Richie Rich

Rita Kempley started her review out by saying, “An especially tall supporting cast can't disguise the fact that "Richie Rich" is suffering from a big Mac attack. Once an adorable towhead, Macaulay Culkin, at 15, is now a burned-out child star.” He not only has outgrown the role of Richie, but obviously has used up his small amount of talent.

Everything about this children action comedy – the extravagant sets, the story line and the other actors’ roles – has been made so that MacCaulay doesn’t have to act. He barely says a word throughout the film’s first half, which is focused on displaying the amount of the Rich family fortune.

Based on the Harvey Comics character, Richie Rich is the son of Richard and Regina Rich, played by Edward Herrmann and Christine Ebersole, and only heir to their $70 billion fortune. As the richest kid in the world, Richie has everything and everybody that money can buy. Along with his personal McDonald’s, he has his very own backyard roller coaster and a lot of all-terrain vehicles. Reggie Jackson is his batting coach and Claudia Chiffer plays his personal trainer.

The one thing he doesn’t have is friends his own age. Kempley said, “There are the other tiny tycoons-to-be at his prep school, but they don't know the first thing about baseball.” Despite his devoted butler, Cadbury, played by Jonathan Hyde, plays a little catch off and on, he’s really stiff. Kempley noted, “It's as if he'd swallowed a cricket bat. But he does help Richie make friends with a rough-and-tumble gang of ethnically diverse kids from a regular neighborhood.”

When his rich life is threatened by a money-mad executive (John Larroquette), Richie – helped by the kids, Cadbury and the intelligent Professor Keenbean (Michael McShane) – ruins the villain’s plot and prevents a takeover of Rich Industries. Richie’s plan is to relocate his parents, who are temporarily lost at sea with nothing but a Vuitton bag, a couple bottles of Dom and a bit of head. There is also a chase on top of Mount Richmore, a giant family portrait recently sculpted into a mountain near the 8,000-acre Rich property.

Kempley noted, “Directed with an eye toward haste by Donald Petrie of "Grumpy Old Men," the mediocre screenplay (by Tom S. Parker and Jim Jennewein of "The Flintstones") is a more sober version of "Arthur," with elements from "Our Gang," "North by Northwest" and TV's "Gilligan's Island."” The filmmakers seem to think of their movie as a fiduciary story, but they’re not quite sure about its moral.

I vaguely remember seeing this in the theaters when it was released in 1994, but I’m not quite sure if we did see this in the theaters. I recently rewatched this movie, and I have to say that this film is not really good. Granted, there are a few memorable moments and some funny lines. However, Richie is very boring and the story is really phoned in that you can’t get into this. I do like Cadbury because he seemed to be more protective than Richie’s parents. Speaking of which, did they ever find out how to raise their only child better? Personally, I don’t see any reason to see this movie, even though this isn’t the worst film Culkin ever did. Just avoid seeing this movie because there isn’t anything about this that is really worth seeing.

Alright everyone, that wraps up “Macaulay Culkin Month.” I know that I only did one good movie and the rest were terrible, but that’s what happens. Stay tuned next month for what I will review next.