Greedy (1994)

This comedy from the same director that brought us My Cousin Vinny is certainly a bit of a buried treasure. A well-cast, surprisingly effervescent production that has a good number of genuine laughs. Kirk Douglas is an aging millionaire, whose immediate family is comprised of a loathsome greedy horde of bloodsuckers who spend their time in outrageously sycophantic displays while trying to undercut their competition. Their plans hit a snag with the arrival of sexy pizza delivery girl Olivia D'abo who stays on as Douglas' caretaker. To attempt to ameliorate her influence, the clan seeks out Douglas' favorite estranged nephew - a down-on-his-luck bowler played by Michael J. Fox, who does his best to rise above the shenanigans, but finds himself drawn ever further into the melee.If the film has a major weakness, it is that once the family unites to draw Fox into the game, the entire group of them (including Hartman, Jere Burns, Colleen Camp, etc.) suddenly operate as one mind rather than continuing to undermine each other. It would have been far more intriguing to see each specific relative continue with schemes of their own. Otherwise, the film is a lot of fun. Douglas is hilarious as the millionaire, who knows all too well what the family is doing and always seems one step ahead of their foolishness. Phil Hartman is a deadpan delight as the primary golddigger, who spends his time disparaging his relatives to Douglas with acid backhanded "compliments". Director Jonathan Lynn is acerbically funny as the put-upon butler and D'abo is suitably sexy as the wild card in the mix. The usually capable Nancy Travis is stuck with a largely humorless role as Fox's well-meaning girlfriend and the voice of reason in the film. Truthfully, her character could have been omitted or combined with the D'abo character without any deleterious impact. Fox himself has rarely been better outside of the Back to the Future franchise. This is one of his most appealing and consistently amusing performances. I would also be remiss in not mentioning his pleasantly surprising extended nude scene. I mean, WOW! Who knew? Sharp-eyed viewers will figure out the ending, but it does not make it any less satisfying. A film comedy that definitely needs to be rediscovered and re-evaluated by a new crop of viewers. They will definitely be rewarded.

Greedy has taken some of the plot situations in the Paramount classic If I Had A Million and carried them to incredible heights. It has a whole string of good performances topped off by one of the last performances by Kirk Douglas before he had his stroke.Kirk plays the Richard Bennett part here, the millionaire who doesn't like almost all of his relatives, but gets a certain sadistic joy in seeing them perform like trained seals, trying to stay in his good graces. The only honest one of them is one of Ed Begley Jr.'s young sons who is just like that kid in If I Had a Million who started playing that record of I'll Be Glad When You're Dead You Rascal You.Unlike Bennett, Douglas does not decide to drop parts of his fortune on eight random strangers. He just keeps putting his family through their paces until they decide to dig up Michael J. Fox, a nephew he actually liked when he was a kid.Fox is a second string professional bowler who's got a TV producer he's involved with, Nancy Travis. The two of them invade Douglas's three ring circus of relatives and get put through their paces also. All the family is against Douglas's 'nurse' Olivia D'Abo who the family is afraid will get the whole inheritance.Greedy is a nicely paced amusing comedy which I think most of us can identify with. I know I've had a relative or two I can't stand either, but am forced to be nice to for a variety of reasons. The relatives are all greedy, but Douglas is one sadistic creep as well. I'd catch it the next time it's on the tube.

Greedy is a film you may have passed on Showtime, or glanced at in the TV Guide and thought, "never heard of it". To be honest, I can't recall its stint in the theaters either. However, on the recommendation of my father, I gave it a chance.The interaction between all of the characters is terrific. Phil Hartman gives comic brilliance, mixed with wit and sarcasm in his usual way. This movie has a lot of laugh out loud moments for people who are into clever comedy with a slightly twisted mind. It is cemented in my comedy top 5 with Stripes, Planes Trains and Automobiles, Ferris Buellers Day Off, and Ridgemont. Highly recommended! 9/10

Simply a great movie. Michael J. Fox trained with one of the greats, Johnny Petraglia for months in preparation for this movie. Fox went from a hack casual bowler to a respectable 175 average. Not good enough to actually throw the shots he was supposed to throw in the movie, though. The makers of Kingpin and Big Lebowski should have seen this one before making a mockery of the game. Any bowling lover should not miss this one.