Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

This very enjoyable Michael J. Fox comedy, circa 1993, has everything in its hour and thirty-six minutes: a witty story, friendliness, laughs, beautiful girls, an annoying parrot that sings musical scales, dreams, a jerk, funny co-workers and romance. There is a bit of implied sex not involving Fox (he doesn’t kiss the girl until the last scene), courting dogs, a fast car, a beautiful sunset and a sexy songstress (same girl) in black.

Masterfully directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, produced by Brian Grazer, written by Mark Rosenthal and Lawrence Konner, music by Bruce Broughton and photography by Oliver Wood, the stars are: Michael J. Fox as Doug Ireland, a posh (Bradbury) hotel concierge in Manhattan; Gabrielle Anwar (Scent of a Woman, Without Malice) as Andy, the hotel’s perfume seller who Doug is in love with, but who hopes to marry a rich, married jerk; Anthony Higgins (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Young Sherlock Holmes as Moriarty) as Christian, the jerk who promises to help Doug buy his dream hotel. The other actors are interesting characters and do good jobs: Michael Tucker, Udo Kier, Patrick Breen and Isaac Mizrahi (the credits were once again unclear, sorry).

I never realized how much fun a hard-working concierge has! We see Doug in the opening scene buying diamond earrings, riding around in a limousine, making a business deal on the cellphone, buying a stuffed giraffe and greeting people happy to see him. When he gives the earrings to a blonde at her door, the husband steps in to kiss her and thank Doug with a hundred-dollar tip as he goes away with their two lovesick dogs (“make sure they mate!” ringing in his ears).

It only gets better. Doug needs help from Christian to buy his hotel by the river and is shocked when he discovers that Christian (I’m not sure how he made his money, but he hangs out with fashionable people) is seeing Andy. Soon Christian expects Doug to more or less keep her happy when he cannot keep his dates with her. Of course Doug is happy to hear her sing, take her out to the rundown hotel and dance with her. What he doesn’t count on is Andy impatiently following Christian to his country home because Doug told her he would be alone and packing up his wife’s things so that she could move in. Oops! It becomes laugh out loud hilarious as Doug must take a helicopter to Christian’s home and whisk Andy away from a party before she meets the wife. He drags her half-drunk out a second-story window and along a see-through roof as Christian blanches. Christian has no intention of divorcing his (third) wife, but Doug and Andy don’t find that out until later.

You may have already figured out why the movie is called For Love Or Money. Even though Andy doesn’t start out really liking Doug because she feels he is judging her, all the time spent together getting to know each other and their dreams causes her to fall for him. When Christian makes it possible for him to get his hotel, he must decide if he wants the hotel with a scumbag partner who will use and break Andy’s heart or if he can just be happy with Andy as the hard-working concierge at the Bradbury.

Comments

The movie works for me. I was looking for a light-hearted, romantic comedy without guns, nudity and bad language (if you want male nudity, Higgins posed for malecelebrities.com, fee required), that had real and lovable characters trying to find happiness or helping others to find it, and I found it. Doug’s choice between love and money is one that so many of us will probably face (ironically even on this site as pay continues to dwindle and love for writing/community must be our only reason for staying).

Perhaps from my description the movie sounds silly and simple. I would say that simple is much better than a convoluted, trying-to-impress-you plot that makes you wonder what really happened or why. With this romance I was pulling for the likable hero to win the heart of the seemingly-unattainable girl that I wished would just wise up to the situation. There’s a couple of other subplots that show Doug being a good guy as well as concierge and that the IRS is investigating him, but they compliment the story. Fox is his usual, quick-thinking, charismatic self in a smart business suit most of the time. Anwar could be sweet, sexy, angry, trusting or arrogant and always be beautiful and a joy to watch. Her fall for Doug was slow and entirely plausible, hitting her with the realization as they smelled each other while dancing...or was it the heat they made?

I highly recommend it. The only thing that annoyed me was that singing parrot, but he was replaced with a quieter one, I noticed. You should be well-entertained some lonely night if you enjoy other Fox flicks like Back to the Future and Greedy. Maybe it’ll inspire you to believe that nothing is impossible if you are willing to take the risk...and be crazy as a Fox!


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day