"Brewster's Millions": The Hard Cost of Easy Money

Brewster’s Millions (1945)

Remake potential: Forget the exercise in spending — show how money multiplies until nothing else matters.

• Country: United States

• Genre: Comedy

• Director: Allan Dwan

• Starring: Dennis O'Keefe, Helen Walker, June Havoc, Gail Patrick

Helen Walker and Dennis O’Keefe in Brewster’s Millions (1945), directed by Allan Dwan. Courtesy of RKO Radio Pictures.

Clinical Overview

An American soldier returns from the war only to have his life turned upside down by a strange inheritance: spend $1 million in 60 days or forfeit an even greater inheritance.

Diagnosis

There are no real stakes here; all he stands to lose is money.

Prescription

Update to today. The soldier is already married with four kids, living in military housing in Northern California. Their life revolves around simple routines (stories at bedtime) and small pleasures (pizza Fridays). An unexpected inheritance arrives with no strings attached—the answer to their prayers. But when they had less, everything mattered. With more, nothing does.