How To Beat The High Cost Of Living

Before teaming up on the small screen with the hit Kate & Allie, Susan Saint James and Jane Curtain joined forces on the big screen with 1980's How To Beat The High Cost Of Living. I recently revisited this film and here's my thoughts.

Jane, James, Elaine, Curtain, and Louise, Jessica Lange, are three friends who are struggling with money. The three hatch a plan to steal thousands from a cash giveaway at their local mall. The money is being held in a giant ball that they are going to drill into, but their scheme doesn't go as smoothly as planned.

This is a fun little movie. I think it get's overshadowed by 9 to 5 since they are both somewhat similar.It even has Dabney Coleman in it. The three leads are great. James was kind of a go to lady in film comedies around this time. This was Curtain's first role in a movie after finding success on Saturday Night Live. Lange, mostly known for her dramatic work, proves that she can do comedy as well. At this time, she was still struggling as an actress. Even though she had already held her own in the heavy All That Jazz, Lange was still getting backlash for her role in King Kong, in which she got horrible reviews. It wouldn't be until a year later, when she appeared in The Postman Always Rings Twice, before her talent was truly recognized. The supporting cast is great too. It includes Richard Benjamin, Fred Willard, Garrett Morris, and Ediie Albert.

This script made the rounds for nearly ten years before it went into production. A lot of A list actresses were approached over those years, including Ann Margret, Shirley McLaine, Glenda Jackson, Faye Dunaway, Raquel Welch, Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton, Diane Keaton, Margot Kidder, Mary Tyler Moore, Dyan Cannon, Julie Andrews, Sally Field, Goldie Hawn, Madeline Kahn, Terri Garr, Jill Clayburgh, and Ali MacGraw. Supposedly a lot of them wouldn't touch the script because they didn't want to share the screen with two other female leads. It's kind of funny that a lot of them would go onto movies with three female leads.

This is a fun little heist caper with three great leads.

It's available on dvd and blu ray.