Richie Rich (film)

1994 feature film based on the Richie Rich comic book series. The film starred Macaulay Culkin as Richie and Stephi Lineburg as Gloria. It also featured Edward Herrmann, Michael McShane, Christine Ebersole, Jonathan Hyde, and John Larroquette serve in supporting roles.

In the film, young Richie finds himself apparently orphaned in the wake of an assassination attempt on his parents engineered by the greedy CFO of Rich Industries, Lawrence Van Dough (Larroquette), who frames the Riches' loyal butler Cadbury for the crime and arranges for his "suicide" in jail. The Rich family technologist, Professor Keenbean, rescues Cadbury from prison and gets him to Richie and safety, but is himself captured by Van Dough. With the help of a small band of lower-middle class kids he befriended early in the film, Richie breaks back into the Rich estate, rescues Keenbean, and discovers his parents are still alive, being pressured by Van Dough for access to the family vault in Mount Richmore. Van Dough ultimately gets his way, only to discover that the only "treasures" in the vault are sentimental ones. This sends him into a complete meltdown, and he chases the Riches across the mountain, intending to kill them – until Cadbury and Keenbean save the day, and Van Dough gets his comeuppance.

The film only earned $38,087,756 in the United States market. It was the 37th most successful film of its year, and just barely earned back its budget. And after the movie was released, the Richie Rich comics just stopped being published.

In 1998, it was followed by a Direct to Video Sequel, Richie Rich's Christmas Wish, which featured an entirely different cast (including a pre-Buffy the Vampire Slayer Michelle Trachtenberg) enacting yet another Wonderful Life plotline.

Tropes used in Richie Rich (film) include:
  • Absent-Minded Professor: Keenbean, to an extent.
  • Actor Allusion: A sideways one: When Ferguson blasts the nose off of Regina's likeness on Mount Richmore, she reacts be exclaiming, "I look like Michael Jackson!" You wonder how Macaulay Culkin reacted to that line before it was shot...
  • Affably Evil: Lawrence Van Dough.
  • Agony of the Feet: Professor Keenbean suffered from this trope after inadvertently dropping a bowling ball on his foot.
  • Ain't Too Proud to Beg: When Cadbury shoots at Van Dough, he (Van Dough) falls off Mount Richmore, but gets caught on the scaffolding cords and hung upside down. Because he's dangling about and scared of falling he's practically begging the Rich family, whom moments before, he was trying to kill; for help. Even accepting his firing.
  • Badass Family: Don't let the money fool you, The Rich family can kick ass when they need to. Richie after shrugging off gunshots from his bullet proof clothing is able to disarm Van Dough with a rapier and later knock him over a ladder. Richard throws a couple of punches at Van Dough after being disarmed. Regina is able to knock one of Van Dough's thugs out with a banjo before punching out Van Dough for all the crap he put them through.
  • Bad Boss: Van Dough becomes this after he takes the helm.
  • Battle Butler: Cadbury, as seen during the scene where he busts out of prison after making quick work of the assassin sent to kill him.

Cadbury: Never attack a man with sensitive teeth!

  • Benevolent Boss: Richie's dad refuses to fire any of his employees, neither if they do a terrible job or to make sacrifices. He makes an exception with the Big Bad, however, due to the fact that he tried to kill him and his family.
  • Berserk Button: Treating servants like dirt is this for Richie. Reginald found that out the hard way when Richie made him deliberately spill his (Wrong ordered) Cappuccino all over his white fencing suit, when the latter was berating the servant for it. He looked both angered and heartbroken when Van Dough fired the rest of his staff.
  • Big Eater: Professor Keenbean. In fact, one scene even showed him ordering some Quarter Pounders and a bunch of fries from Richie's personal McDonald's, and claims he working on creating secret sauce. Also, Pee-wee to an extent[1] It's also implied that Richard Rich is one. Although he is trying to diet, he can't resist chocolates. This ends up saving his life, when after using the Smellmaster to find them, he discovers the bomb Ferguson planted.
  • Book Ends: At the beginning after growing up, Richie is seen playing baseball. At the end of the film, he is playing baseball again, this time, with his new friends and with Cadbury as coach.
  • Bulletproof Vest: Keenbean's Stain-Away turns Richie's clothes into this.
  • The Butler Did It: The villains make it appear as if Cadbury bombed the Riches' private jet.
  • Chekhov's Gun: Most of Keenbean's inventions. Which, by extension, makes Keenbean a Chekhov's Gunman.
  • Comic Book Adaptation: Yes, a movie based on a comic book was turned into a comic book. It was also published by Marvel Comics, for some reason.
  • Conveyor Belt O' Doom: The hopper that feeds Richie's friends into Keenbean's molecular reorganizing machine.
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive: Lawrence van Dough.
  • The Dragon: Ferguson to Van Dough's Big Bad.
  • Five-Token Band: Richie's friends, with Richie filling out the rich kid quota.
  • Frame-Up: See below.
  • Good Parents: Richard and Regina make sure they spend time with their son, even as they are working.
  • Grade School CEO: Richie takes over the company with Cadbury's backing after his parents' plane crash. This lasts one highly successful montage, until Cadbury is framed for the Rich's murder.
  • Happily Married: Richard and Regina Rich.
  • Heel Face Turn: Played with, it's not certain, but the work release program seemed to lighten Ferguson's mood. He admires Richie's home run hit and even asks if Van Dough should throw back the ball.
  • Hero with Bad Publicity: Cadbury. But it's likely taken care of by the Riches.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: A rare non-villain example: Keenbean falls into a trap he set for Ferguson involving his super-strength adhesive, with near-disastrous results for Richie and his friends.
  • Horrible Judge of Character: Being the Benevolent Boss he is, Richie's dad is this way at first when it comes to Van Dough.
    • Actually, it seems he's perfectly aware of what Van Dough is like, as his wife pointed it out. Yet he's hesitant at first to fire him.

Regina: Oh Richard, wake up and smell the seaweed!

  • Humiliation Conga: Both villains get one. Ferguson has a towel superglued to his face, is knocked out, and gets stung in the ass by a robotic bee. Van Dough is left hanging for dear life on a sheer rock face, is fired by a 12-year-old boy, whose father has never fired anyone in his life, and gets punched in the face by the mother.
  • It's All Junk: Subverted. It's not the Rich family who thinks the vault is full of junk...
  • Jerkass: Ferguson.
  • The Lancer: Cadbury.
  • Large Ham: The villains, obviously, especially Ferguson.
  • Lonely Rich Kid: Richie.
  • A Minor Kidroduction: The beginning of the film starts with the birth of Richie, all the way up to his current age.
  • Monumental Battle: The confrontation between Van Dough and the Riches on "Mount Richmore".
  • Mugged for Disguise: Well, actually, Cadbury was the one being attacked, but he still ends up with the thug's clothes anyway.
  • Nice to the Waiter: Richie and his parents's relationship with Cadbury and the other Rich staff. Averted greatly with Van Dough.
  • Office Golf: Ellwood does this in school.
  • Oh Crap: Both for Keenbean and for Richie and his friends when Keenbean gets stuck in his own superglue while trying to rescue them from Ferguson.
    • Richie's parents on the plane when they realize what "trinitrotoluine" is.
  • Papa Wolf: Cadbury when Ferguson manhandles Richie towards the beginning of the movie.

Ferguson: It's my job to protect him.
Cadbury: Yes very well Mr. Ferguson, but grab him like that again and it is you who will need protecting.

Van Dough: (after his gun jams at a critical moment) Shit!

  • Product Placement: "You have your own McDonald's?!"
  • Psycho for Hire/Ax Crazy: Ferguson.
  • Reality Ensues: In the movie, the villain's plan displays this. After hearing about the "Rich Family Vault", he immediately assumes that it's where he'll find the family's fortune. Astoundingly enough, the Riches didn't get rich by locking up all their wealth in a private, zero-interest vault (which turns out to be full of family heirlooms of low monetary worth). Their actual money is in banks, investments, and real estate.
  • Screw the Money, I Have Rules: The Rich family are the wealthiest people on the planet, yet they also seem to have the greatest moral compass when it comes to being overall decent.
  • Shoo Out the Clowns: Professor Keenbean and the street kids were completely absent during the climatic scene where Richie and his parents are trapped on Mt. Richmore and trying to avoid Van Dough.
  • Shout-Out: Richie's answer to Van Dough's suggestion.

Richie: I don't think so.

Van Dough: The money? Where is the money?!
Mr. Rich: (in his best are-you-fucking-kidding-me? voice) In banks! Where else? Oh! And the stock market, real estate...
Van Dough: Are you kidding me? You mean to tell me that there isn't a single gold bar, or emerald, or thousand-dollar bill in this entire mountain?!
Mr. Rich: Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Lawrence, but that's not what we treasure.
Van Dough: Shoot them! Shoot them now, please!

    • The prisoner playing Gin with Cadbury hilariously loses his mind when Cabury beats him at it.
  • Villain with Good Publicity: Lawrence Van Dough after he frames Cadbury for the Riches' disappearance.
  • We Have Ways of Making You Talk: "How would you like to spend the rest of your life as a bedpan?"
  • What an Idiot!: Van Dough is the chief financial officer of a incredibly valuable international corporation, and he automatically assumes the Riches keep their money in Scrooge McDuck-like heaps in a private vault instead of in the kinds of lucrative financial vehicles he should be familiar with because they're part of his job.
  • Why Did It Have to Be Heights?: Subtle but when Van Dough is chasing the Rich family all over Mount Richmore, he's clearly scared of how high up he is. It doesn't stop him from trying to kill them, but whenever he gets close to falling it makes him panic. When Cadbury stops him and he's left hanging over Mount Richmore, he loses it begging the family he tried to kill to help him.
  • Would Hurt a Child: The villains are more than willing to shoot children, turn them into bedpans, blast them with a laser, etc.
  • You Have to Believe Me: Van Dough refuses to believe Keenbean doesn't know the vault's location.
  1. ↑ Read: Pee-wee entirely lacks personality traits aside from his eating habits.
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