Film buffs Griffin Newman and David Sims recorded their podcast Blank Check for several years before finally covering the 90's Disney film with the same name. Watching the 1994 movie, which is directed by Rupert Wainwright, was an obvious chore for the duo, who usually discuss acclaimed films by financially successful directors. Despite enjoying some aspects of the cinematography and editing style, the two hate Blank Check with a passion. Their impressions are common, as the film has far below-average ratings on IMDB and other movie review sites.
One of the biggest problems Griffin and David have with Blank Check is the dynamic between Preston and the FBI agent, played by Karen Duffy. This criticism is completely valid, but the film has much more fundamental problems. Blank Check is a dour affair: visually, tonally, and especially emotionally. Preston feels like a depressed child. He's not only friendless but unwilling to form relationships or ingratiate himself with others. He is miserly with his wealth, not in terms of hoarding cash or penny-pinching, quite the opposite. Rather, he is unwilling to share, preferring to play alone or with his paid limo driver rather than inviting peers who would inevitably shower him with attention and praise.
It's fine to have a protagonist who is lonely in a film that attempts to tackle that subject thoughtfully, but Blank Check doesn't. Preston's isolation seems systemic and inescapable, as if he's the last boy in a world almost devoid of children. A same-age peer appears briefly, but the character's antagonism isolates the main character even further. When Preston is around others, they are almost always uncaring, transactional adults. His father is stern, indifferent, and business-oriented. His brothers are only annoyed by his presence, and every other adult is extracting something from him, whether that be money, information or revenge.
These melancholic themes could be potent in a different film, but Blank Check tries to mix Preston's loneliness with fantasy and joyfulness. A fun waterslide going from a top-story room to a swimming pool is used in a party for one and a chase where an adult is attempting to seriously harm a child. Video game systems with huge screens, VR, and motion are used for solo play or accounting work. A playful, slow-motion water fountain scene acts as the backdrop for a character exploiting a child for information. None of these juxtapositions feel astute or thoughtful. To me, they are depressing and cynical. Blank Check feels like a deeply alienating world with a lot of flashiness but little emotional substance.
When Preston runs out of money and concludes his dark fantasy, the movie attempts to reconcile his isolation, and it doesn't fail completely. James Reborn, who plays the father, confesses to Preston, who he thinks is Mr. Macintosh, that he misses his son and regrets Preston not having more of a childhood. Unfortunately, the scene is too little to counteract other factors, and the audience has already been poisoned by the previous 80 minutes of joyless consumption and exploitation.
