Money for Nothing

Money for Nothing is a 1993 American biographical comedy crime film directed by Ramón Menéndez, and written by Menéndez, Tom Musca and Carol Sobieski, based on the 1986 Philadelphia Inquirer article "Finders Keepers" by Mark Bowden. The film stars John Cusack in the leading role, with a supporting cast that includes Michael Madsen, Debi Mazar, Benicio del Toro, Maury Chaykin, Michael Rapaport, James Gandolfini, Philip Seymour Hoffman and Fionnula Flanagan. It is loosely based on the life of Joey Coyle (Cusack), who, in 1981, discovered $1.2 million that had fallen out of an armored van in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The film is a fictionalization of events, depicting Coyle's struggles with keeping the money over a five-day period.

The film adaptation of Coyle's story originated in December 1983, before production plans languished in development hell. Executive producers Gordon Freedman and Matt Tolmach acquired the rights in 1990, and the project continued development at The Walt Disney Studios. The film was shot on locations in Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, with principal photography beginning in February 1993 and concluding after eight weeks.

Coyle, who acted a consultant on the film, died by suicide on August 15, 1993, three weeks before the film's theatrical release. In response, Disney chose to quietly release Money for Nothing under its adult film banner Hollywood Pictures, on September 10. The film was not well-received by critics, with Cusack's performance receiving some praise. The film was a box-office bomb, grossing $1 million against a production budget of $11 million.