Nothing but Trouble (1991 film)

Nothing But Trouble
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Dan Aykroyd
Produced by	Lester Berman Robert K. Weiss
Written by	Peter Aykroyd (story) Dan Aykroyd (screenplay)
Starring	Chevy Chase Dan Aykroyd John Candy Demi Moore Taylor Negron Valri Bromfield
Music by	Michael Kamen
Cinematography	Dean Cundey
Editing by	Malcolm Campbell James R. Symons
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	February 15, 1991 (1991-02-15)
Running time	94 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$40 million[1]
Box office	$8,479,793 (United States)

Nothing But Trouble is a 1991 American horror comedy. Dan Aykroyd directed and co-starred in the film and also wrote the screenplay with his brother Peter. The main cast featured Chevy Chase, John Candy, and Demi Moore, with Taylor Negron, Raymond J. Barry, Brian Doyle-Murray, Bertila Damas, and Valri Bromfield providing supporting roles. Cameo appearances include Daniel Baldwin, the band Digital Underground, and hip-hop artists Shock G and Tupac Shakur, making his film debut prior to fame as a musician.^[2]

Plot

Chris Thorne (Chase) hosts a party in his penthouse in Manhattan attended by wealthy guests, including two characters dubbed "Brazillionaires": Fausto and Renalda (played respectively by Taylor Negron and Spanish singer Bertila Damas). Upon meeting attractive young tenant Diane Lightson (Demi Moore), Chris agrees to escort her to Atlantic City in his vintage BMW 733i on the following day. Fausto and Renalda meet up with them and invite themselves along, much to Chris's chagrin.

The four proceed to Atlantic City where, along the way, Chris takes a supposed scenic detour off of the New Jersey Turnpike, ultimately ending up in Valkenvania, a burnt-out city composed of decrepit houses, vent pipes, and hillbillies. Failing to comply with a stop sign and subsequently attempting (yet failing) to escape pursuing officer Dennis Valkenheiser (Candy), the group is ambushed by a series of man-made obstacles and taken before 106-year-old Reeve Alvin Valkenheiser (Dan Aykroyd), who confiscates their identification cards.

The reeve holds the offenders in his courthouse/funhouse to be judged. They attempt an escape, but due to a series of mishaps, the group splits up. All seems lost for the two Brazillionaires until they cut a deal with Dennis, who decides to quit his job as an officer for the reeve's twisted reign. At points, Chris and Diane, still trapped within the house, are in high risk of being shot by Dennis' trigger-happy cousin, Miss Purdah (Bromfeld).

The reeve is angered by their actions and imprisons Chris and Diane in a room from which the pair eventually escapes (again with help from Dennis) and, in time, become separated. Diane makes it out of the house and into the property's salvage yard; here, she meets two troll-like creatures by the names of Bobo and Lil' Debbull (the former played by Aykroyd), who happen to be the judge's severely deformed grandchildren. Earning the creatures' trust, Diane catches glimpses of Alvin's granddaughter/personal mechanic Eldona (also played by Candy) destroying Chris's BMW, and comes to the realization that they may not escape after all.

Meanwhile, Chris sneaks into the reeve's personal quarters but is quickly caught. Valkenheiser punishes him according to house policy, which decrees that Chris must marry Eldona. Now trapped in marriage, Chris pleads for help from another set of the reeve's victims, the alternative rap group Digital Underground. Although the group's members are being held on charges of speeding, the reeve releases them after being charmed by an impromptu performance of one of the group's hits.

The judge and his household have a long-standing grudge against "bankers" (in which category they seem to be able to place everybody with more money than themselves) because of the loss of most of the families' wealth during the Great Depression. The judge's invariable punishment for being a "banker," and for just about everything else, is to be fed via roller coaster into a death machine called "Mr. Bonestripper," and have one's remains shot out onto a large charnel heap. Luckily for Chris, the machine breaks down the instant before he's fed into it, and he escapes. After retrieving Diane from the scrapyard, the two jump on a train back to New York.

After the two report their plight to the authorities, the reeve's courthouse is raided by local and state police. Chris and Diane are asked to accompany the officers to the site, only to find out that the agencies are in league with the reeve. Once again, the two urbanites are forced to flee, as the reeve deems that they know too much about goings-on in his jurisdiction. The couple only escapes when the area's underground coal fires cause a collapse, destroying the town.

In closing, the Brazillionaires are shown to have made their way back to South America; Dennis is now their personal head of security and Renalda's lover. Chris and Diane are shown relaxing in New York. Chris's relief does not last, however, as he stumbles on a televised news segment covering the ruined town of Valkenvania, in which Valkenheiser, brandishing Chris's ID, announces that he and his family plan to move in with his new grandson-in-law in New York. Chris runs out of the apartment through the wall, leaving a cartoon-like hole. The last thing the audience hears are running footsteps and Chris yelling "No you won't!" followed by a door slamming.

Cast

• Chevy Chase as Chris Thorne
• Demi Moore as Diane Lightson
• John Candy as Dennis Valkenheiser / Eldona
• Dan Aykroyd as Reeve Alvin Valkenheiser / Bobo
• Taylor Negron as Fausto
• Bertila Damas as Renalda
• Valri Bromfield as Miss Purdah

Awards

The film was nominated for six Razzie Awards in 1991, including Worst Picture, Worst Actress (Demi Moore), Worst Supporting Actress (John Candy in drag), Worst Director and Worst Screenplay. It received a Razzie for Worst Supporting Actor, which was Dan Aykroyd as the mentally deranged "Shire Reeve" Judge Alvin Valkenheiser.^[3] David B. Miller was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Make-Up.^[3]

Reaction

Nothing But Trouble received overwhelmingly negative reviews,^[4][5] and flopped at the box office, earning about $8 million in the U.S. on an estimated budget of $40 million. Since its initial release, the film has acquired minor cult movie status.^[6][7][8]

References

1. ^ Box office and business for Nothing But Trouble at the Internet Movie Database
2. ^ Tupac Shakur: Hip-Hop Idol, Carrie Golus, USA Today/Lerner Publishing, 2011, p. 31
3. ^ ^{a b} Awards details for Nothing But Trouble at the Razzies
4. ^ http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1033647-nothing_but_trouble/
5. ^ Dave Lyman interview, Cincinnati Magazine, September 1992
6. ^ review at fright.com
7. ^ 2000 review at modeweekly.com
8. ^ review at mperience.com

External links

• Nothing But Trouble at the Internet Movie Database
• Nothing But Trouble at AllRovi