In the 80’s, Steve Glew was an introverted mid-westerner, married with kids. He always had a wild scheme hatching, mostly they didn’t pay off. His wife tried to control these tangents he would go off on, but one actually worked. The candy in the little dispensers, Pez, was divided into a U.S. and a European operation. Dispensers available in Europe would not be available in the U.S. This created a market for the hard-to-find European styles. Across the U.S. collectors would buy and sell the rare foreign designs, it was quite lucrative.
Steve and his 20 year old son decided to travel to Europe to buy small amounts of various designs, they would deal with the actual Pez factory. In an unofficial capacity-they would bribe someone in a position of authority at the factory for access. Because of a glitch in U.S. customs law they were able to bring them through customs with no problems.
This continues for some time, and Steve’s family begins to prosper, he is able to send his kids through college and have a more comfortable life. Eventually, his sources dry up because Pez U.S. threatens Pez Europe, and they became afraid. When Steve enters into business with Pez U.S. it looks like things are still going to be ok, but Pez pulls an unbelievable double cross and Steve is left in the cold. What Steve does to recover and the depth of love that his family share makes up the rest of the movie.
This is an exciting suspenseful film that I enjoyed immensely. It’s all about the unbreakable human spirit.