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Greedy (film)

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Greedy
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJonathan Lynn
Written byLowell Ganz
Babaloo Mandel
Produced byBrian Grazer
Starring
CinematographyGabriel Beristain
Edited byTony Lombardo
Music byRandy Edelman
Production
company
Distributed byUniversal Pictures
Release date
  • March 4, 1994 (1994-03-04)
Running time
113 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$23 million[citation needed]
Box office$13,137,484[1]

Greedy is a 1994 American comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn, written by Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, and starring Michael J. Fox, Kirk Douglas, Nancy Travis, Olivia d'Abo, Phil Hartman, Ed Begley Jr., and Colleen Camp. It tells the story of an aging wheelchair-using scrap metal tycoon whose younger relatives compete to get the inheritance when he dies.

The original music score was composed by Randy Edelman. Upon its release, the movie received a mixed reception from critics.

Plot

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Joe McTeague is a wealthy, wheelchair-using scrap-metal tycoon who has to put up with his niece Patti, his nephews Carl, Frank, and Glen, and their respective spouses Ed, Nora, Tina, and Muriel. They usually named their kids after their uncle and continually suck up to him and try to outdo each other in order to inherit his 25 million dollars when he dies. With their attempts constantly failing and irritable Uncle Joe showing a decided interest in his new sexy "nurse" Molly Richardson, Frank decides to hire a private detective named Laura to bring in their brother Daniel (who turned his back on the family years ago because of their greed and selfishness), believing if they can make up, Uncle Joe will thaw towards them.

Instead of finding Daniel, Laura finds his son Danny of whom Uncle Joe had always been especially fond. A professional bowler, Danny left the family with his father, but he accepts the cousins' invitation to return — after blowing his big moment by rolling a gutter ball in a big tournament and finding out that he has a pre-arthritic condition developing in his wrist.

Danny's television sports producer and girlfriend Robin encourages him to ask Uncle Joe for a loan of $300,000 to invest in a bowling alley. A typically rude and crude Joe says he will lend the money only if Danny sides with him against his own father. Danny is offended and leaves with his girlfriend, much to the annoyance of the other relatives. They confront Molly later on and she realizes just how conniving and desperate they are for Uncle Joe's fortune.

Uncle Joe asks Danny to visit him at his scrapyard, to apologize for trying to bribe him, but the old man calls a number to place a shipping order to a company he finds out has been closed for 25 years. Realizing that his relatives could declare him incompetent and throw him in a retirement home, he tells Danny that he plans to hand his fortune over to Molly. Danny realizes how much he'd like to inherit his fortune and tells him not to rush into anything.

Danny moves in with Uncle Joe and starts competing for his money, even so far as to sing a Jimmy Durante song that Joe loved him to perform as a little kid. But Molly has other ideas and decides to use her "assets" to outdo Danny and have sex with the elderly gentleman, if only to keep the relatives from getting his money. But after her successful attempt to get Joe in the bedroom, they are interrupted by Danny's father Daniel and he and Danny engage in an heated argument, in which Danny chooses Uncle Joe over him. Molly feels disgusted with herself for almost having sex with Joe and tells Danny she has to leave, but not before Danny promises to look after Joe. However, Danny tells Robin that he'd actually hired an actor to play his "so-called" father, to win favor with his Uncle, and she feels he's become too greedy and leaves him.

At Joe's attorney's office, Danny is ready to inherit Joe's fortune when his relatives arrive with his real father (who only refers to his siblings as "These gerbils"). Danny admits that he's become as bad as the rest of the family. However it soon becomes apparent that Uncle Joe is not only bankrupt having lost his estimated US$25 million fortune, but that he is actually $95,000 in debt. After a big scene that involves Frank fighting Danny, the relatives leave and Joe tells Danny that he was simply "playing them" to find out who actually loved him. Danny tells him "nobody loves you" and leaves to make up with Robin. When Danny asks Joe's butler Douglas where Uncle Joe is, Douglas says that he doesn't know. Danny has a change of heart and realizes that no matter what Joe did to trick them, he's still family and loves him. He also tells Robin about it after getting her attention with holding a "He was broke" sign at a sporting event she was covering. Danny makes up with her.

With Joe's ill health, no money, and no place to go, Danny and Robin decide to let Joe stay with them in their apartment. But Joe gives them another surprise and reveals that he still has a fortune and that out of his family he had to find out "Who really loves me". Then he tells Danny and Robin to look out the window where they see Molly and Douglas standing outside across the street next to Joe's Rolls Royce. He suggests they stay with him saying "Whatever I own, you own". Danny accepts on the condition that all of the lies and the games stop. Uncle Joe agrees and finishes his final lie by calmly getting up out of his wheelchair and walking out of the apartment whilst a shocked Danny and Robin watch.

Cast

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  • Michael J. Fox as Daniel "Danny" McTeague, Jr., a professional bowler, the son of Daniel "Danny" McTeague Sr. and the grand-nephew of Joe.
  • Kirk Douglas as Joe McTeague, an aging wheelchair-using scrap metal tycoon worth over US$25 million.
  • Nancy Travis as Robin, Danny's girlfriend who works as a television sports producer.
  • Olivia d'Abo as Molly Richardson, Joe's sexy nurse.
  • Phil Hartman as Frank McTeague, the nephew of Joe.
  • Ed Begley Jr. as Carl McTeague, the nephew of Joe.
  • Colleen Camp as Patti McTeague-Ault, the niece of Joe.
  • Jere Burns as Glen McTeague, the nephew of Joe.
  • Bob Balaban as Ed Ault, the husband of Patti.
  • Joyce Hyser as Muriel McTeague, the wife of Glen.
  • Mary Ellen Trainor as Nora McTeague, the wife of Carl.
  • Siobhan Fallon as Tina McTeague, the wife of Frank.
  • Kevin McCarthy as Barlett, Joe McTeague's lawyer.
  • Khandi Alexander as Laura, a private investigator hired by Frank to look for his brother Danny Sr..
  • Jonathan Lynn (the film's director) as Douglas, Joe's butler.
  • Francis X. McCarthy as Daniel "Danny" McTeague, the father of Danny McTeague Jr. and the brother of Frank, Carl, Patti and Glen.
  • Tom Mason as the actor Danny Jr. hired to play his father Danny Sr. to try and fool his uncle and cousins*
  • Austin Pendleton as Hotel Clerk
  • Adam Hendershott as Joseph "Joe" McTeague, the son of Carl and Nora and the grand-nephew of Joe.
  • Eric Lloyd as Jonas "Joe" McTeague, the son of Carl and Nora, the brother of Joseph, and the grand-nephew of Joe.
  • Kirsten Dunst as Jolene Ault, the daughter of Patti and Ed and the grand-niece of Joe.
  • Lisa Bradley as Joette Ault, the daughter of Patti and Ed, sister of Jolene, and the grand-niece of Joe.
  • Sean Babb as Dennis McTeague, the son of Frank and Tina and the grand-nephew of Joe.
  • Vince Morton as Uncle Vince at the Piano
  • John Lafayette as Wayne, Robin's Assistant Producer
  • Chris Schenkel as himself

* technically, Frank, Carl and Glen are Danny Jr.'s uncles and Patti is his aunt, but in the movie they're all referred to as his cousins so as not to be confused when referring to Joe as "Uncle Joe".

Release

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Box office

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The movie debuted at No. 2 at the box office behind Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.[2]

Reception

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On Rotten Tomatoes, 32% of 19 reviews were positive, with an average rating of 4.70/10 rating.[3] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film a grade "B+" on scale of A to F.[4]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 2 out of 4 and wrote: "The movie has a promising first act, and then makes the mistake of taking its silly story seriously, with dreadful results: The last two-thirds of this movie plays like a sitcom without the laugh track—or the laughs."[5][6][7][8]

References

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  1. ^ "Greedy (1994)". The Numbers.
  2. ^ Kleid, Beth (March 7, 1994). "POP/ROCKDouble Bammies: Chris Isaak's album "San Francisco...". Los Angeles Times.
  3. ^ "Greedy". Rotten Tomatoes.
  4. ^ "GREEDY (1994) B+". CinemaScore. Archived from the original on 2018-12-20.
  5. ^ Ebert, Roger (1994-03-04). "Greedy". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  6. ^ Thomas, Kevin (1994-03-04). "MOVIE REVIEW : Film Leaves Fans 'Greedy' for More Kirk Douglas". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  7. ^ Maslin, Janet (1994-03-04). "Movie Review - Greedy - Reviews/ Film; Beware of Kin Bearing Birds of Prey". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2015-05-26. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
  8. ^ Roger Piantadosi (1994-03-04). "'Greedy'". Washington Post. Retrieved 2022-07-23.
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