BLANK CHECK (1994)

If I were a 9-year-old boy, there's a possibility I'd find this little fantasy on the theme of rampant consumerism sort of cool, especially because the junior hero (Brian Bonsall, formerly the toddler on Family Ties) gets to say the word butt a lot. He also gets to noodle around on an impressive, gee-let's-buy-one! Macintosh computer. Because I'm not a 9-year-old boy, however, this story of a kid who acquires a blank check, cashes it for a million bucks, spends it all, and learns that having stuff isn't nearly as satisfying as having a father's love comes across as a calculated, mechanical production owing much too much to Home Alone. Love the Mac, though; wish I could afford one.

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