For Richer or Poorer [M]

Brad and Caroline Sexton have it all: fantastic, high class social lives, millions of dollars, and great reputations. Amidst all this glamour though, they have a marriage that is rapidly crumbling and an accountant that is robbing them blind. When the IRS wrongly accuses them of tax fraud, Brad and Caroline flee the city and wind up in the one place that no one on earth would look for them… Amish country. Whilst their lawyer sorts things out in New York, they fail again and again trying to blend in with the Amish community, but as they get more and more into this different and hard-working lifestyle, they discover that they can do just about anything… even fall in love with each other again. 

This was one of my all-time favourite films when I was just on the cusp of adolescence: a “tween” I think they’re called nowadays. This used to be played all the time on channel 10 and my brother and I always used to rent it out on video. It never made it onto DVD, which I always found just criminal. But… during a trip to Melbourne, I happened to stumble upon it at a JB Hi-Fi. IMAGINE THE SHEER AND ABSOLUTE EXCITEMENT THAT ENSUED! Of course I bought it straight away and today, being my first day back in Sydney, my brother, Mum, and I decided to take a walk down memory lane. It’s sort of tragic but both my brother and I remembered practically the entire script. I’d forgotten just how much I LOVE, absolutely love this movie! 

Brad and Caroline Sexton have it all: fantastic, high class social lives, millions of dollars, and great reputations. Amidst all this glamour though, they have a marriage that is rapidly crumbling and an accountant that is robbing them blind. When the IRS wrongly accuses them of tax fraud, Brad and Caroline flee the city and wind up in the one place that no one on earth would look for them… Amish country. Whilst their lawyer sorts things out in New York, they fail again and again trying to blend in with the Amish community, but as they get more and more into this different and hard-working lifestyle, they discover that they can do just about anything… even fall in love with each other again. 

A classic riches-to-rags story, For Richer or Poorer is a classic romantic comedy that boasts a fresh and original story, loveable characters, and great and slightly unexpected chemistry between its two romantic leads. 

Tim Allen stars as Brad and he’s really good because his character is the one that really embraces the change. For the entire duration of the movie, Brad is the more romantic of the two and you really feel agitation and annoyance towards the woman he’s married to. 

Kirstie Alley stars as Caroline and although she can be really stubborn, snobbish, and generally a bitch, Kirstie does the part really, really well. And she’s so seductive too. I’ve always really liked Kirstie Alley. 

Starring Jay O. Sanders, Michael Lerner, Wayne Knight, Miguel A. Nunez Jr., John Pyper-Ferguson, Megan Cavanagh, and Larry Miller, For Richer or Poorer is a great and wholly memorable movie packed with action, romance, hardships, and comedy. I used to absolutely love this movie and it still stands up even though I haven’t seen it in years!