Easy Money (1983) * * * *

Directed by:  James Signorelli

Starring:  Rodney Dangerfield, Joe Pesci, Candy Azzara, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Taylor Negron, Geraldine Fitzgerald, Jeffrey Jones, Val Avery, Tom Noonan, Lili Haydn

Rodney Dangerfield, the famously disheveled comedian, is the perfect fit for Monty Capuletti, a Staten Island baby photographer who drinks too much, smokes too much, gambles, canoodles with strippers, and stays out too late.    His rich mother-in-law is appalled by him, although his wife and daughters love him.    His mother-in-law dies in a plane crash and leaves Monty and his family $10 million, if he can refrain from all of his vices for one year.    Monty needs a beer and cigarette to decide if wants to undergo this endeavor, in typical Monty fashion.

Easy Money is Dangerfield's best film, not just because it is funny, but because the supporting cast gets in on the fun too.    Rodney spreads the wealth around, and some of the subplots are as hilarious as the main event.    There are inspired gags and one-liners, along with some jokes which filmmakers wouldn't dare put in a movie today.   ("Call me when you're this")   You'll see what I mean.

Dangerfield is the lovable everyman with a zinger for any occasion.    He is such a regular guy his scheming cousin Clive (Jones) hires him as a "fashion consultant" to promote "The Regular Guy Look", in hopes its failure would drive Monty to drink and lose the inheritance which would then be bequeathed to Clive.    Monty's friends, including the hot-tempered Nicky (Pesci) support him, but that doesn't stop them from smoking, drinking, and overeating in front of Monty.   

Another riotous subplot involves Monty's daughter Allison (Leigh), a virgin who marries Puerto Rican gang member Julio (Negron) ("it's a good boys' gang, they help people") and ditches him on their wedding night.    Julio's attempts to win back Allison border on pathetic, but they are quite amusing.    The wedding itself is a riot, with an aerial view of the reception taking place in Monty's backyard that must be the funniest aerial shot ever put on film.

The closest Dangerfield came to recreating the Easy Money magic is Back to School (1986), while his other movies failed to reach the bar Easy Money set, mostly because they had weak plots and expected Dangerfield to save the day with his sheer presence.    His comic presence is inimitable and considerable, but Easy Money surrounds him with strong supporting players to make a complete comedy.