Greedy

Directed by Jonathan Lynn, Greedy follows Kirk Douglas’ wealthy Uncle Joe as his unscrupulous family members essentially force him to determine who gets his money after he dies – with Michael J. Fox’s black sheep Daniel throwing a wrench in the aforementioned family members’ plans. It’s a decent premise that’s employed to watchable yet erratic effect by Lynn, as the filmmaker, working from Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel’s script, delivers a somewhat stagy comedy that admittedly benefits from a raft of better-than-average performances – with Douglas and Fox’s typically strong work here matched by an incredibly stacked supporting cast. (Phil Hartman’s often hilarious turn as a seriously smarmy figure stands as an obvious highlight throughout.) There’s little doubt, though, that Greedy’s palpably overlong running time paves the way for a meandering, uneven midsection, and it’s clear, too, that the movie ultimately does run out of steam before arriving at its far-from-surprising conclusion. Still, Greedy is a mostly affable comedy that, although instantly forgettable, stands as a strong showcase for an uncommonly talented roster of periphery players (including Ed Begley Jr, Nancy Travis, and Jere Burns).

**1/2 out of ****

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