How to Beat the High Cost of Living

How to Beat the High Cost of Living
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Robert Scheerer
Screenplay by	Robert Kaufman
Story by	Leonora Thuna
Produced by	Robert Kaufman Jerome M. Zeitman
Starring	Susan Saint James Jane Curtin Jessica Lange Richard Benjamin Eddie Albert Cathryn Damon Dabney Coleman Garrett Morris Fred Willard
Cinematography	James Crabe
Edited by	Bill Butler
Music by	Patrick Williams
Production companies	Cinema 77[1] Stage III Productions[1]
Distributed by	Filmways[1]
Release date	July 11, 1980 (1980-07-11)
Running time	105 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$4.8 million
Box office	$7.5 million[2] or $2.4 million[3]

How to Beat the High Cost of Living is a 1980 American comedy heist film directed by Robert Scheerer and starring Susan Saint James, Jane Curtin, and Jessica Lange. Set in the aftermath of the economic recession of the 1970s, the film follows three women in suburban Oregon who, each facing personal and financial crises and desperate for money, devise a plan to steal a large amount of cash from a giveaway event in the local shopping mall. The film features supporting performances by Dabney Coleman, Fred Willard, Richard Benjamin, Eddie Albert, Scott Elliott, Cathryn Damon, Sybil Danning, and a cameo by Curtin's fellow Saturday Night Live co-star Garrett Morris.

The film was produced by American International Pictures (AIP) but released under Filmways in the summer of 1980, as AIP had merged with the latter following the film's completion. It is considered the final AIP production, before its revival by MGM in 2020.^[1]