Family Plot
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Movie Reviews of Family Plot
Movie Review: This is the way the master ends, not with a bang but a giggle
Summary: 4 Stars
So Alfred Hitchcock, the master of horror and suspense, ended his career with a...comedy?
'Cause that's what it is. This movie has none of the horror of Psycho, very little of the suspense of North by Northwest, none of the twistedness of Spellbound--and so if you go into it expecting any of that, you'll be sorely disappointed. If you go into it expecting a bit of looniness and a chance to chuckle now and then without having to think very hard, though, it actually turns out to be a decent movie.
Not one of the master's best, certainly, but then again, even an off day for Hitchcock was better than many directors' bests. Worth considering, at least as a rental.
Movie Review: A decent Hitchcock
Summary: 3 Stars
The last ever Hitchcock film is a good movie, but lacks the cutting edge that his best movies always have. Contrary to some reviews I have read I thought the cast were fine and William Devane, Karen Black and Bruce Dern have all done many other interesting films. No doubt that Al Pacino would have been better though!
The main problem with the film is that is never really decides what it wants to be. There's some light black comedy and a bit of suspense but nothing really ever grabs you like his best films. The screenplay is by Ernest Lehman who wrote North By Northwest and its perhaps no coincidence that we get a scene from that great film recreated here (and played for laughs) when a car goes out of control going down a mountain road.
Look out for Hitchcocks very brief cameo appearance its one of his best.
So its no masterpiece, but entertaining enough, and its still Hitchcock. So at the right price buy it!
Movie Review: good twists that keep you guessing, but...
Summary: 3 Stars
this is not Hitchcock at the height of his powers. While this has more imagination that your typical caper film, somehow the characters and didn't grab me the way that I expect of Hitch's genius. Sure, it's fun, but there are are so many "fun" movies.
On the positive side, there is no way to predict the outcome of this. You have some charlatans - a medium and her bag-boy investigator - who are trying to make a score. Then, you have the "professionals", that is, a genuine sociopath and his sidekick, the wonderful Karen Black in her prime. The mix is volatile, dangerous, and wonderfully unexpected as the plot reveals itself. It is very clever, but somehow not memorable, at least for me. I am sure I will forget the plot details quickly.
Recommended. Anything by this director is worth a look, but I would rent it rather than buy it.
Movie Review: Hitchcock's Light-Hearted Farewell
Summary: 3 Stars
Several veteran filmmakers ended their careers on a less-than-stellar note compared to Alfred Hitchcock. At least the Master of Suspense bowed out with a nudge and a wink in this 1976 comic thriller. "Family Plot" is engaging fluff bolstered by a few memorable set pieces (notably the wild car chase) and a quirky ensemble featuring Barbara Harris, Bruce Dern, Karen Black and William Devane. Far from top-flight Hitchcock, but worth seeing at least once.Movie Review: A disappointing end to a great career
Summary: 2 Stars
It's hard to believe that this is an Alfred Hitchcock film. If this is any indication, Hitch was beginning to lose it at the end of his life, and bowed out just in time.
Even Hitchcock couldn't save a bad script, which is 90% of the problem - his quality control seems to have been totally shot when he read it and thought it was a good idea. It's not so much the structure of the plot -- Hitch could have easily worked within its comedy/drama/mystery setup. Plot holes abound (for example, a jeweler's home with ZERO burglar alarms?), but these could have been tightened up with a few script revisions.
However, the dialogue and characterizations are simply atrocious. The dialogue has way too many profanities and little of the wit, style and real humor of most of Hitchcock's classic scripts. The two "heroes" are totally unappealing, and the acting doesn't help. Barbara Harris' Blanche is supposed to be ditzy and cute, but her performance makes her shrill and stupid. George, played by Bruce Dern, comes across as a boorish, vulgar jerk. It's hard for them to establish any romantic chemistry when they spend most of their time bickering.
On the other hand, William Devane and Karen Black, as the villains, come off as wooden and lifeless . My wife was rooting for all four of them to buy the farm at the end!
Hitchcock's direction is uninspired. There is one interesting shot (the graveyard sequence) but, at best, we've seen it before (the out of control car). The film looks like a tacky 70's TV movie or a poor episode of "McMillan and Wife", rather than a film from one of history's great directors. And the ending, to say the least, is anticlimactic and dumb.
This one is only for Hitchcock completists and those who want to see every one of his films, like my wife and me. But do NOT let this be your first Hitchcock movie, or you might never want to see another. Go for "Psycho", "The Birds", "Strangers of a Train" or "North By Northwest" instead.