Publication Date: 03-03-2026

Blank Check (1994) review

Dir. Rupert Wainwright

By: Steve Pulaski

Rating: ★★★

Blank Check is probably the best film that could’ve been made from such a materialistic idea, with a warm-hearted aura quietly ghosting around every scene and a collection of competently-handled scenes that make a fairly strong film. The story opens showing a convicted bank robber Carl Quigley (Miguel Ferrer) escape from prison, to which he immediately obtains a million dollars he had hidden for quite sometime. Before long, we meet ten-year-old Preston Waters (Brian Bonsall), who finds himself constantly pushed around by his investment-banker father, who continues to bask in the light of frugality. After receiving a blank check from his grandmother, Preston asks his dad to fill it out, to which he puts down only $11.00. All Preston wants is a little spending money so he can buy some toys and feel like he has some sort of freedom, rather than being confined to anything other than pocket change.

One day, Preston is riding his bike in a parking lot and winds up being struck by Quigley, who doesn’t have time to stick around and fill out police reports, so gives Preston a blank check and tells it to give it to his father, presumably to pay for the bike since Preston is unharmed. Rather than giving it to his father, Preston recalls the blank check of his grandmother’s and decides to cash it for $1,000,000. Before he knows it, Preston is filthy rich at the expense of Quigley, who, along with his goons, now needs to track down a kid while struggling to adhere to his criminal plan. Meanwhile, Preston lives the dream, buying a house, numerous accessories, and all the materials he could ever want.

Anyone who says they didn’t dream of something like this, or tries to shout at Preston for being materialistic, is ridiculous. Preston’s attitude is no different than a lot of us when we were younger, whether we’d like to admit it or not. Not to mention, Preston acts entirely on impulse throughout the entire film, as most of us did when we were younger, providing situational realism. The kid isn’t a god-child who would donate all the money to charity, nor is he using his money to try and manipulate and control others. He is a kid acting out his dream of having enough wealth to live without the worries or authority of his parents chiming in and ruining his fun, and I don’t know what kid didn’t want that kind of security growing up.

Blank Check also, some way, somehow, manages to sustain a romantic relationship between a young kid and an older woman in a surprisingly genial, refreshing manner. Early in the film, Preston meets the gorgeous Shay Stanley (Karen Duffy), a bank teller for the bank Preston winds up cashing his check at. Preston quickly falls in lust with Shay, mainly for her elegant conversations and her radiant appearance, and tries to sustain something of a romantic relationship with her, even though all signs point to impossibility. In unsteady hands, this relationship could’ve been cheap and exploitative. Under the care and attention of director Rupert Wainwright and writers Blake Snyder and Colby Carr emerges a more gentler focus on the relationship, one that isn’t haphazardly strung-along by nonsensical one-liners, but deep-rooted intimacy, despite both parties knowing they can’t carry this on forever.

Finally, there seems to be a lot of criticism with Preston’s character being “a brat.” If one refers to Preston as a brat, then one must refer to Kevin from the Home Alone series as a brat by the same logic. Preston is a character who simply wants some freedom, which is not offered by his parents. When he finally gets the opportunity to take responsibility and encounters his own finances, he is acting out on one of his most primal fantasies.

Finally, there’s the ending, which, like the remainder of the film, comes under certain scrutiny because the lead character allegedly doesn’t learn anything. Blank Check‘s ending is quiet and low-key, never over-emphasizing the idea that now Preston appreciates all he had back when life was simpler. Had the ending been louder and more sentimentalized, it would still be criticized for its sappy handling of what should’ve been a quieter ending. The criticism here is especially ridiculous because, surprisingly enough for a Disney movie, Blank Check doesn’t embellish its conclusion nor its character. It simply comes to a quiet, personal realization, evident enough for the audience to pick up, and concludes. As far as I’m concerned, the biggest issue with the film is its datedness, seeing as how the house Preston acquires would be enough to bankrupt him alone, even with one million dollars.

Starring: Brian Bonsall, Karen Duffy, and Miguel Ferrer. Directed by: Rupert Wainwright.