Family Business Movie Reviews

Related Subjects: Games
Family movie reviews for "Family Business" sorted by average review score:
Family Business
Released in DVD by Columbia Tri-Star (20 May, 2003)
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Director: Sidney Lumet
Starring: Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, and Matthew Broderick
This 1989 film, directed by Sidney Lumet (Serpico, Dog Day Afternoon) brings together three notable actors in a story of generational and familial loyalty and crime. While ultimately a somewhat thin story, the film succeeds in great measure because of its powerful actors, who rise above the implausible casting to play three generations of men (Scottish, Italian, and Jewish) who each in their own way try to deny their roots. Matthew Broderick plays Adam, an MIT scholar who yearns for more excitement from life. He enlists the aid of his grandfather Jesse (Sean Connery)--a tough, lifelong thief--to steal some biological materials for a big payoff. But Adam's father, Vito (Dustin Hoffman), who went straight to get away from Jesse's lifestyle and to provide a stable life for his son, finds himself dragged back into Jesse's criminal world in order to protect Adam. When the heist goes sour, Vito must decide where his true loyalties lie. The whole affair has a light, breezy atmosphere to it, but the performances give this film weight and make it a worthwhile diversion. --Robert Lane
Average review score:

I Hope The Kid Got 20 Years
This movie, which had a great cast but just didn't have the right chemistry, glorified to some extent the exploits of a family of thieves -- people who break the law by stealing money and goods from others, thus robbing people of their produce/property and generally damaging society. Sean Connery's character at one point had a lot of nerve, telling Matthew Broderick's con-man girl friend that she was a "parasite." Talk about a frog calling somebody ugly. Matthew's father, Dustin Hoffman, properly did not want to be involved in the caper that Matthew concocted, did not want his son to follow in his own formerly dishonest thieving footsteps, and was devastated when Son was caught during a break-in. The kid deserved to have the book thrown at him, and be locked away, which is the only way we should treat the lowlifes who steal from others.

Of course, it's only a movie and fictional exploits of this nature are interesting to watch, but problems arise when films about crooks inspire the unenlightened among us to become crooks. Or get elected to congress and start taxing people, same sort of thievery.

This Caper keeps terrific suspense!
Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, and Mathew Broderick play profession-thief grandfather, conservative father, and innovative-genius son. When genius son invites Gramps in on a hiest, Daddy gets upset and vows to do anything to stop them. But the sins of the father, inherited from the grandfather, make piety a difficult sell. Terrific crime caper with many unexpected twists.

Once a Thief: Family Business
Released in DVD by Platinum Disc (12 August, 2003)
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Average review score:

Once a Thief DVDs switched!
For those of you who will buy John Woo's "Once A Thief" DVD series/TV-movies, please take note: I bought "John Woo's Once a Thief - Brother Against Brother" and "John Woo's Once a Thief - Family Business." The DVDs inside were switched! In other words, the actual DVD DISC, though labeled "Brother Against Brother," contained the movie "Family Business." And vice versa!

So I suggest that you buy "Family Business" and "Brother Against Brother" together, and just switch the DVDs inside. (I just wrote on the DVD itself with a Sharpie to properly label the movie contained.)

Family Business -The Complete First Season
Released in DVD by Showtime Entertainme (06 January, 2004)
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Average review score:
No reviews found.

Related Subjects: Games