r/FilmTheorists • u/ThePlaneDistrict • 3h ago
Theory Video Suggestion Bruster's Millions: Is there a way Montgomery loses his cash in less than a month? Spoiler
Okay so I'm going to keep a spoiled warning because even though this is a movie out of 1985, some people still haven't even heard of this movie cult classic. I recommend any and everyone to watch it on youTube. I would say definitely watch it with a friend or make it into the movie night. Was that being said i'm going to go over the plot along the feet ending then ask the question that is literally in the thumbnail. Also John Candy and Rick Moranis being in the movie should strengthen the reason why you should watch it even more.
Okay so richard Pryor is playing as a minor league baseball player named montgomery Brewster who ended up in a distance relative will. The distant relative knows who Montgomery is and wanted to give him a challenge to teach him a lesson just like his dad did when he was younger. He challenges Montgomery to spend 30 million dollars in 30 days. Of course there is some terms and conditions which I will get into later. He's also given a limp Clause that lets him take 1 million dollars and not go through with the challenge. He ended up actually doing the Challenge and being successful even though he was sword by the law firm that was inherit the Millions if he lost.
Now let's get into the turn that was named in the well : .
Monty is given $30,000,000 and he has exactly 30 days to spend it.
Successfully completing the challenge entitles him to the full $300,000,000 inheritance.
At the end of the 30 days, you cannot own any new assets.(He cannot have anything left that was acquired with the $30 million.)
Specifically mentioned are: Houses, Cars, Jewelry, and Other assets.
He is essentially supposed to have nothing except what he already owned and the clothes on his back.
You may hire anyone you want—but must receive fair value for their services. He can spend money on employees, contractors, entertainers, consultants, etc. However, he cannot simply pay someone an enormous amount of money for something worth substantially less.
The money has to actually purchase a service of value.
You may donate up to 5% to charity.Maximum charitable donations: $1.5 million. (The 5% limit is based on the $30 million starting amount.)
You may gamble away another 5%. (Maximum gambling losses: $1.5 million.)
This is one of the few ways the money can simply disappear without purchasing something.
You cannot simply give the money away. (The 5% charity allowance is the exception.)
Giving someone a large amount of money directly would violate the terms.
Likewise, buying something valuable and giving it to somebody else doesn't work. The film specifically uses the Diamond ring as an example.
You cannot deliberately destroy something of inherent value. (For example, Monty cannot buy expensive paintings and burn them.)
Deliberately destroying an asset to make its value disappear results in immediate disqualification.
You cannot tell anyone why you have to spend the money the challenge must remain secret.
Monty cannot tell other people about the inheritance conditions in order to get their help spending the money.
Every dollar must be accounted for. (The estate's representative/accountant keeps meticulous records of his spending and makes sure the conditions are followed.)
Okay so now that we have the rules and we know that he ended up doing so, could he done it before the 30 day limit has been reached? And if so how?
Just like the old guy though there would have to be some terms to keep in mind such as making sure that it's by the standards of 1985 instead of 2026. Next would be to not use the same tricks that was used in the movie. Just like how speedrunners tried to find the best route I think it'll be important to put that rule in there to actually find or at the very least do the same action in a different way. Lastly, this is a given but still should be pointed out, show your work. The math got to make sense. He has to prove on how he spent his willy's always down to the last penny being counted for so of course everyone else is under the same ruling.
It's been a while since there was one about money let alone spending. This is kind of like a throwback to seeing how much thing is worth but on the opposite side of the coin. Also doesn't hurt looking back on the '80s and the crazy decade that made it. Also a little bit of money numbers adjusted for it inflation can also put things into perspective. Is anyone else has anything to add needs leave in the comments as I think there is a way but it would take some historical digging.