lathe-of-heaven First off, let me just say that the Blu-ray looks bloody AMAZING for a film that is over 20 years old! Very impressive...I know that Comedy is HIGHLY subjective. What one person finds extremely funny, another person will be left completely cold. So, when rating or reviewing Comedies (which I don't do very often) a person HAS to realize this and try to decide if this is the KIND of Comedy that they would appreciate.Probably one good clue would be who is in the film. If you are already a fan of Michael J. Fox then you will probably like it. Although it isn't one of his more prominent performances, I find it interesting that this could be one the better MOVIES that he has been in (not counting all you avid 'BACK TO THE FUTURE' fans of course : ) Seriously though, although I REALLY love some of his specific performances in other films more than this one, this movie was SO frigg'n entertaining OVERALL, that it was one of the better Comedies that I've seen in a while (thus the somewhat unusual '8' rating that I gave it...)I have never really been familiar with Phil Hartman's work, as I did not watch SNL during the years (8 apparently) that he was on it. This is the first film I think that I've seen with him in it, and man let me tell you, the guy frigg'n KILLED it! Damn was he funny! Some of his lines were great, as was most of the dialog overall, which I feel GREATLY contributed to why this film was so good and so DAMN funny.It had a nice 'Heart' to it too. Especially considering the overall theme of Greed and how it can affect people. BUT... it wasn't overly sentimental or preachy about it at all. And, the surprising way that the story eventually develops gives it a nice sense of depth, much more so than you would expect from most superficial Comedies.The writing was brilliant, the acting is excellent, and the characters are really very funny. And, although it is COMPLETELY unnecessary for me to mention it, Olivia d'Abo was absolutely stunning, of course... Kirk Douglas did a great job; I have a TON of older Film Noir movies and such with him in them, some of them quite Classic. But, I don't think I've really appreciated what a good actor he can be and he did a wonderful job here. His face and eyes were extremely expressive and conveyed subtle changes of emotion and mood. Also, the director Jonathan Lynne did an awesome job playing Kirk Douglas' British butler. One thing that made this movie so enjoyable was a number of 'little' scenes with secondary characters. Like the director of the sports show where Olivia worked. He was really funny.So, I would say that if you like Comedies that have a strong story line and good quality writing and acting, and if you HAPPEN to like Michael J. Fox, and you are not looking specifically for either a low-brow Comedy or one with pitch Black humour that is typical in many modern Comedies today (which DO have their place of course :) and if your looking for a Comedy that is a little sharper and has a nice, good flow to it, then there is a decent chance that you might really enjoy this very clever and entertaining movie...

David Traversa I found this film so obvious in its "humor" and overacting all over the place that could only resist about 20 minutes of it.It seemed acted for people with diminished intellectual capacity, loudly and over the top, with plenty of facial gestures and theatrical whispers --when they weren't shouting-- rolling eyes and everything. Really.Shame for an actor like Kirk Douglas, that has masterpieces in his portfolio of pictures.And the film is wrong from its basis, the script, a script --again so obvious-- that from the very first scene we comprehend the whole idea without having to wait for its development, so infantile it is. Maybe it was done for the Popcorn Generation or whatever they are called?Read the other reviews, see whatever length of this movie you can suffer, and judge for yourself.

col547 I absolutely love this film.It's one of Michael J.Fox's best and very much underrated.It definitely deserves a bigger audience. This tanked at the box office in 1994,but I'm clueless as to why.I can only assume that their were so many great films that came out in the mid 90's that this little gem went under the radar.After a slow opening with Jimmy Durante performing a number (it's explained later),the film gets down to business by introducing one of the most dysfunctional families in film history.The Macteague's. Greedy,backstabbing and ruthless in their pursuit of their Uncle Joe (Kirk Douglas') fortune. Fox has top billing on the credits, but this is more than just a typical movie vehicle for the likable actor,it's a great ensemble comedy that also sees Phil Hartman, Ed Begley ,jr and Olivia D,Abo filling out the cast.Directed by Jonathan Lynn (who also appears as the butler),the film moves along at a leisurely pace,but it's all the better for it.It gives all of the characters time to be properly introduced and to set the dark comic tone of the story.There aren't many likable characters in this, which is refreshing,but thanks to the performances you can't help but like them.Even the usually squeaky clean Fox seems to be enjoying himself in a mildly disreputable role. The sparky banter between the cast is a joy throughout.The scene with the family having breakfast with Uncle Joe,and the scene at the lawyer's office,in particular are comedy gold.Amidst the snappy dialogue and physical comedy,Douglas' mischievous antics keep the surprises coming right up until the final,sly twist in this highly enjoyable comedy.

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews I have a (fairly) vast collection of VHS tapes. I rarely get rid of anything, especially movies. Given that, there are a few among them that I don't care all that much for... some, I've even forgotten. There are even two or three that I've only watched once, and never really felt like watching again... each time it came up as I searched through my collection of films for something to watch, I would cringe at the thought of sitting through it even one more time. This is one such film. I'm not entirely sure what compelled me to give it another chance... I read a quote or two, half-remembered how they were said, and recognized some names on the cast... Phil Hartman, Ed Begley Jr. and Jere Burns(in order of how talented and funny I'd rate them), all three of which I've seen elsewhere and grown to appreciate the talents of(Douglas and Fox were the only two actors I knew the first time I watched this), and I think those were the main contributors, the last of the two reasons being the most important(in fact, Hartman is one of the people on a short mental list of people that I want to watch all of(well, at least as far as the watchable ones go) the work of). As the opening credits come on, I nearly regretted this decision... but that went away fairly quickly after the film itself began. The plot is pretty good. The actors all fit their roles and perform quite well. The cinematography does its job fine, as well as the editing, even if they are a little weird at times(speaking as a film aficionado(and someone who enjoys using words from foreign languages in everyday life) as well as someone who's enjoyed the pleasure and the privilege of trying his hands at both, it seems like there were many situations(be it in the production or post-production phase; shooting or editing) where they couldn't quite think of a good solution how to get all the elements or properly frame the shots, so they just went with the best they could think of(which leaves a bit to be desired, at times). It isn't that huge a deal, though). All those elements are fine, if not downright good. The real problem here is the humor... in spite of some wit and some black comedy that is among the darkest I have seen, there just seems to be too little of the film's humor that works. The timing is occasionally off, and a lot of potential(not to mention comical talent) is wasted. For a comedy, this just doesn't provide enough laughs to keep you watching for almost two hours. What made it truly worth it for me, and the main reason I urge anyone who decides to give this film a chance is the moral... the message of the film(it alone lifted my rating above the average of a 5). It gives such a clear perspective on greed, one that I don't believe I've ever seen presented before(and certainly not so skillfully). I recommend this to any fan of comedies who is willing to accept a lesser comedy to get to the great message of it(which is neither preachy nor heavy-handed, as some the moral of some message-movies is). Maybe the biggest fans of the actors should avoid, though... you may hate for the sole reason of how little the biggest talents in the film get to do. 6/10