A comedy filled with entertaining characters, Greedy fails to be a successful film due to a tedious plot.
Dirty old selfish Joe is rich and his snivelling greedy relatives want his money, so far, so funny. However, the structure of Greedy is badly done. The film starts with one of Joe's greedy relatives, Carl and his family. It is a mistake to make us side and sympathise with them, if ultimately they are not important or developed. Worried they are going to lose out on their inheritance to sexy young nurse Molly, the bickering relatives call in long-lost nephew Danny, Uncle Joe's favourite. Although Michael J Fox is a welcome addition to any film, and his energy, wit and compassion make him a watchable lead, he is introduced too late to be this lead. Danny either isn't needed in this plot of greedy relatives versus evil old man, or it should start with and focus entirely on him. It is very difficult to care about his failed professional bowling career, as it is boring, and the sappy music that follows Danny and girlfriend Robin around is far too overdone.
While child-Danny and Michael J Fox-Danny's impressions of Jimmy Durante are impressive, the need to show the audience who they are doing impressions of by starting the film with a lengthy clip of Jimmy Durante from Two Girls And A Sailor makes for a slow beginning that has little to do with the film.
Molly is a badly written character. She knows Joe is perving on her, but she likes the lifestyle he provides and eventually she nearly sleeps with him for money, and yet she isn't supposed to be that sort of girl. Well, she clearly is. Also Olivia d'Abo is apparently English so it is confusing that her English accent is one of the fakest I have ever heard. Exactly what part of England is she from?
The plot plays out pretty obviously, excluding Joe's insanely over the top ploy to discover who loves him, with bad people getting nothing and good people being rewarded, but it is the despicable Joe who has ruined his family's lives. Without him, they would never have become the people they are, so to see them end up with nothing, while he is still rich isn't satisfactory at all.
Amusing characters suffer an irritatingly twisty plot, dominated by a detestable patriarch and are buried under too much moral for this film to be as funny as it wants to be. It should have stuck with the idea of relatives who will do anything for their inheritance and dumped the morals of Danny and manipulation of Joe, which just hinder the laughs.
Dirty old selfish Joe is rich and his snivelling greedy relatives want his money, so far, so funny. However, the structure of Greedy is badly done. The film starts with one of Joe's greedy relatives, Carl and his family. It is a mistake to make us side and sympathise with them, if ultimately they are not important or developed. Worried they are going to lose out on their inheritance to sexy young nurse Molly, the bickering relatives call in long-lost nephew Danny, Uncle Joe's favourite. Although Michael J Fox is a welcome addition to any film, and his energy, wit and compassion make him a watchable lead, he is introduced too late to be this lead. Danny either isn't needed in this plot of greedy relatives versus evil old man, or it should start with and focus entirely on him. It is very difficult to care about his failed professional bowling career, as it is boring, and the sappy music that follows Danny and girlfriend Robin around is far too overdone.
While child-Danny and Michael J Fox-Danny's impressions of Jimmy Durante are impressive, the need to show the audience who they are doing impressions of by starting the film with a lengthy clip of Jimmy Durante from Two Girls And A Sailor makes for a slow beginning that has little to do with the film.
Molly is a badly written character. She knows Joe is perving on her, but she likes the lifestyle he provides and eventually she nearly sleeps with him for money, and yet she isn't supposed to be that sort of girl. Well, she clearly is. Also Olivia d'Abo is apparently English so it is confusing that her English accent is one of the fakest I have ever heard. Exactly what part of England is she from?
The plot plays out pretty obviously, excluding Joe's insanely over the top ploy to discover who loves him, with bad people getting nothing and good people being rewarded, but it is the despicable Joe who has ruined his family's lives. Without him, they would never have become the people they are, so to see them end up with nothing, while he is still rich isn't satisfactory at all.
Amusing characters suffer an irritatingly twisty plot, dominated by a detestable patriarch and are buried under too much moral for this film to be as funny as it wants to be. It should have stuck with the idea of relatives who will do anything for their inheritance and dumped the morals of Danny and manipulation of Joe, which just hinder the laughs.