Easy Money

Monty Capuletti is a hard-living, heavy-drinking family man who makes a living as a baby photographer in New Dorp, Staten Island. His lifestyle creates constant friction with his wealthy mother-in-law, Kathleen Monahan, and fuels an ethnic rivalry with her Irish family. The opening scenes establish Monty's chaotic world and the pressure to change for his family's sake.

Monty and his friend Nicky Cerone smoke marijuana while driving, and an accident destroys the wedding cake. The mishap foreshadows the gambling and drinking urges that threaten Allison's celebration. The event kicks off a chain of consequences that the family must endure.

Allison's wedding to Julio proceeds without major incident, presenting a rare moment of happiness in the Capuletti–Monahan clash. The celebration underscores the stakes of Monty's inability to fully control his vices. Yet the real tension will surface in the wedding night and beyond.

On their wedding night, Allison, a virgin, feels uncomfortable about having sex and Julio's attempts to win her over fail. The scene highlights the gap between desire and restraint within the family’s fragile dynamics. The couple's intimacy remains unsettled as the story moves forward.

Kathleen dies in a plane crash unexpectedly, leaving Monty and the family stunned. Her death creates a sudden inheritance crisis that will force Monty to confront his vices. The tragedy also removes a central source of the family’s control over Monty, at least temporarily.

Attorney Scrappleton reveals that Kathleen left a stipulation in her will: Monty must curb his vices for a year by dieting and giving up drugs and gambling. If he succeeds, he receives $10 million; if he fails, the money goes to Kathleen's nephew Clive Barlow. The challenge becomes the central test Monty must endure.

Monty and Nicky visit Kathleen's department store and encounter awkward fashions that spotlight their outsider status. Nicky questions whether Monty can endure this environment to win the money, while Monty insists he must persevere for his family. Clive watches and starts to scheme to undermine him.

Clive designs a humiliating clothing line to destabilize Monty's resolve, and Scrappleton is pulled into the manipulation. Monty tries to stay focused on reform despite Clive’s provocations. The corporate games push Monty toward a believable change, even as the pressure mounts.

Monty is shot in the butt by Julio while trying to prove himself, sending him to the hospital for four weeks. The time in the hospital becomes the crucible in which he truly begins to reform his lifestyle. His friends provide support during this slow, painful transformation.

When the year is up, Monty, his family, and some friends celebrate aboard a boat. The moment is meant to mark his victory and a fresh start, but it foreshadows the looming twist. The celebration is also a public stage for the family's dynamics to unfold.

Kathleen appears alive, having faked her own death to test Monty's restraint. She confirms that Clive was warned he failed the test as Scrappleton reports. The revelation reframes the earlier sacrifice as a deliberate, controlled ruse.

Kathleen awards Monty the $10 million for upholding the stipulation. The windfalls change the family’s fortunes and set the stage for a new lifestyle. Monty’s long battle with his vices appears to have paid off.

Monty and his family move into a mansion, and Kathleen continues to exercise control by denying dessert and coffee and ordering a beer from the refrigerator to be thrown out. Monty cheerfully complies, but secretly heads off to a hideaway to join Nicky and friends. The new wealth doesn't erase old family tensions.

Unbeknownst to Kathleen, Monty has slipped away to a hidden space under the house to join Nicky and his friends for pizza, poker, and beer. They discuss the night’s events and Monty’s ongoing plan for freedom within his own terms. The ending leaves Monty choosing personal fulfillment over Kathleen’s control.