Uncle Joe (Kirk Douglas) is an aging grumpy wealthy eccentric. His nieces and nephews are desperate to be on his good side while stabbing each other in the back. Carl (Ed Begley Jr.) and Nora McTeague (Mary Ellen Trainor) brought their two kids. Patti (Colleen Camp) and Ed (Bob Balaban) have two daughters Jolene and Joette. Glen (Jere Burns) and Muriel are getting separated. Frank (Phil Hartman) has a bratty son and a drunken wife Tina. Then Molly Richardson (Olivia d'Abo) shows up as his live-in 'nurse' and threatens everything. Danny McTeague Jr (Michael J. Fox) is a struggling bowler sleeping with the program producer Robin Hunter (Nancy Travis). His father hated uncle Joe's greedy ways and took his family away. The rest of the family is now so desperate that they try to reclaim the high ground by returning the long lost nephew and his family. Danny liked Uncle Joe as a kid and decides to go back to borrow money for a bowling alley.
There are just so many unlikeable characters. On the other hand, I like Kirk Douglas and Michael J. Fox together. If they could reduce the number of relatives, this may work better. The bickering relatives are funny for a little while but it wears pretty thin. It would also concentrate the villain of the play. When Danny starts to turn, he loses some of the sympathies. He just walks a little too far over the line. Also he needs to save himself without his daddy coming to the rescue. If Danny isn't so desperate in some of the scenes, it would be better for the movie.
There are just so many unlikeable characters. On the other hand, I like Kirk Douglas and Michael J. Fox together. If they could reduce the number of relatives, this may work better. The bickering relatives are funny for a little while but it wears pretty thin. It would also concentrate the villain of the play. When Danny starts to turn, he loses some of the sympathies. He just walks a little too far over the line. Also he needs to save himself without his daddy coming to the rescue. If Danny isn't so desperate in some of the scenes, it would be better for the movie.