History Literature / BrewstersMillions

* SelfMadeMan: Monty's uncle, James T. Sedgwick, is one of these in the original novel.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/brewsters_millions_1985_poster.jpg]]

-> ''"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 Monty Brewster, an impoverished young man who inherits a substantial amount of money from a long-lost relative and also stands to further inherit a huge additional amount. (The total sum varies by time period; to fit the title, it's always in the millions or more. In the original novel, Brewster has to spend one million to inherit seven millions. In the 1985 film, the original inheritance is $30 million and the full inheritance is $300 million.) But the inheritance [[OnOneCondition has a catch]]: Monty must ''waste'' the entire first amount in a limited period of time. He must end the challenge with no tangible assets whatsoever, with severe limits on possible outs like charity or purchasing items...and keep the arrangement a secret from everyone else. Monty wins 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 gets nothing.

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 is a ShotForShotRemake of the 1985 film; a Tamil version was produced in 1997; a play based on the story was created in 1906; and the novel's plot also formed the basis of an episode of ''WesternAnimation/PunkyBrewster''.

!!The 1985 film adds examples of:

* 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.
* AmoralAttorney: The lawyers in the 1985 film are actively plotting to cheat Brewster out of his inheritance.
* 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 attorney (Pat Hingle) who's been brought in to oversee the process and make certain everything goes according to the will. This attorney 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 him before time ran out. A crime ''has'' been committed, and as soon as the attorney (who was clearly sympathetic to Brewster throughout the film) 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 everything until such time as the investigation was complete. He was brought in to oversee the entire process, 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 anytime he likes.
** The problem is what would happen to the money. By allowing Brewster the chance to spend the $20,000 and fulfilling the will, Brewster gets the money immediately. If Roundfield had suspended the terms of the will to investigate charges of fraud, the money would continue to be held in trust until the ensuing criminal and civil investigations and trials are resolved which would likely last years. Even if Monty didn't beat the clock, Roundfield would have ordered an investigation into the fraud with the same result.
*** Effectively, the attorney knows full well the money is Monty's, no argument, so just lets the money be released to Brewster, THEN starts freezing assets. Monty likely left the money effectively in trust ANYWAY, but he still has proof, for the people he had to lie to, that he had a reason for his terrible attitude towards all the things they did for him.
** Angela, a non-lawyer, cannot legally accept a fee for representing Monty in court. Even if she could, she would not be able to perform the service she is promising to perform in exchange for the fee (defend Monty in court against Warren's lawsuit) -- thus, Monty just violated one of the terms of the will by hiring someone without getting value for her services. Leaving those issues aside, Monty was paying someone IN ADVANCE for services to be performed in the future. His right to receive those services in the future (or obtain a refund upon her failure to perform) would be considered an asset.
* BailEqualsFreedom: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in the 1985 film. Brewster and his best friend are arrested for a bar fight and 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 wouldn't be able to afford either option.
* BrickJoke: In the 1985 film, Monty is told that, after the thirty days, he can only have the clothes on his back or he loses the challenge. When the challenge ends, Brewster puts on the same baseball uniform he was wearing ''before'' the challenge started.
* TheCameo: In the 1985 film, Creator/RickMoranis puts in a brief appearance as "Morty King, King of the Mimics."
* CasualSportsJersey: [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]]. When Monty is due to meet with the lawyers that control his deceased relative's inheritance in their boardroom, he wears his jersey and his cap.
* CompositeCharacter: In the 1985 film, Edwin Peter Brewster and James T. Sedgwick become a composite character named Rupert Horn.
* ConsolationPrize: The 1985 film combines this with a reference to the original story: the will offers Brewster a million dollars with no strings attached, but as it's a "wimp" clause, he'd have to walk 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.
* HiddenDepths: In the 1985 film, Brewster comes across at first as a working-class schmuck, a minor-league baseball player with little money or prospects. Brewster's Uncle Rupert states openly that he's disappointed in Brewster but has to name Brewster in the will because, "I'm stuck with you." But as time goes on, Brewster finds more and more creative ways to waste money, from financing an expensive exhibition game to buying a rare stamp and then ''mailing it,'' to buying a supply of expensive wine and opening the bottles and serving them. When he has a serious setback and thinks he has no chance of making the deadline, he comes up with a perfect way to drain his bank account -- ''run for Mayor and spend through the roof on his campaign.''
** Also, most of Brewster's employees, save photographer JB Donaldo, avert being FairWeatherFriend by taking up a collection for him as they realize he's going bankrupt, which he must quickly find a carefully-worded way to refuse.
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: [[spoiler:In the 1985 film, Warren Cox spills the beans about the fix to Angela Drake in this manner; [[NiceJobFixingItVillain she then quickly informs Monty]].]]
* JustForTheHeliOfIt: In the 1985 film, Brewster flies his minor-league baseball team in on helicopters for a press event before an exhibition game between the team and the New York Yankees (which Brewster paid to make happen). The coach says 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--but Brewster says 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.[[note]]Mainly since he couldn't tell ANYONE why he was spending so callously...[[/note]]
* LettingHerHairDown: Angela does this in the 1985 film.
* MythologyGag: In the 1985 film, Brewster must spend thirty million dollars instead of just one, but the original amount is referenced by the "wimp" clause (see ConsolationPrize above). In the original book, the million dollars Monty must spend to inherit the titular millions came from another benefactor and had no condition to prevent him from deciding to keep that money.
* 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: 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.)
* NoEnding: The movie just ends leaving only the viewer to interpret what became of Brewster after he won the full $300mill.
** It also never explains what happened to the law firm who were planning to effectively abuse the bet to steal the money.
* TheOner: The 1985 film's scene where Monty hysterically re-emerges from the office and everyone follows him into the elevator, and Spike's [[DelayedReaction delayed reaction]] to news of the inheritance.
* PunctuatedForEmphasis: This is how Monty's great-uncle concludes the VideoWill in the 1985 film.
-->'''Rupert Horn:''' [You] can go for the ''big'' one, Brewster. The ''three hundred'' million. But if you fail ... you don't. Get. DIDDLY!
* RaceAgainstTheClock: This happens for most of the story, but in the 1985 film, it's openly invoked in the final scene [[spoiler:as Angela writes a receipt for her services as a lawyer before the clock strikes midnight]].
* RaceLift: The 1985 film features Creator/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, Rupert Horn, says he was given a Radish Cure by his father to discourage a possible smoking habit. Horn used this experience as motivation for creating Monty's challenge. And since nobody helped Rupert with the Radish Cure, he forced Brewster to avoid telling his friends about the condition (as they'd help Brewster win the challenge).
* 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. The law firm overseeing the will brings him in to make sure the will's details 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.
** In the 1985 film, he casually mentions that the deadline is midnight on the last 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.
* SpringtimeForHitler: Brewster tries to blow a load of money by betting on longshots, but the longshots storm home and make him even more money. When he tries to lose money by investing in a worthless stock, the stock's value skyrockets after everyone else buys in. In the 1985 film, he tries to waste it on a [[FictionalPoliticalParty frivolous political campaign]], but the voters are attracted to his message and almost vote for him (which would have left him with a job and a salary, thus nullifying the inheritance), so Monty convinces people to vote for "None of the Above" and eventually drops out of the race.
* TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat: The video will in the 1985 film invokes this brilliantly, as the editing makes it seem as if the two are sharing a direct back-and-forth dialogue.
-->'''Rupert Horn:''' (in the video will) "So, here's my proposition: you have thirty days in which to spend thirty million bucks. If you can do it, you get three hundred million!"
-->'''Monty Brewster:''' (to himself) "There's gotta be a catch."
-->'''Rupert Horn:''' "Of course there's a catch!"
* UnexpectedInheritance: In the 1985 film, the millions come from a relative he didn't even know before being informed of the inheritance.
* VideoWills: Brewster's great-uncle uses one to deliver his challenge in the 1985 film.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: The 1985 film ends abruptly, so viewers never find out what happened to any of Brewster's former friends or employees. It's safe to assume they'll be set for the foreseeable future with the hundreds of thousands of dollars Brewster was paying them, though. And the film outright shows Spike becoming a multi-millionaire thanks to the salary Brewster paid him and several commissions and investments.
* WhenTheClockStrikesTwelve: In the 1985 film, two lawyers at the firm representing Brewster's great-uncle try to cheat Brewster out of his inheritance so they can earn a rather sizeable fee from the full $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. Brewster punches the accountant who was bribed by the partners into defrauding 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: This is excusable to make it easy for the audience in the 1985 film. People around Brewster tell him repeatedly that he has wasted thirty million dollars when he has had at ''least'' ten million added onto that total. Saying "forty million" would be more accurate. But the audience is in on the bet, so the film avoids possible confusion by only using the "thirty million" number.

''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 Monty Brewster, an impoverished young man who inherits a substantial amount of money from a long-lost relative and also stands to further inherit a huge additional amount. (The total sum varies by time period; to fit the title, it's always in the millions or more. In the 1985 film, the original inheritance is $30 million and the full inheritance is $300 million.) But the inheritance [[OnOneCondition has a catch]]: Monty must ''waste'' the entire first amount in a limited period of time. He must end the challenge with no tangible assets whatsoever, with severe limits on possible outs like charity or purchasing items...and keep the arrangement a secret from everyone else. Monty wins 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 gets nothing.

!!''Brewster's Millions'' provides examples of the following tropes:


* ThirteenIsUnlucky: In the 2016 film "[=Tô Ryca!=]", Brewster's counterpart tries to lose $ 100,000 on the roulette by placing that money on 13. [[GenderFlip She]] wins.
* AdaptationalHeroism: in the original novel, Barbara Drew is a DisposableFiancee, while in the 1945 film she is a sweet minor character who didn't even know Brewster before he inherited his money and is used by him to help spend the money (but does make his actual fiancé a little jealous).
* AdaptationNameChange:
** In the 1914 film, James Sedgwick becomes Jonas Sedgwick.
** In the 1926 film, Montgomery Brewster becomes [[GenderFlip Polly Brewster]].
** In the 1945 film, Brewster's given name is changed from Montgomery to Montague.
** In the 1985 film, Edwin Peter Brewster and James T. Sedgwick become a CompositeCharacter named Rupert Horn.
** In the 2016 film, Montgomery Brewster is a woman named Selminha Oleria Silva.
* 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. In the 2016 film, they do worse by [[spoiler:embezzling part of the money that's supposed to be donated to charity and holding Brewster's counterpart accountable for the missing money. Fortunately, the accomplices in the latter film have a change of heart and donate it on time]].
* AllOrNothing: The terms of the will force Brewster to either win everything or walk away with nothing. Many of the adaptations add an "escape clause" that allows Monty to claim a very small percentage of the inheritance with no further obligation, but that's all he gets. (In the 1985 film, the "escape clause" is worth $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.
* AmoralAttorney: The lawyers in the 1985 film fall under this trope, as they're actively plotting to cheat Brewster out of his inheritance.
* 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 attorney (Pat Hingle) who's been brought in to oversee the process and make certain everything goes according to the will. This attorney 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 him before time ran out. A crime ''has'' been committed, and as soon as the attorney (who was clearly sympathetic to Brewster throughout the film) 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 everything until such time as the investigation was complete. He was brought in to oversee the entire process, 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 anytime he likes.
** The problem is what would happen to the money. By allowing Brewster the chance to spend the $20,000 and fulfilling the will, Brewster gets the money immediately. If Roundfield had suspended the terms of the will to investigate charges of fraud, the money would continue to be held in trust until the ensuing criminal and civil investigations and trials are resolved which would likely last years. Even if Monty didn't beat the clock, Roundfield would have ordered an investigation into the fraud with the same result.
*** Effectively, the attorney knows full well the money is Monty's, no argument, so just lets the money be released to Brewster, THEN starts freezing assets. Monty likely left the money effectively in trust ANYWAY, but he still has proof, for the people he had to lie to, that he had a reason for his terrible attitude towards all the things they did for him.
** Angela, a non-lawyer, cannot legally accept a fee for representing Monty in court. Even if she could, she would not be able to perform the service she is promising to perform in exchange for the fee (defend Monty in court against Warren's lawsuit) -- thus, Monty just violated one of the terms of the will by hiring someone without getting value for her services. Leaving those issues aside, Monty was paying someone IN ADVANCE for services to be performed in the future. His right to receive those services in the future (or obtain a refund upon her failure to perform) would be considered an asset.
* BailEqualsFreedom: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in the 1985 film. Brewster and his best friend are arrested for a bar fight and 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 wouldn't be able to afford either option.
* BrickJoke: In the 1985 film, Monty is told that, after the thirty days, he can only have the clothes on his back or he loses the challenge. When the challenge ends, Brewster puts on the same baseball uniform he was wearing ''before'' the challenge started.
* TheCameo: In the 1985 film, Creator/RickMoranis puts in a brief appearance as "Morty King, King of the Mimics."
* CasualSportsJersey: [[ExaggeratedTrope Exaggerated]]. When Monty is due to meet with the lawyers that control his deceased relative's inheritance in their boardroom, he wears his jersey and his cap.
* CompositeCharacter: In the original book, the titular millions and the money Brewster must spend to inherit them don't come from the same benefactor.
* ConsolationPrize: The 1985 film combines this with a reference to the original story: the will offers Brewster a million dollars with no strings attached, but as it's a "wimp" clause, he'd have to walk 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.

* FunWithAcronyms: Montgomery Brewster becomes a woman named '''S'''elminha '''O'''leria '''S'''ilva in the 2016 film.
* GenderFlip: Any version where Brewster is a woman counts.

* HiddenDepths: In the 1985 film, Brewster comes across at first as a working-class schmuck, a minor-league baseball player with little money or prospects. Brewster's Uncle Rupert states openly that he's disappointed in Brewster but has to name Brewster in the will because, "I'm stuck with you." But as time goes on, Brewster finds more and more creative ways to waste money, from financing an expensive exhibition game to buying a rare stamp and then ''mailing it,'' to buying a supply of expensive wine and opening the bottles and serving them. When he has a serious setback and thinks he has no chance of making the deadline, he comes up with a perfect way to drain his bank account -- ''run for Mayor and spend through the roof on his campaign.''
** Also, most of Brewster's employees, save photographer JB Donaldo, avert being FairWeatherFriend by taking up a collection for him as they realize he's going bankrupt, which he must quickly find a carefully-worded way to refuse.
* In the 1945 film, Brewster's two best friends/ financial advisors manage to salvage $40,000 from his failed ventures at the very last minute, causing him to frantically think of debts to pay off to get rid of it as the clock strikes down.
* JustBetweenYouAndMe: [[spoiler:In the 1985 film, Warren Cox spills the beans about the fix to Angela Drake in this manner; [[NiceJobFixingItVillain she then quickly informs Monty]].]]
* JustForTheHeliOfIt: In the 1985 film, Brewster flies his minor-league baseball team in on helicopters for a press event before an exhibition game between the team and the New York Yankees (which Brewster paid to make happen). The coach says 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--but Brewster says 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.[[note]]Mainly since he couldn't tell ANYONE why he was spending so callously...[[/note]]
* LettingHerHairDown: Angela does this in the 1985 film.
* LighterAndSofter: Given that the original novel has Brewster's ship being attacked by marauding African warriors who he and his men gun down, all of the adaptations become this by default for omitting this bloody scene.

* MythologyGag: In the 1985 film, Brewster must spend thirty million dollars instead of just one, but the original amount is referenced by the "wimp" clause (see ConsolationPrize above). In the original book, the million dollars Monty must spend to inherit the titular millions came from another benefactor and had no condition to prevent him from deciding to keep that money.
* 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: 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.)

* NoEnding: The movie just ends leaving only the viewer to interpret what became of Brewster after he won the full $300mill.
** It also never explains what happened to the law firm who were planning to effectively abuse the bet to steal the money.

*** 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 the stamp for its intended purpose, he technically didn't give it away or destroy it.
*** 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--mainly because the position's salary would be considered an asset derived from the inheritance.
*** One of the things that would have really screwed him over had he not caught on to it right away was revealed when he went to the bank to deposit the thirty million. The bank manager cheerfully tells him that the amount of the deposit means that Brewster qualifies for a "special interest rate" on his account. In other words, he would have been ''earning'' money just by depositing it in the bank. Brewster quickly turns down the interest and insists that ''he'' should be paying the bank for the privilege of depositing his money with them.

*** The million Montgomery inherited from Edwin before being informed of James' challenge averts this, as Edwin trusted his grandson to use the inheritance in a way he'd approve.

* TheOner: The 1985 film's scene where Monty hysterically re-emerges from the office and everyone follows him into the elevator, and Spike's [[DelayedReaction delayed reaction]] to news of the inheritance.

* PunctuatedForEmphasis: This is how Monty's great-uncle concludes the VideoWill in the 1985 film.
-->'''Rupert Horn:''' [You] can go for the ''big'' one, Brewster. The ''three hundred'' million. But if you fail ... you don't. Get. DIDDLY!
* RaceAgainstTheClock: This happens for most of the story, but in the 1985 film, it's openly invoked in the final scene [[spoiler:as Angela writes a receipt for her services as a lawyer before the clock strikes midnight]].
** This trope applies twice in the AnimatedAdaptation, as the characters are forced to face one to even get into the challenge.
* RaceLift: The 1985 film features Creator/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, Rupert Horn, says he was given a Radish Cure by his father to discourage a possible smoking habit. Horn used this experience as motivation for creating Monty's challenge. And since nobody helped Rupert with the Radish Cure, he forced Brewster to avoid telling his friends about the condition (as they'd help Brewster win the challenge).
* RandomEventsPlot: The novel and its adaptations follow a series of various humorous attempts to get rid of an exorbitant amount of money in a short amount of 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. The law firm overseeing the will brings him in to make sure the will's details 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.
** In the 1985 film, he casually mentions that the deadline is midnight on the last 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.
*** FridgeBrilliance kicks in there. Roundfield is likely planning some very expensive and very complex legal proceedings about irregularities in the challenge. But Monty was completely above the level. He walks away with 300 mil in the bank. The people still in the room... They'll not get ANY sleep.
** Most of the executors in general have this apply, regardless of the version. The one from the original book was even willing to allow Brewster to spend on things like christmas presents, although he not without spending limits.

** Notably, James character and motivations are never quite the same in any of the adaptations, most of which have him and Brewster's grandfather merged into a CompositeCharacter simply imparting a lesson.
* ReturningWarVet: Brewster and several of his friends in the 1945 version.

* SillyWill: This is the general plot of the book, but the 1985 movie picks up this trope and runs with it.
* SpringtimeForHitler: Brewster tries to blow a load of money by betting on longshots, but the longshots storm home and make him even more money. When he tries to lose money by investing in a worthless stock, the stock's value skyrockets after everyone else buys in. In the 1985 film, he tries to waste it on a [[FictionalPoliticalParty frivolous political campaign]], but the voters are attracted to his message and almost vote for him (which would have left him with a job and a salary, thus nullifying the inheritance), so Monty convinces people to vote for "None of the Above" and eventually drops out of the race.

* TheTapeKnewYouWouldSayThat: The video will in the 1985 film invokes this brilliantly, as the editing makes it seem as if the two are sharing a direct back-and-forth dialogue.
-->'''Rupert Horn:''' (in the video will) "So, here's my proposition: you have thirty days in which to spend thirty million bucks. If you can do it, you get three hundred million!"
-->'''Monty Brewster:''' (to himself) "There's gotta be a catch."
-->'''Rupert Horn:''' "Of course there's a catch!"
** This is one of the aspects where the 2016 film [="Tô Ryca!"=] is similar to the Pryor version.

* UnexpectedInheritance: In the book, the titular millions come from an uncle that was absent from Brewster's life for so long that Brewster barely remembered him. In the 1985 film, they come from a relative he didn't even know before being informed of the inheritance.
** The million dollars Brewster must spend to inherit Uncle James' estate averted this because that inheritance came from his non-estranged grandfather.
* 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 reveals the deposit Brewster forgot about on a furniture rental to cheer Monty 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]].)

** The same is true of just about every version, including the original novel.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: IN every version, a lot of Brewsters friends stay by his side and keep trying to help him even as it becomes obvious that he's about to run out of money. Naturally, this borders on UnwantedRescue for poor Brewster, although he is generally touched by the effort.

* AnimatedAdaptation: Although no direct adaptations of the story itself have been made, the ''[[Series/PunkyBrewster It's Punky Brewster]]'' episode "Punky's Millions" essentially takes the basic plot of this story and runs with it (with a few alterations, such as the cash amount becoming a game-show prize rather than an inheritance).
** Zig-zagged: Louie, the avaricious parrot in the [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Warner Bros.]] cartoon "WesternAnimation/DoughRayMeOw" (1948), is reading a book titled ''[[PunBasedTitle Rooster's Millions]]''.

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 is a ShotForShotRemake of the 1985 film; a Tamil version was produced in 1997; a play based on the story was created in 1906; and the novel's plot also formed the basis of an episode of ''[[Series/PunkyBrewster It's Punky Brewster]]''.

* AdaptationalHeroism: in the original novel, Barbara Drew is a DisposableFiancee, while in the 1945 film she is a SpoiledSweet minor character who didn't even know Brewster before he inherited his money and is used by him to help spend the money (but does make his actual fiancé a little jealous).

* 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: 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.)
* NiceToTheWaiter: Brewster's generosity earns him the admiration of his many employees, but this only means they want to help him when he starts going under.
* NoEnding: The movie just ends leaving only the viewer to interpret what became of Brewster after he won the full $300mill.
** It also never explains what happened to the law firm who were planning to effectively abuse the bet to steal the money.

''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 Monty Brewster, an impoverished young man who inherits a substantial amount of money from a long-lost relative and also stands to further inherit a huge additional amount. (The total sum varies by time period; to fit the title, it's always in the millions or more. In the 1985 film, the original inheritance is $30 million and the full inheritance is $300 million.) But the inheritance [[OnOneCondition has a catch]]: 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 wins 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 gets nothing.

As Monty starts hemorraging money as fast as he can, he soon realizes a horrible truth: [[SpringtimeForHitler it's amazingly difficult to lose an incredible amount of money]].

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

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 is a shot-by-shot remake of the 1985 film; a Tamil version was produced in 1997; a play based on the story was created in 1906; and the novel's plot also formed the basis of an episode of ''[[Series/PunkyBrewster It's Punky Brewster]]''.

*** 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 the stamp for its intended purpose, he technically didn't give it away or destroy it. By this logic though, Brewster could have bought toys highly sought after, as they are mint-in-the-box, and un-boxed them. He can argue the fact that he's using the toy for its original purpose, [[ImmediateSelfContradiction doesn't negate the fact he's just wiped away its value as a collector's piece.]]

* BailEqualsFreedom: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in the 1985 film. Brewster and his best friend are arrested for a bar fight and 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 wouldn't be able to afford either option.

* RaceLift: The 1985 film features RichardPryor as Brewster, which leads to this line from Rupert: "What's the matter? Didn't know your great-uncle was a ''honky''?"

* JerkassFacade: Brewster may be a decent and good-hearted man, but since he can't tell anyone why he's doing what he's doing, he frequently comes off as an irresponsible jackass.

** Zig-zagged: 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]]''.

* JustForTheHeliOfIt: In the 1985 film, Brewster flies his minor-league baseball team in on helicopters for a press event before an exhibition game between the team and the New York Yankees (which Brewster paid to make happen). The coach says 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--but Brewster says 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.

*** 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 the stamp for its intended purpose, he technically didn't give it away or destroy it.

* YouHave48Hours: The AnimatedAdaptation does this in the most literal sense. Punky Brewster and her friends must spend one million dollars in exactly 48 hours to win forty million dollars. The one limitation--besides not keeping anything--was that Punky and her friends couldn't buy anything for more than ten thousand dollars per unit. (Margaux's hopes of using the money to buy a villa? Ruined.)

''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 Monty Brewster, an impoverished young man who inherits a substantial amount of money from a long-lost relative and also stands to further inherit a huge additional amount. (The total sum varies by time period; to fit the title, it's always in the millions. In the 1985 film, the original inheritance is $30 million and the full inheritance is $300 million.) But the inheritance [[OnOneCondition has a catch]]: 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 wins 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 gets nothing.

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 is a shot-by-shot remake of the 1985 film; a Tamil version was produced in 1997; a play based on the story was created in 1906; and the novel's plot also formed the basis of an episode of ''[[PunkyBrewster It's Punky Brewster]]''.

* AnimatedAdaptation: Although no direct adaptations of the story itself have been made, the ''[[PunkyBrewster It's Punky Brewster]]'' episode "Punky's Millions" essentially takes the basic plot of this story and runs with it (with a few alterations, such as the cash amount becoming a game-show prize rather than an inheritance).