Italian film producer Dino De Laurentiis made many great films during his long and fruitful career. Some of films weren’t so great, especially those made during his short-lived attempt to build North Carolina film company that could compete with Hollywood. Actually, many of them turned into embarrassing flops, like 1987 comedy Million Dollar Mystery, which was also the last film of the highly respected director Richard Fleischer.
Plot begins in Arizona diner run by a brother and sister and where three separate groups of patrons gather – horny newly wed couple, family with a little son and aspiring musician with three back up singer. Another patron comes, orders a chilli and dies of heart attack, but not before revealing himself to be Sidney Preston (played by Tom Bosley), White House official who embezzled four million dollars. He also gives clues where the money is stashed – in four separate location, each holding a million. The patrons and diner owners naturally want to get the money and this start frantic race towards the first possible location. Along the way, all participants will suffer accidents but also recruit various helpers around way, while at the same time being pursued by duo of inept government agents.
Million Dollar Mystery is one of those comedies with a premise that looks good on paper. Actually, it is a premise that makes a lot of sense because it was already successfully used two decades ago in Stanley Kramer’s epic comedy It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Unlike that film, this one is much shorter, uses cast of unknowns instead of established stars (with possible exception of Bosley, famous for television roles in Happy Days and Father Dowling’s Mysteries) and is relatively cheaper. The most important difference, however, is that isn’t entertaining nor funny. The main reason is the script that makes all characters, with an exception of little boy played by Douglas Emerson, not only utterly greedy, but also destructive and terminally stupid, destroying the last ounce of sympathy the audience would have for them. There is some humour in this film, but it is barely noticeable, because the jokes and gags that actually work are poorly delivered or repeated ad nauseam. An example is given by Kevin Pollak in the role of sheriff’s deputy who tries to amuse people around him by impressions of famous actors and celebrities. As a result, Million Dollar Mystery soon becomes unwatchable and complete waste of time to anyone force to sit through it. Tragically, it also became a waste of human life, because legendary stuntman Dar Robinson died during the production.
Million Dollar Mystery earned its place in film history by what was supposed to be a clever marketing strategy. De Laurentiis actually had an idea of attracting audience to cinema by setting a treasure hunt, with million dollar reward and clues about hidden treasure being displayed through the film. Additionally, Glad, a company specialised in garbage bags, sponsored the contest and also printed some of the clues on its products. 14-year old Alesia Lenae Jones ultimately won the prize, but it was, ironically and quite fittingly, bigger than the actual amount the film itself made at the box office.
RATING: 2/10 (+)
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