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, Reggie 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, but 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.

"Cadbury: Never attack a man with sensitive teeth!"
 * 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.
 * 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.

"Regina: Oh Richard, wake up and smell the seaweed!"
 * Benevolent Boss: Richie's dad refuses to fire any of his employees, neither if they do a terrible job or to make sacrifices.
 * 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
 * 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.
 * And not only does Richie suffer no pain or even much of a response at all, but Van Dough keeps shooting him in the chest at point-blank range rather than at his unprotected head.
 * He did try to shoot right on Richie's face, but he was out of bullets.
 * 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.
 * Fake Brit: Brisbane-born Jonathan Hyde plays a very high-British Cadbury.
 * 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.
 * Hero with Bad Publicity: Cadbury. But it's likely taken care of by the Riches.
 * Hey, It's That Guy!: Economist/Actor Ben Stein in his usual boring monotone ways.
 * Richard Rich gets to play another wealthy Richard later down the line.
 * That's Friar Tuck as Professor Keenbean.
 * Cadbury likes to hunt Robin Williams for sport. He also cowardly fled a certain sinking supership with the women and children.
 * 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.

"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."
 * 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.
 * Lost in Translation: A real life positive example. In the French dub, van Dough's line "Thank you, Beavis and Butthead" is replaced with an actually funny line: "Looks like Homer and Marge".
 * 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.

"Van Dough: (after his gun jams at a critical moment) Shit!"
 * Precision F-Strike

"Richie: I don't think so."
 * 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.
 * 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.

"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!"
 * Smart People Know Latin: Cadbury is seen to be skilled in reading Latin. Richie himself apparently knows enough Latin to send him a secret message in a greeting card. This may also count as a Chekhov's Skill.
 * Smug Snake: Both of the villains.
 * Songs in the Key of Lock: "Side by Side" in duet.
 * Spoiled Sweet: Richie is stated to the richest boy in the world but is a nice boy who longs to have friends.
 * There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Ferguson's attempt to blast the Rich family with a giant laser cannon, which does plenty of damage to Mount Richmore, but none to the Riches themselves.
 * Transformation Ray: The molecular reorganizer.
 * Tyrant Takes the Helm: What Van Dough does with Rich Industries after his assassination attempt on Richie's parents.
 * Villainous Breakdown:


 * 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.
 * 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.