For Richer or Poorer

Year: 1997

Country: USA

Plot: Brad and Caroline Sexton are celebrating their tenth wedding anniversary at a party attended by all their friends. Although they seem to be a loving couple, in reality they hate each other. The evening is ruined when a model of Brad's religious theme park scheme explodes and burns a hole in the designer gown of a prominent judge. Brad tosses a glass of wine at her to put out the fire, completing the ruin of her gown.Back home in their luxurious penthouse, the Sextons trade nasty insults before retiring to their separate bedrooms. Ultimately they decide to get a divorce.The next day, Caroline goes to lunch with her girlfriends, who commiserate with her. When Brad arrives at work, his secretary hands him an envelope containing his watch. She paid to have it repaired and insists that he reimburse her in cash right away. After promising her he will go to the bank that morning, he runs into his accountant, Bob Lachman, who is carrying a carton stuffed with what appear to be Sexton Inc. records. Bob is in a great hurry to leave but Brad forces him to look at his new satellite phone and desk chair. Bob scolds him for using development money to purchase luxuries he doesn't need. Brad asks how the IRS audit went and Bob assures him all is well. However, that is very far from the truth.The men walk out of the office together and Bob spots two IRS agents getting off the elevator. He talks loudly about Brad leaving. The agents ask the secretary where Mr. Sexton went and she says he better be going to the bank. They mistakenly assume Brad is leaving the country and put a freeze on all his credit cards and bank accounts. When Brad tries to get money from the ATM to pay for his watch repair, his card is declined.Caroline's card is refused when she tries to pay the lunch bill. She assumes Brad has cancelled their cards since they are getting divorced. In the bank, Brad learns that his accounts are all frozen but they won't tell him why. He telephones Bob, who is on his way to the airport. To his horror, Bob confesses that he falsified the Sextons' income tax returns. That is why the IRS is after them. They owe five million dollars thanks to Bob.Brad exits the bank and sees the IRS agents Lester and Hall coming toward him. He takes out his phone to call his lawyer, Phil. Lester thinks it is a gun and shoots it from Brad's hand. A foot chase ensues and Brad climbs into a taxi. But it is off-duty. Brad steals the taxi and drives away. At a red light, a woman gets into the back seat. It is Caroline, who demands to know why he canceled her credit cards.After a car chase, the Sextons manage to elude their pursuers. Brad drives aimlessly for hours as the couple bicker. Eventually they find themselves in a rural community. Brad swerves to miss a cow, plows through a signpost, and lands in a pond. They are forced to spend the night under a tree.The next morning, Brad walks to a general store and realizes they are in Amish country. He calls Phil and learns that Lachman's telephone number has been disconnected. Obviously he has fled the country. The Sextons' pictures are in the newspaper; they are wanted for tax fraud and car theft. Brad asks Phil to wire them some money but he can't, as it would be aiding and abetting a felon. Brad overhears a conversation in the store between some Amish people who are returning to Michigan and a man named Yoder. The Yoders are expecting their cousins from Missouri in a couple of months to help on the farm.Outside, Brad spots a truck loaded with suitcases and steals two. He explains to Caroline that they are going to pose as the Yoders' cousins. It is only for a few days, until Phil can straighten out their situation. Caroline hates the idea but they have no choice. Luckily the suitcases contain Amish clothing for them both, although Brad's jacket is much too large.Sam Yoder and his wife Levinia live on a large farm nearby. They have several children, including a little girl named Anna. Sam's elderly parents also live there. The family accepts the Sextons as their cousins, Emma and Jacob. The Sextons are forced to share a bedroom but Caroline makes Brad sleep in a rocking chair.In the days following, Caroline and Brad do their best to fit in although the work is very hard. They must rise before dawn. Brad is confronted with a fearsome Belgian horse named Big John, who pulls the plow. Caroline must scrub the floors, beat rugs, help with the cooking, milk cows, and gather chicken eggs. All the while she is longing for a cigarette and some extra strength Tylenol. At night they argue.Meanwhile, Phil has received a visit from agents Lester and Hall. He claims not to know where the Sextons are hiding. The next time Brad telephones, Phil warns him that his phone is probably tapped. In checking the Sextons' tax returns, Phil learns that Brad supposedly wrote off purchases like a jet plane. Bob Lachman still cannot be found, but Phil is working on that.Lester and Hall listen to the conversation and learn that Brad is getting his ass kicked by Big John. They pull all the files on criminals with that name, trying to find Brad's location. They believe the Sextons are in the Caribbean.Brad and Caroline's hostility toward each other has not escaped Samuel and Levinia. They decide the angry couple was sent to them by God so they could get help. They talk to the Sextons about marriage and how important it is to stay committed. Slowly the Sextons begin to regain their love for each other. Brad gives Henner, the boyfriend of Rebecca, the oldest Yoder girl, tips on proposing marriage. He also helps the young couple buy a farm, using his property development skills to keep them from getting ripped off by the real estate agents.Caroline asks why the Amish wear such drab clothing and learns that the leadership council will not allow them to wear colors. She buys fabric and has them make colorful clothing, which they model for the council at a fashion show. Caroline was a fashion designer before she married Brad and she is happy to use her skills where they are needed. The leadership council approve the use of colors in clothing. Shortly afterwards, Caroline and Brad reconcile and once more share a bed.Lester and Hall have the sound on the tape enhanced and hear German spoken in the various conversations taking place in the general store. They immediately guess that the Sextons are hiding with the Amish and set off there by car. Brad is frantic because Phil has left town. Even though he and Caroline have settled in with the Yoders, he knows they cannot remain there indefinitely.Lester and Hall swerve in the road to avoid a cow, run over the repaired signpost, and land in the same pond as the Sextons did. But the taxi Brad stole has risen to the top, so they know where to find the Sextons.Rebecca and Henner's wedding day arrives. Just as the ceremony ends, Lester and Hall arrive, accompanied by police. The Sextons are arrested and taken away. As they leave, the Yoders and their guests turn their backs on them.Phil is still missing when the Sextons are arraigned. To their horror, the presiding judge is the one whose gown Brad destroyed. Still wearing their Amish clothing, Brad and Caroline are objects of curiosity among their friends. Just then Phil arrives, out of breath. He has just gotten off a plane from Zurich, Switzerland, where he finally located Bob Lachman and had him extradited. He explains that while he was in Zurich, he sold Brad's religous theme park idea to some investors who loved it. The money will just about cover all the Sextons' debts. Bob is brought in, kicking and screaming. He attempts to apologize to Brad, who punches him in the jaw. Once all the facts are known, the case against Brad and Caroline is dismissed.Some time later, the Sextons drive to visit the Yoders. At first Samuel and Levinia are cool but after the Sextons apologize, reveal that they knew all along they weren't the cousins. Samuel was so desperate for help on the farm that he let them stay. When they leave, the Sextons take a car load of produce, some apple pies, and Big John. Brad traded his watch for the horse.Brad Sexton and his wife, Caroline, are wealthy New Yorkers with both marital and financial problems. After being framed by their accountant, they hide from the IRS among the Amish where they've got to do their best to blend in, and learn how to love all over again.

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