle before the cash becomes the focus of his life. Cusack is a compelling lead, but it’s hard to care for Joey even with a great actor in the lead role.
Debi Mazar doesn’t get enough screen time for us to care about Monica. She is very one dimensional. Initially she seems to be the opposite of Joey but like many tropes in a story, she changes her mind and gets back together with Joey because of the money. Monica could have been the character that broke the mold of stereotypical paramours. Instead, she joins a list of many film love interests who are one note characters.
Beyond the Film Facts
- The movie was based on the true story of Joey Coyle who found the $1.2 million in 1981.
- Even though the movie depicts Joey living with his brother, Joey did not in real life. He apparently did crash through the ceiling in the family home in real life, which makes the scene in the film more interesting and painful to watch.
- Apparently, there was no Monica in the real story of Joey Coyle.
- The story the film is adapted from comes from an article by Mark Bowden, the author of Black Hawk Down.
- The real Joey Coyle battled a drug addiction and died by suicide in 1993.
- Coyle’s death great affected the marketing of the film. Disney reportedly released the film with minimal promotion.
- Criticism of the film mostly focuses on how the movie omitted Coyle’s drug abuse and depression. This would have added a lot of depth to the character and helped to rationalize his thinking process.
- The critical response was less than enthusiastic. The movie would go on to be a massive box office disappointment.
The Streamy Award
{The following four categories are based on a Film Reel scale.
1 Reel-Bored and Killing Time, 2 Reels-When You Have Some Time, 3 Reels-Make Some Time, 4 Reels-Big Screen Event}
Money for Nothing isn’t a bad movie, but it’s not a great movie either. There is incredible potential in the story. What would it be like for someone who has nothing, to come across so much money? That is what the film tries to show us, but never follows through.
The cast is immensely talented, with John Cusack trying to bring humanity to the face of Joey Coyle. The problem is that most viewers won’t care enough to root for Joey’s success.
Money for Nothing gets a 1 Reel rating. If you have nothing to do, then check out this little-seen film from the Disney vault. But, if you have other important things to do, then you are not missing anything if you never see this film.
Cast and Crew
- John Cusack as Joey Coyle
- Debi Mazar as Monica Russo
- James Gandolfini as Billy Coyle
- Benicio Del Toro as Dino Pallidino
- Maury Chaykin as Vincente Goldoni
- Michael Madsen as Detective Laurenzi
- Phillip Seymour Hoffman as Cochran
- Michael Rapaport as Kenny
Directed by Ramon Menendez
Produced by Hollywood Pictures / Permut Presentations
Release Date: September 10, 1993
Budget: $11 million
Box Office Gross
Domestic: $1,039,824
Coming Soon
Next week, a look at the 1995 Laurence Fishburne thriller, Bad Company.