Blank Check (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Blank Check |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Rupert Wainwright |
| Produced by | Gary Adelson Craig Baumgarten Tony Shimkin |
| Written by | Blake Snyder Colby Carr |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Nicholas Pike |
| Cinematography | Bill Pope |
| Editing by | Hubert de la Bouillerie Jill Savitt |
| Studio | Walt Disney Pictures |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
| Release date(s) | February 11, 1994 |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $13 million |
| Money made | $39 million |
Blank Check (in the United Kingdom originally released as Blank Cheque) is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Rupert Wainwright and starring Brian Bonsall, Karen Duffy, Miguel Ferrer, James Rebhorn, Tone Lōc, Jayne Atkinson and Michael Lerner. It was released on February 11, 1994, by Walt Disney Pictures.
Plot
Eleven-year old Preston Waters (Brian Bonsall) laments his relative lack of money compared to his entrepreneurial brothers and his investor father (James Rebhorn). His situation regularly leads him to humiliating situations including having his brothers commandeer his bedroom as an office for their home business, and being forced to attend his bully Butch’s birthday with almost no money to pay at Cliffside Fun Park.
One day, he gets involved in a bike accident with escaped convict Carl Quigley (Miguel Ferrer) who had just left a Zero Halliburton briefcase with $1,000,000 stolen cash inside in the care of bank president Edward H. Biderman (Michael Lerner) to be laundered and retrieved by an associate the next day. Afraid of drawing attention from the police, Quigley hastily hands Preston a signed blank check and flees the scene.
Preston is grounded by his father for not taking care of his possessions. He then uses his computer to fill out the check himself for $1,000,000 and attempts to cash it the next day. He is taken to Biderman, who believes Preston is the associate named “Juice” that Quigley told him he was sending. Believing this is part of Quigley's plan, Biderman fills Preston’s backpack with $1,000,000 in clean money and Preston leaves the bank just as the real Juice arrives for the money.
An angered Quigley sets out to find Preston with the help of Biderman and Juice hoping to reclaim his stolen money. Meanwhile, Preston goes on a spending spree purchasing a large house, a limousine service with a chauffeur named Henry (Rick Ducommun), and then fills the house with toys, gadgets, and electronics all in the name of a mysterious employer he created named "Macintosh" after his brothers' computer.
Shay Stanley (Karen Duffy), a teller from the bank, seeks out Preston and his employer Mr. Macintosh, after the realtor who sold the house to Macintosh deposits $300,000 cash with her bank. Shay, an undercover FBI agent investigating Biderman for money laundering, is suspicious of the sudden flow of cash that has come through Biderman’s bank and follows the trail to Preston/Macintosh. Denied a meeting with Macintosh, Preston claims that he handles some of Macintosh’s financial affairs and the two end up going on a business date.
Later, Preston throws an expensive birthday party for himself and Macintosh for which the party planner takes at least $40,000 in cash from Preston, claiming it covers the fees for the event. Preston invites Shay and Henry to the party, with many others showing up.
At the party, Preston learns that he only has $332 left and that he can’t pay the planner what he owes for the party. The planner shuts the party down, leaving Preston alone in the empty house. Quigley, Biderman, and Juice arrive and demand Preston return the money, only to find out Preston has spent all of it in six days; Biderman tells Quigley about helming the Macintosh name in hopes of inheriting the new life he was hoping. After pursuing Preston throughout the property when the latter tries to escape, the FBI shows up with Shay in time to save Preston. Quigley announces that he is Macintosh, thinking that assuming the false identity would grant him the new life he was seeking after escaping prison. However, the FBI arrest Quigley for numerous crimes they intended to charge to Macintosh, along with Biderman and Juice as accomplices.
Preston says goodbye to Shay and Henry before returning to his family to celebrate his birthday, now understanding that money can’t buy happiness and that his family is what matters most.
Cast
- Brian Bonsall as Preston Waters, aka Mr. Macintosh
- Karen Duffy as Shay Stanley
- Miguel Ferrer as Quigley
- Michael Lerner as Biderman
- Tone Loc as Juice
- James Rebhorn as Fred Waters
- Jayne Atkinson as Sandra Waters
- Rick Ducommun as Henry
- Debbie Allen as Yvonne
- Chris Demetral as Damian Waters
- Michael Faustino as Ralph Waters
- Alex Zuckerman as Butch
See also
In Spanish: Cheque en blanco (película) para niños
