Family Business
| Year: | 1989 |
| Production Co: | Gordon Company |
| Studio: | Warner Bros |
| Director: | Sidney Lumet |
| Producer: | Lawrence Gordon |
| Writer: | Vincent Patrick |
| Cast: | Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, Mathew Broderick, Rosana De Soto |
Critics didn't like this film much, but I loved it. Like most people, I no doubt saw it for the pairing of two of cinema's greats, Connery and Hoffman. Playing father Jesse (Connery) and son Vito (Hoffman) despite there only being about ten years age difference between them, they play two generations of a Jewish-Italian crime family who get wind of a big score at a science lab.
The score goes bad because of a silly mistake, and Vito's son Adam (Broderick) gets busted while his father and grandfather get away. Facing a lynching from his wife (De Soto), Vito is desperate to spring his son. But when Jesse discovers the secret formula they've stolen was a MacGuffin all along, things get even more intriguing.
Some great performances by great actors mask any deficiencies in the plot - not that I could see any of them anyway. It's funny and heartfelt and captures the moods, machinations and foibles of any family trying to get along.
The score goes bad because of a silly mistake, and Vito's son Adam (Broderick) gets busted while his father and grandfather get away. Facing a lynching from his wife (De Soto), Vito is desperate to spring his son. But when Jesse discovers the secret formula they've stolen was a MacGuffin all along, things get even more intriguing.
Some great performances by great actors mask any deficiencies in the plot - not that I could see any of them anyway. It's funny and heartfelt and captures the moods, machinations and foibles of any family trying to get along.