A young boy stumbles upon a blank check, clueless that it’s about to flip his whole world upside down. He writes in a million dollars, cashes it, and suddenly lives every kid’s dream, mansions, gadgets, and more. But money brings problems he never saw coming.

‘SPOILER ALERT’

A man named Quigley escapes from prison and runs to an abandoned building to retrieve a briefcase he hid there. After finding the briefcase, Quigley opens it and looks excited to see that the one million dollars he hid there is still intact. Elsewhere, a boy named Preston talks to his pet fish about his plans to convince his dad, Fred, to let him have his room to himself instead of allowing his brothers, Ralph and Damian, to share it with him.

Just then, Ralph and Damian enter the room to drop off some things they’ll be using to set up an office for their small business. Preston doesn’t look happy about this, and he tells them to leave, but they refuse to do this. As Fred enters the room to help the boys arrange their things, Preston takes advantage of this to tell his dad what he really thinks.

Before Preston can say much, Fred stops him and mentions that Ralph and Damian need the space. He adds that hard work gets rewarded in the house, and that Preston’s brothers are working hard to make money. Preston still doesn’t like this, but Fred says he won’t change his mind.

He then mentions that when he was Preston’s age, he got a job and made a good amount of money every week. Fred appears to have talked about this a lot in the past, and Preston mimics him and repeats every word he says. Just then, Fred brings in a computer, and Preston uses a program on it to convert regular text into speech.

His mom, Sandra, also shows up to arrange some things and remind Preston that he’ll be late for the birthday party of one of his classmates named Butch. Preston doesn’t seem interested in this because he doesn’t really like Butch, but after a while, Fred drives him to the park where the party is taking place. On the way, Fred asks if Preston will have fun at the party, but he complains that it’s not possible because he has no money.

Fred then gives him some money, but Preston still doesn’t think it’s enough. When Preston gets to the party, Butch makes fun of him in front of the other kids, and he looks sad about this. Shortly after, Butch and the other kids buy tokens for the fun rides at the park. Preston also gets a few tokens, but they aren’t enough for any of the best rides. He looks disappointed as he watches the others having fun, and Butch also makes fun of him.

The next day, while Preston is at the dining table with his parents, Fred asks if he had fun at Butch’s party. Preston doesn’t respond to this, but he asks if the family is broke. Sandra says they aren’t, but that they just watch their spending habits. Fred agrees with this, but Preston asks if there’s another reason why they’re always depriving him of having good things. Before Fred can answer the question, Ralph and Damian show up and mention that they’re going to watch a basketball game.

Preston asks if he can join them, but they mention that they only got tickets for themselves. Fred then asks if the boys need money for anything, but they tell him that they still have a bunch of change with them. As they leave the house, Preston gets pissed and asks why he can’t have anything in the house.

Fred then says that Damian and Ralph were able to afford the tickets because they have jobs and learned to save. Preston asks how he can save money if he doesn’t have any, and Fred insists that he needs to earn some money first. Sandra then asks what Preston wants for his birthday, and he says he wants enough money so he can send Damian and Ralph out of his room.

As Fred asks if he wants anything else, Sandra suggests giving him one of his birthday presents early. Just then, she gives Preston a gift from his grandma, which happens to be a check. As Preston opens it, he looks annoyed and says that it’s a check for nothing because no amount was written on it.

Fred then snatches it and says that his grandma likely forgot to fill the amount even though she signed at the bottom. Fred says it’s called a blank check, and that he’ll just fill it for Preston. Since Preston got ten dollars the previous year, Fred fills out the check for eleven dollars.

Preston doesn’t seem satisfied with this, but Fred says he’d be surprised by how fast it can grow with interest. Following this, Preston heads to his room and uses the computer to calculate how long it will take for him to turn his eleven dollars into a million. After he sees that it will take him thousands of years, Preston looks sad and says that he’ll be stuck in the house forever.

Just then, Fred calls his name and tells him to turn off the lights in his room. Preston asks why, but Fred just says that he makes the rules in the house. Preston looks disappointed by this, and he tells himself that he needs his own house.

He then updates his birthday wishlist and adds that aside from wanting Ralph and Damian out of his room, he wants his own house. The next day, Preston leaves the house on his bike and heads to the bank to deposit his money. Interestingly, Quigley happens to be at the same bank to see the manager, Biderman.

As Quigley enters the office, he cuts the phone cord, and Biderman looks shocked to see him. Quigley then accuses Biderman of being one of those who testified against him and got him sent to prison. Biderman says he couldn’t lie because he was under oath, but Quigley says he left the bank manager alive because he knew he would need him one day.

As Biderman looks scared, Quigley gives him the briefcase containing his one million dollars in cash. He then tells Biderman to help him launder the money just like they used to do back in the day. Biderman quickly agrees to do it, and Quigley mentions that he’ll send an associate named Juice to collect the money the next day.

Meanwhile, Preston enters the bank and immediately gets attracted to a teller named Shay. After going to meet her to help him open an account, Shay says that the minimum deposit is two hundred dollars. Preston is shocked by this, and he says it might take him a million years to get that.

Shay then introduces herself and tells him to come back whenever he’s ready to open the account. She also mentions that he can just ask for her when he’s around. Preston says he’ll be back soon, and Shay mentions that she hopes it won’t be in a million years. As Preston leaves the bank, Biderman runs outside to give Quigley a temporary checkbook, which he can use to write a check for Juice the next day. After Quigley collects it, he thanks Biderman and heads to his car.

As Preston is about to leave with his bike, Butch snatches the eleven-dollar check from his hand and runs away. Preston quickly follows him, but Butch appears to be really fast. Preston eventually falls from his bike just as Quigley reverses his car to leave the parking lot.

Unfortunately, Quigley destroys Preston’s bike, and as he gets out of his car, he scolds Preston for just showing up out of nowhere. Butch then tries to get Quigley to pay for Preston’s bike, but he refuses to do this. As Quigley is about to leave because Preston didn’t get hurt, a woman who saw what happened comes over to check up on him.

Butch then blames Quigley for what happened and says that he has probably been drinking in his car. Quigley denies this but eventually decides to pay for the bike. As he asks Preston how much he wants, Butch says he has to pay a thousand dollars. Quigley cannot believe this, but as he sees some cops heading toward the parking lot, he signs a check and gives it to Preston. He then tells Preston to give it to his dad because he’ll know what to do with it.

Before Preston can say anything, Quigley leaves the scene so that the cops won’t catch him. Shortly after, Preston heads home and gets scolded by his parents for destroying his bike. Preston says it was a piece of junk anyway, but Fred mentions that he won’t be getting a new bike as a birthday present.

Preston says he doesn’t need a new bike, but that he wants his own house and money. Fred doesn’t like his tone, and he tells Preston that he’s grounded until further notice. As Preston gets to his room, he sees the check Quigley gave him and realizes that he didn’t write an amount.

Preston looks happy about this, and he locks his room door before turning on the computer to type the amount he wants to print on the check. Even though he initially plans to fill out the check for two hundred dollars because that’s what he needs to open his bank account, Preston eventually realizes that he can write any amount he wants. With this, he then fills out the check for one million dollars.

The next day, Preston heads to the bank and looks nervous as he waits in line to meet Shay. Just then, another teller named Mrs Udowitz calls Preston and collects his check. Mrs Udowitz sees the amount he wants to collect in cash and thinks he’s joking, so she takes him to meet Biderman.

As she shows Biderman the check, he sees Quigley’s signature on it and wonders if Preston is Juice. Since he can’t let Mrs Udowitz know what he’s up to, he sends her away and stares at Preston strangely. As Biderman then asks if he’s Juice, Preston says he’s not thirsty. Biderman finds this surprising and asks if Quigley really gave him the check. Preston says he did, and Biderman asks how he ran into Quigley.

Preston says that Quigley was the one who ran into him, and as Biderman thinks about this, he smiles and burns the check. Preston looks disappointed by this, but as he’s about to leave, Biderman asks if he wants big bills. Preston quickly turns back and says that he wants regular ones.

Following this, Biderman opens his safe and starts giving Preston all of Quigley’s money. Biderman also asks if Preston knows what to do with the money, and he says he does. Shortly after, Preston receives all the cash, and Biderman tells him to spend it wisely.

Meanwhile, Juice arrives at the bank, and as he shows his check to Mrs Udowitz, she sends him straight to Biderman’s office. On his way there, he bumps into Preston, who looks nervous as his bag falls. Juice then picks it up for him and tells him to watch where he’s going next time. He also tells Preston that he ought to be in school instead of running around the bank. After Juice returns the bag to Preston, he quickly runs out of the building.

Juice then goes to meet Biderman to ask for the money Quigley sent him to collect. Biderman thinks he’s just joking, but as Juice threatens to kill him if he doesn’t get the money, he looks shocked and realizes that he gave the cash to the wrong person. Meanwhile, as Preston is on his way home, he sees a house for sale and removes the sign with the realtor’s phone number.

When he gets home, he then sets up his text-to-speech program and calls the realtor. Coincidentally, Quigley is at the house to strike a deal with the realtor and the owners. His offer doesn’t impress the owners, and as they complain about this, Preston’s call goes through, and he tells the realtor that he wants to buy the house.

As he then beats Quigley’s bid, Quigley looks shocked and keeps increasing his offer. Preston also continues out-bidding Quigley, and the owners seem more impressed with his offers. Since the caller’s voice sounds robotic, Quigley asks what’s wrong with him, and Preston says he has a sore throat.

After a while, Quigley refuses to match Preston’s bid, and the realtor sells the house to Preston. Quigley looks pissed by this, but before he leaves, he waits to hear the name of the buyer. Just as the realtor asks Preston for his name, he initially decides to say his real name, but since he doesn’t want anyone to know who he is, he looks at the name on the computer and says that he’s Macintosh.

As the realtor congratulates him on buying the house, Preston looks very happy because he’s now rich. Shortly after, Quigley heads to the bank and scolds Biderman for giving his cash to a kid. As he complains about how hard it was to steal the money, Biderman says that he only gave it to the kid because he had a check signed by Quigley.

Even though Quigley initially says that he didn’t give anyone except Juice a check, he eventually realizes that he gave one to a kid the previous day. Biderman then shows him a surveillance photo of Preston, and Quigley asks how he can be found. Biderman suggests checking different newspapers to take a look at the listings of family activities where kids could go.

Quigley then mentions that Biderman has to help him find Preston. As he leaves the office, Juice also drags Biderman to come with them. Interestingly, Shay sees them and uses her secret radio to tell some FBI agents that Biderman just left the building with two men she has never seen before.

She adds that the money laundering operation is definitely on, and that they need to notify the Bureau immediately. It then turns out that Shay is actually an undercover agent who is on a mission to expose Biderman’s shady dealings and arrest the criminals he’s working with. Elsewhere, Preston calls for a limousine to pick him up at the house after his parents head out.

As the limo arrives, the driver, Henry, doesn’t think Preston is the one who booked the ride because he’s too young. Preston then gives him some cash and says that he’s really the client who booked the limo. Following this, Henry opens the door for Preston, and they head to different places to buy clothes and play games.

Later that night, Henry asks Preston about Macintosh, and he says that the person is his boss. Henry then asks why Macintosh is allowing him to spend so much money, and Preston says it’s because the man didn’t have a great childhood. He also mentions that Macintosh wants him to enjoy the childhood he never had now that he’s rich.

Henry finds this strange, but he doesn’t ask any more questions about Macintosh. Shortly after, Preston sees Shay jogging on the road and tells Henry to drive slowly. As he greets her, she responds to him nicely, and he looks shocked that she remembered his name. Shay then asks about the limo, and he says it belongs to his boss, Mr Macintosh. He also asks if she wants a ride, but she says she prefers jogging because she’s out of shape.

Preston then says that he’ll come to the bank soon to open an account. Shay asks if he has the two hundred dollars already, and he says he does. She then says she’ll be expecting him, and Henry drives away.

As Shay stops beside an FBI van, one of her colleagues asks if she was talking to Biderman, but she says it was just a kid who came to the bank earlier. The agent sounds shocked that Preston has a limo, but Shay says it belongs to Preston’s boss. The next day, Preston gets some workers to start renovating his new house for him. As they block the road in the neighborhood with their trucks, Fred is unable to go out with his car. He then looks for the person in charge and sees that it’s Preston.

Fred is shocked by this, and as he asks Preston what’s going on, he says that Macintosh is moving into the neighborhood. After Preston comes down to meet his dad, Fred asks about Macintosh. Preston says that Macintosh is his boss, but Fred mentions that he has never met him. Preston then tells Fred that Macintosh knows him and has heard a lot of great things about him and his work. Fred sounds pleased, but he still mentions that Macintosh’s things are blocking the road.

Just then, Preston calls all the workers to clear the road, and as they quickly do this, Fred looks shocked. Shortly after, the house gets completely renovated with a short race track, water slide, and other fun games, which Preston plays with Henry. After a while, Butch comes to visit him, but Preston gets Henry to throw him out. Meanwhile, one of the workers at Macintosh’s house goes to the bank to deposit the money she got paid. Shay looks shocked and wonders who paid that much in cash, and the woman tells her that it’s someone named Macintosh who just moved to the neighborhood.

After work, Shay goes to Macintosh’s house and looks surprised to see Preston there. He then says he works there, and Shay mentions that she wants to see Macintosh. Preston says that his boss is in a meeting, but Shay says she can wait. Preston then mentions that his boss is always in a meeting and won’t have time to see her. Shay looks disappointed by this, but she asks Preston why he didn’t show up at the bank to open his account.

He says he has been busy, and Shay asks if he’s still interested because she brought him a form. He then runs into the house to get the two hundred dollars he needs to open the account. Before Shay can take pictures of the house, Preston comes back and gives the cash to her.

Shay asks how he suddenly got some money to open the account, and he says that he works well for Macintosh. Shay then asks if she can meet Macintosh later that night, but Preston says he’ll still be unavailable. He, however, mentions that he can go out with her and tell her everything she needs to know because he’s the one who handles most of Macintosh’s financial affairs.

Shay agrees to do this, and Preston says he’ll send a car to pick her up. Shay then says it’s a date, and Preston wonders if she meant that they’re going on a date. After this, he goes to meet Henry, who gives him some advice on how to make Shay like him. Later that day, Preston wears an expensive suit and goes home to have dinner with his family. Ralph and Damian ask why he’s wearing a suit, and he says he’s going out later in the night.

Fred refuses to let him go because he’s grounded, but Preston gets him to change his mind after telling him that Macintosh is interested in his recent investment project. Fred looks happy about this and even asks if he can meet Macintosh, but Preston tells his dad that his boss has a date and won’t like to be disturbed. Following this, Preston leaves the house and heads out for his date with Shay.

Preston then gives Shay an expensive necklace and says that it’s from Macintosh. Shay says she can’t accept it because it’s too expensive, and she also asks if Macintosh is an entrepreneur. Preston just says that Macintosh is an American who is secretive, and Shay finds this strange.

After a while, he asks her some personal questions about her dating history and if she has dated someone very short before. Shay finds this funny, but Preston says that Macintosh really wants to know more about her because he has never met anyone like her before. Shay looks pleased to hear this, but Preston suddenly falls from his seat as he admires her.

A while later, they head over to get hamburgers, after which they play together at a fountain. As Quigley, Juice, and Biderman keep looking for Preston around the park, they suddenly see him standing with Shay. Before they can get to him, Preston sees them and quickly runs away with Shay.

Much later, Shay gets to her destination, and Preston asks when he’ll see her again. Shay says she’ll be busy with work, but Preston invites her to Macintosh’s birthday party on Friday. Shay says she’ll be there, and she also tells him that she had a lot of fun with him.

After she leaves the limo, Henry drives away and says that he thought Preston’s birthday was on Friday. Preston then mentions that he’s having a joint birthday party with Macintosh. The next day, a party planner named Yvonne comes to the house to plan Macintosh’s birthday party.

As she talks about her plans, she asks Preston for a deposit and takes some of his cash while saying that she’s sure it won’t be a problem for Macintosh because he’s very rich. After a while, Preston calls Henry to ask if he can come over to play with him, but he says he’s busy. Preston is disappointed by this, and he heads to the park to watch some kids playing.

Coincidentally, Quigley, Juice, and Biderman are there again, and they immediately run after him when they see him. Preston manages to avoid getting caught, and the men eventually stop chasing him after they crash into some cars. Shortly after, Preston watches Yvonne decorating the yard for the party.

She eventually asks for his opinion, and even though he doesn’t really like it, he says it’s great. After she walks away, Henry then asks Preston how much Yvonne’s services are going to cost. Preston says he doesn’t know, and he asks Henry what he thinks. Henry then says that he expects it to be very expensive. Shortly after, Shay shows up at the house and asks Preston about Macintosh.

Preston says he’s not yet around, and Shay asks if he’ll be at the party. Preston says he’ll be there, and Shay leaves. Ralph and Damian then joke about how Shay is being friendly because she wants Macintosh’s money. As they also believe she’s a gold digger, Preston gets pissed and says she’s not. Elsewhere, Quigley, Juice, and Biderman find Butch and threaten to kill him if he doesn’t tell them where Preston lives.

As he looks really scared, he gives them Preston’s house address. Later that night, just before the party starts, Preston asks Henry what he thinks about gold diggers, and he says that they’re the worst. He adds that anyone who is friends with Preston just for the money is not really his friend.

Shortly after, the guests start arriving at the party for Macintosh’s birthday. As Preston tries to check the presents, one of Yvonne’s workers says they’re for Macintosh. He also sends Preston away and tells him to run to his parents.

Preston looks disappointed by this, and as he sees that there’s no pizza or ice cream at the party, he looks sad. Henry tries to cheer him up, but he just walks away. Henry then realizes that Preston is right that there should be ice cream at the party. Meanwhile, Shay tells her fellow agents that she’s sure Macintosh will show up because Preston said he’d be at the party. She then instructs them to only make a move when she gives them a signal.

Elsewhere, Yvonne finds Preston and tells him that she would like to give Macintosh his bill for everything she did. Preston sees that her services cost a hundred thousand dollars, and he says he’ll get her the money. As he heads inside, he calculates the money available and realizes that there are only three hundred and thirty-two dollars left.

Preston is shocked by this, and he wonders what he’ll do next. Just then, his dad arrives and goes straight up to Macintosh’s office. Preston is still seated there, but he turns his back on his dad.

Fred then begs Macintosh to allow Preston to come home a little earlier because his family wants to spend time with him on his birthday. He adds that Preston has been working hard lately, and it seems making money is now very important to him. Preston gets emotional as he hears his dad saying this, but Fred continues talking and admits that he has been really hard on his kids, especially Preston.

As he leaves, Preston tries to call him back, but Fred doesn’t hear him. He then looks for Henry but learns that the driver is gone. Preston looks sad and says that Henry wasn’t his friend after all. Shortly after, Shay gets to the party and asks Preston for Macintosh, but he says that his boss is gone. Shay doesn’t get this, but Preston runs away after saying that she can leave too.

As Preston heads out, Yvonne keeps disturbing him about her money, but he tells her that Macintosh is gone. He also announces to everyone that Macintosh isn’t around, and Yvonne gets them to leave. Meanwhile, Butch takes Quigley and the others to Preston’s house.

When they get there, they see that no one is there, but Butch suggests checking Macintosh’s house. After a while, someone rings the doorbell at the house, and Preston runs to open the door because he thinks it’s Henry. Unfortunately, it turns out to be Quigley, Juice, and Biderman.

After they force their way in, Quigley sounds pissed and asks for Macintosh. Preston says that there’s no Macintosh because he made it up, and Quigley looks shocked. He then asks for his money, but Preston says he has spent it. Quigley is shocked by this, and he asks how Preston spent a million dollars in six days. As he complains about this, Biderman calls Quigley to the side and mentions that Preston has indirectly helped him create a new identity.

He adds that Quigley will even be able to run for Mayor as Macintosh. Quigley likes this idea, but as Preston runs away, he and the others chase him. Interestingly, Preston uses some of the things in the house to torture them, but they eventually catch him again.

Before they do anything to him, Shay and her colleagues show up at the house. Biderman looks shocked to see Shay, and he says that she’s now fired. Shay then brings out her ID and says that Biderman is the one who is fired. Preston asks if she’s really with the FBI, and she says she is. Shay’s colleague then asks who Macintosh is.

As Preston is about to tell the truth, Quigley says he’s the one, and that they need to get off his property. Just then, the FBI agents arrest him for fraud, money laundering, and grand theft. They also arrest Biderman and Juice, and this makes Preston happy. Shortly after, he sits with Shay and asks if their date was part of her job. Shay says it initially started out like that, but she enjoyed the time she spent with him.

Preston then asks when next he can see her, and Shay says he has to wait until he’s slightly older in ten years. Preston negotiates it down to six years, and Shay agrees. After she walks away, Fred enters the house, and Preston looks happy to see him. As they leave together, Preston sees Henry outside, and it turns out that the driver actually went to get some ice cream for the party. Preston thanks him for this, and Henry says he’ll miss him now that Macintosh is gone.

Preston says he’ll also miss Henry, and after this, he heads home with his dad. On the way, Fred asks what really happened, and Preston says that Macintosh wasn’t who he thought he was. He adds that Macintosh shouldn’t have done what he did by fooling everyone, and Fred says he’s right.

Shortly after, they arrive home, and Preston looks surprised to see Sandra holding a cake while his brothers sing a birthday song for him. Fred then tells him to blow out the candles and make a wish. Preston says he already has everything he needs right there with him, but as he sees Shay’s picture, he mentions that he might still have another wish. After he makes his wish to be with Shay one day, he blows out the candles.

After receiving a blank check from a stranger who destroys his bicycle, Preston takes advantage of this to withdraw a million dollars from the bank so he can buy his own house and leave his parents, who he feels are being unfair to him. Unfortunately, he spends the money recklessly and realizes that Quigley is a gangster. Preston then regrets his actions, and as he hears his dad admit that he has been hard on him, he decides to head home to be with his family. Sometimes, getting everything you want isn’t as great as it seems, and in Preston’s case, we also learn that what truly matters can’t be bought.

Blank Check 1994 .