Family Plot
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Movie Reviews of Family Plot
Movie Review: Highly Underrated, Classic Hitchcock
Summary: 5 Stars
Alfred Hitchock's Family Plot is not only his last movie, but highly enjoyable and the final chapter to a career full of brilliant filmmaking.
Barbara Harris shines as Blanche Tyler, a phony psychic who hits it big when one of her wealthy clients offers her $10,000 to track down her dead sister's adopted child who is the last remaining heir to the millions she will pass along. With the help of her boyfriend George (Bruce Dern), the two set out to find the nephew, going by the name Arthur Adamson (played brilliantly by William Devane), who has blossomed into a prominant jeweler, diamond thief, and murderer. Eventually Blanche and George track down Arthur and his girlfriend Fran (Karen Black), but with a chilling conclusion that is pure Hitchcock magic.
The film delights with its strong lead performances and witty dialogue. Although obviously not Hitchcock's best work, the film is solid, and keeps the viewer enthralled throughout.
The DVD contains a digitally remastered version of the film, with improved audio and video from its original state. The bonus features on the disc include an imformative 48-minute documentary entitled "Plotting Family Plot," which chronicles the making of the film from pre-production to casting and filming. It also includes behind-the-scenes footage and stills as well as interviews with cast members Bruce Dern, Karen Black, William Devane, composer John Williams, and Hitch's daughter Pat Hitchcock O'Connell. In addition, there are two original theatrical trailers for the film, some storyboards for the car chase scene, and production notes, photographs, and posters.
Movie Review: His swansong, but among his best
Summary: 5 Stars
The plot is a funny pastische and the entire cast and crew excell. Yup, Hitchcock may have been old, but the old master roared his last contribution to the world of cinema. It remains both hilariously funny and exciting:-)Movie Review: The Last Plot
Summary: 4 Stars
Barlow Creek cemetery is rampant with weeds. Its dirt paths, bare patches, and rotting concrete separators are not pretty. The tombstones are poorly set; the slightest push can knock them over. The evasive caretaker doesn't care. You don't want to be buried there, unfortunately one of the following people will be.
Julia Rainbird: Forty years ago her unmarried sister Harriet had a baby. To protect the family name, Julia coerced her to give up her son for adoption. Harriet, to her dying day, never forgave Julia. And now, Julia is nightly haunted by Harriet's unforgiving spirit. Julia doesn't want to go to her grave before finding her only heir; she seeks the help of a spiritualist.
Blanche: She contacts the dead through a compliant spirit named Henry, who must speak through Blanche. His gruff voice is murder on her throat. Blanche agrees to find Julia's heir. She needs George's help.
George: He is a taxi driver who claims to be an actor. The only acting he does is in the role of a lawyer as he tracks down the elusive heir. He is a good driver, unless Blanche is in the car. On one occasion, he almost ran over Francis.
Francis: Her six inch heels are killing her, but she is willing to do almost anything for Arthur.
Arthur: He and Francis kidnap prominent personages and hold them for a ransom of diamonds. Francis loved their capers together, but then, she wasn't aware that the happiest day in Arthur's life involved murder!
Maloney: This generous man would give his heart and soul to commit murder for a friend.
The most memorable event: the wild ride down a mountain road.
Best extras: 'Plotting Family Plot' and the 'Storyboards: The Chase Scene.'
Picture: excellent. No cropping. Sound: excellent. Volume: typical.
Movie Review: Family Plot
Summary: 4 Stars
The trickster Madam Blanche Tyler lures the elder millionaire Julia Rainbird that believes she is a spiritualist. After a séance, she discovers that Julia is tormented by her past, when she forced her sister and single mother Harriet to deliver her baby for adoption to avoid a family scandal. Julia promises the small fortune of ten thousand-dollar to Blanche if she finds her nephew and heir of her fortune using her phony powers. Blanche asks her boyfriend George Lumley, who is an unemployed actor working as cab driver, to investigate the whereabouts of Julia's nephew. Meanwhile, the greedy jeweler and collector Arthur Adamson kidnaps wealthy people with his girlfriend Fran to increase his collection of diamonds with the ransom. When George concludes that Arthur Adamson might be the heir of Julia Rainbird, the reckless Blanche gets in trouble with the kidnappers. Hitchcock cleverly interweaves the stories of the two couples into a very cohesive plot. The players all hit the mark with their roles, especially Devane, a smooth talking killer in the Hitchcock tradition of Otto Kruger in Saboteur, Tom Helmore in Vertigo, and James Mason in North By Northwest. The ending is a bit of a surprise though, it comes rather abruptly. I didn't like it at first, but it does kind of grow on you with repeated viewings. "Family Plot" is worth a look.
Movie Review: It Takes Its Time
Summary: 4 Stars
This isn't a scary Hitchcock. Perhaps it suffers a little from being undecided about exactly what its tone should be. Is it a serious drama, or is it a comedy? Is the action in earnest, or is it satiric, with that knowing wink of the eye at the end?
But even though it doesn't fit Hitchcock's or any usual mold, it is engaging. That might be because it was made a few decades ago, when movies still took their time. You see process here. It isn't just cut to the chase. You actually hear kidnappers Karen Black and William Devane arguing about which of them should empty their victim's chemical toilet. When two people walk down a staircase together, it happens in real time. And this doesn't slow down the story, the dread bugaboo of modern directors. To the contrary. It gives you time to be with the characters - to walk with them, get to know them, and identify with them. And these characters are worth getting to know.
The bonus materials on the DVD version of this film are also especially good. You get to see Hitchcock at work on this, his last, movie.