History Literature / BrewstersMillions

** This is one of the aspects where the 2016 film [="Tô Ryca!=] is similar to the Pryor version.

* AdaptationalVillainy: In the original book, nobody tries to cheat Brewster out of the titular millions. In the 1985 film, the lawyers in charge of executing the will try to make Brewster lose the challenge so they can collect a fee for distributing the full inheritance to the charities chosen by Brewster's benefactor as alternative beneficiaries.

* ArtisticLicenseLaw: This is particularly evident in the Richard Pryor film adaptation. When the time is just about up, and Brewster is about to lose all the money because the lawyers of the firm conspired to manipulate events just so that would happen, there's a tense scene where a paralegal has to write him a receipt for all the money he has left as services rendered. There's only seconds left, and she completes the receipt a split-second before the clock runs out, handing it to the executor of the will, who says all the conditions have been satisfied and the money is now Brewster's. ''Then'' he tells the crooked lawyers that he feels that there has been a crime committed by them (Conspiracy to Defraud) and he will have to order a full investigation. The crooked lawyers have collective OhCrap expressions on their faces. The problem is, considering the circumstances there was absolutely no need for the receipt to be written and handed to the executor before time ran out. A crime ''has'' been committed, and as soon as the executor realized that he would have been perfectly within his rights to declare Brewster the victor regardless of whether time ran out or not, ''or'' he could have suspended the entire process until such time as the investigation was complete. As executor, it's his responsibility to make certain all the conditions of the will are met fairly, and if he feels that anything suspicious is happening he can call time out on the entire process.

* AFoolAndHisNewMoneyAreSoonParted: The challenge Brewster goes through for the full inheritence is meant as a lesson in how to avoid this trope.

----

-> ''I believe in being honest, Brewster. No bullshit. I'm stuck with you. But...we're gonna have some fun.''

-> ''I believe in being honest, Brewster. No bullshit. I'm stuck with you. But... we're gonna have some fun.''

''Brewster's Millions'' is a novel written by George Barr [=McCutcheon=] in 1902, although it's arguably more well known for various adaptations that have been made since. The basic story revolves around an impoverished young man by the name of Monty Brewster, who inherits a substantial amount of money from a long-lost relative -- and stands to further inherit a huge additional amount. (The total sum varies by time period, but to fit the title, it's always in the millions; in the Richard Pryor version, the original inheritance is $30 million and the full inheritance is $300 million.) The will [[OnOneCondition specifies one catch]], however: Monty must ''waste'' the entire first amount in a limited period of time. He must end the challenge with no tangible assets whatsoever ''and'' keep the arrangement a secret from everyone else. Monty will win the full inheritance if he pulls it off, but if he breaks any of the rules or fails to spend the first amount in full, he inherits nothing.

As Monty feverishly starts hemorraging money as quick as possible, he soon realizes the truth of the matter: [[SpringtimeForHitler it's amazingly difficult to lose an incredible amount of money]].

The novel has been adapted for the screen nine times. The most famous film version remains the 1985 film starring Creator/RichardPryor and Creator/JohnCandy; the story had been adapted before in 1921, 1926 (with the protagonist changed to a woman), 1935, 1945, and 1961. A Hindi version produced in 1988 serves as a shot-by-shot Indianization of the 1985 film, and a Tamil version was produced in 1997. A play based on the story was created in 1906. The plot of this novel also formed the basis of an episode of ''[[PunkyBrewster It's Punky Brewster]]''.

* AFoolAndHisNewMoneyAreSoonParted: The condition for the inheritence is meant to be a lesson to Brewster so that he avoids this trope with the real fortune.

* AdaptationalVillainy: In the original book, nobody tries to cheat Brewster out of the titular millions. In the 1985 film, the lawyers in charge of executing the will try to make Brewster lose the challenge so they can collect a fee for distributing the 300 million dollars to the charities chosen by Brewster's benefactor as alternative beneficiaries.
* AllOrNothing: The terms of the will force Brewster to either win everything or walk away with nothing. Many of the adaptations, however, add an "escape clause" that allows still Monty to claim a very small percentage of the inheritance in exchange for not having to go through with the challenge and with no further obligation, but that's all he gets. (In the 1985 film, the "escape clause" money was $1 million). In the book, the million came from another benefactor and Brewster could have simply kept that inheritance instead of risking it for a chance to receive a bigger one.

** Zig-zag: Louie, the avaricious parrot in the [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Warner Bros.]] cartoon "Dough Ray Me-Ow" (1948) is reading a book titled ''[[PunBasedTitle Rooster's Millions]]''.
* BailEqualsFreedom: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in the Pryor film. Brewster and his best friend are arrested for a bar fight and are given a choice between posting bail and showing up later for a trial or pleading guilty and paying a fine. If not for the lawyers looking for Brewster to inform him about an UnexpectedInheritance, they'd not be able to afford either option.
* BrickJoke: In the Pryor film, when they said that, after the 30 days, all that will be left for Monty are the clothes on his back, they weren't kidding. [[spoiler:Brewster had to put on the same baseball uniform that he was wearing ''before'' the challenge.]]

* ConsolationPrize: The 1985 film combines this with a reference to the original story, as the will offers a "wimp" clause for Brewster -- taking it would give him an even million dollars with no strings attached, but he'd be forced to walking away from the challenge.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Angela Drake (in the 1985 film) subverts this trope; she shows a softer side when Brewster begins to act more charitably, but her overall personality never truly changes, and she doesn't enter into a relationship with Brewster despite his best efforts.

* GenderFlip: The version(s) where Brewster is a woman.

* JustForTheHeliOfIt: In the 1985 Richard Pryor film version, Brewster flies his minor-league baseball team in on helicopters for a press event before an exhibition game he has paid for between the team and the New York Yankees. The coach calls him on it, saying that the team will be tired after the trip which was completely unnecessary because they're just over in New Jersey and could've gotten there faster on the bus. Brewster counters that he did it to make an impression - he doesn't mention that he did it so he could spend more money (to fulfill the challenge to spend a large sum of money and have nothing tangible to show for it).

* MysteriousMiddleInitial: Montgomery Brewster's maternal Uncle James T. Sedgwick.
* MythologyGag: In the 1985 film, Brewster must spend 30 million instead of just one but the original amount is referenced by a clause stating he'll receive one million dollars with no strings attached [[OnOneCondition if he doesn't accept the challenge]]. In the original book, the million he must spend to inherit the titular millions came from another benefactor and had no condition to prevent him from deciding to keep that money.
* OnOneCondition: It's a ''doozy'' of a condition.
** A few smaller conditions come with it, but they're meant to avoid LoopholeAbuse: Brewster can't have any assets after the challenge (except for anything he owned before it began), he can't tell anyone what he's doing or why, he must get value for the services of anyone he hires, he can only spend a predetermined small percentage on charities and gambling, and he can't buy expensive goods and then destroy them or give them away to avoid having assets.
*** In the 1985 film, Brewster finds a loophole to purchasing assets: [[spoiler:he buys a rare stamp, then uses it to mail a letter]]. Since he used it for its intended purpose, he technically didn't give it away or destroy it.
**** If Brewster refuses the challenge, he'll receive one million dollars without having to fulfill any further conditions.
*** He also buys several bottles of rare, expensive wine and drinks them (original intended purpose); rents his old AAA ball club and fixes up the park for an exhibition game with the Yankees (improving a ''rented'' property), and books local TV time on his own dime, to protest both mayoral candidates (legitimate value for service). When the people want to elect ''him'', he declines because the position's salary would be considered an asset derived from the inheritance.
** In the original book, Montgomery Brewster must be completely broke by the time he becomes twenty-six years old; must not tell anyone about the inheritance until the day he receives it; must not give away the whole inheritance (may donate as much as other wealthy people do but nothing more); and somehow must show business skills. James T. Sedgwick didn't want his heir to have anything from Edwin P. Brewster and believed Edwin would be remembered if Montgomery donated all the money inherited from him.
*** The million Montgomery inherited from Edwin before being informed of James' challenge averts this because Edwin trusted his grandson to use the inheritance a way he'd approve.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: The 1985 film features crooked lawyers who are trying to screw Brewster out of the deal. The junior partner of the firm "fixes" things twice: first, he informs Brewster's paralegal of the true nature of the inheritance (since Brewster isn't the one who tells her, the conditions of the will are not breached), then he threatens to sue after Brewster punches him in the face. Because the deadline had not yet been reached, Brewster hires his now-aware paralegal and uses all of the money that he had left over as a retainer fee. If that junior partner had just kept his mouth shut for a few more minutes, Brewster would have lost. (In addition, said lawyer was not supposed to have ''known'' about the deal, which meant Brewster would have won by default anyway.)

* PunctuatedForEmphasis: How Monty's great-uncle concludes the VideoWill in the 1985 film.

** This trope applies twice in the AnimatedAdaptation, as the characters are forced to face one to get into the challenge in the first place.
* RaceLift: RichardPryor as Brewster, which leads to this line from Rupert: "What's the matter? Didn't know your great-uncle was a ''honky''?"
* RadishCure: Giving someone millions of dollars and forcing them to spend it all within a short period of time might make them sick to the back teeth of both money ''and'' spending it. In the 1985 film, Monty's uncle says his father employed a RadishCure to discourage him from smoking, which served as his motivation to force Monty to spend $30 million in 30 days -- and to forbid Brewster from telling his friends about the condition (since they'd help Brewster to fulfill the condition, and nobody helped Brewster's uncle with the smoking).
* RandomEventsPlot: The novel and all its adaptations follow a series of various humorous attempts to get rid of an exorbitant amount of money in a short time.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Edward Roundfield (played by Pat Hingle in the 1985 movie) officially acts as an independent observer with no claim or stake in the bet; he's brought in by the law firm to ensure the details of the will are carried out to the letter. He makes a point of being impartial, but in practice, he's clearly fond of Brewster and more sympathetic to his dilemma, since Brewster's a down-to-earth nice guy.
** He even casually mentions that the deadline is midnight on the 30th day, then accepts the final receipt for the last $20,000 ''as the midnight chimes are ringing'' on the clock he'd earlier glanced at.
* TheResenter: Brewster's Uncle James' primary reason for the conditions set in the latter's will and the estrangement between the two characters in the book. James hated Brewster's grandfather Edwin to the point he loathed living in the same town as Edwin and wanted to be sure his estate would never mix with Edwin's.
* SecretTestOfCharacter: Subverted. When Montgomery Brewster told his loved one about the inheritance, she had initially assumed he kept it a secret to test her until he told her [[OnOneCondition he had to keep the inheritance a secret until the day he became 26 years old]].

* SillyWill: The plot of the 1985 movie. Brewster inherits 30 million dollars, 10% of the estate, he must spend all of it within a month. The hurdle is that he can't acquire assets, donate, or simply throw the money away, and nobody else may know what he's doing. He spends the movie hiring assistants, renting hotels, and baffling his friends who think money drove him insane.

* TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat: Brewster's great-uncle's video will in the 1985 film invokes this brilliantly; the editing makes it appear as if the two are sharing a direct back-and-forth dialogue.

* TitleDrop: At some point in the original book, when Montgomery Brewster was quite close to receiving "Sedgwick's Millions", he said they'd soon become "Brewster's Millions".

* UnwantedRescue: Since Brewster can't tell his friends ''why'' he's trying to lose money, they frequently engage in well-meaning attempts to stem the flow by investing or saving it sensibly, much to Brewster's dismay. This is subverted by an accountant who cheerfully reveals the deposit Brewster forgot about on a furniture rental, seemingly to cheer him up (the accountant subverts this by virtue of [[spoiler:setting up the forgotten deposit in order to help the amoral bankers cheat Monty out of the inheritance]]).

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The 1985 film ends abruptly, so viewers never find out what happened to any of Brewster's former friends or employees. It's probably safe to assume they'll be set for the foreseeable future with the hundreds of thousands of dollars Brewster was paying them (and the film outright shows Spike becoming a multi-millionaire thanks to the ultra-exorbitant salary Brewster paid him and several commissions and investments).
* WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve: In the 1985 film, two partners of the law firm that represents Brewster's great-uncle try to cheat Brewster out of his inheritance so the firm will inherit the estate (which would net the partners a rather sizeable fee from the $300 million before it's divided up to various charities). As time runs out on Brewster's chance to earn the inheritance, Angela informs Monty of the scheme; this causes Brewster to punch the accountant who was bribed by the partners into attempting to defraud Brewster. When threatened with a lawsuit, Brewster retains Angela as his lawyer for $20,000 (the exact amount of money keeping him from earning his inheritance) and gets a receipt written for the amount -- completing the challenge and earning his inheritance -- just as the clock strikes midnight.
* WritersCannotDoMath: Excusable to make it easy for the audience in the 1985 film. People around him tell him repeatedly that he has wasted 30 million dollars when he has had at ''least'' 10 million added onto that total and saying "40 million" would be more accurate. The audience, however, is in on the bet and some may be confused by the differing amounts thrown around.
* YouHave48Hours: A literal case in the AnimatedAdaptation. Punky Brewster and her friends had exactly 48 hours to spend one million dollars in order to win forty million dollars. The one limitation, besides not keeping anything (fortunately, there was nothing preventing Punky from simply donating all stuff bought to charity), was not buying anything for more than ten thousand dollars per unit, thus nixing Margaux's idea of using the money to buy a villa.

* BrickJoke: in the Pryor film, when they said that, after the 30 days, all that will be left for Monty are the clothes on his back, they weren't kidding. [[spoiler:Brewster had to put on the same baseball uniform that he was wearing ''before'' the challenge.]]

* AllOrNothing: The terms of the will force Brewster to either win everything or walk away with nothing. Many of the adaptations, however, add an "escape clause" that allows still Monty to claim a very small percentage of the inheritance in exchange for not having to go through with the challenge and with no further obligation, but that's all he gets. (In the 1985 film, the "escape clause" money was $1 million).

* UnexpectedInheritance

*** In the 1985 film, Brewster finds a loophole to purchasing assets: [[spoiler:he buys a rare stamp, then uses it to mail a letter]]. Since he used it for its intended purpose, he didn't technically didn't give it away or destroy it.

* NiceJobFixingItVillain: The 1985 film features crooked lawyers who are trying to screw Brewster out of the deal. The junior partner of the firm "fixes" things twice: first, he informs Brewster's paralegal of the true nature of the inheritance (since Brewster isn't the one who tells her, the conditions of the will are not breached), then he threatens to sue after Brewster punches him in the face. Because the deadline had not yet been reached, Brewster hires his now-aware paralegal and uses all of the money that he had left over as a retainer fee. If that junior partner had just kept his mouth shut for a few more minutes, Brewster would have lost.

-->'''Rupert Horn:''' [You] can go for the ''big'' one, Brewster. The ''three hundred'' million. But if you fail ... you don't. Get. DIDDLY!!

* AFoolAndHisMoney: The condition for the inheritence is meant to be a lesson to Brewster so that he avoids this trope with the real fortune.

* SecretTestOfCharacter: Subverted. When Montgomery Brewster told his loved one about the inheritance, she had initially assumed he kept it a secret to test her until he told her [[OnOneCondition he had to keep the inheritance a secret until the day he became a twenty-eighter]].

** In the original book, Montgomery Brewster must be completely broke by the time he becomes twenty-eight years old; must not tell anyone about the inheritance until the day he receives it; must not give away the whole inheritance (may donate as much as other wealthy people do but nothing more); and somehow must show business skills. James T. Sedgwick didn't want his heir to have anything from Edwin P. Brewster and believed Edwin would be remembered if Montgomery donated all the money inherited from him.

* MysteriousMiddleInitial: Montgomery Brewster's two benefactors (his paternal Grandfather and his maternal Uncle) were respectively named Edwin P. Brewster and James T. Sedgwick.