Family Business
Family Business
R | 15 December 1989 (USA)
Family Business Trailers

Jessie is an aging career criminal who has been in more jails, fights, schemes, and lineups than just about anyone else. His son Vito, while currently on the straight and narrow, has had a fairly shady past and is indeed no stranger to illegal activity. They both have great hope for Adam, Vito's son and Jessie's grandson, who is bright, good-looking, and without a criminal past.

Reviews
SpuffyWeb

Sadly Over-hyped

... View More
Baseshment

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

... View More
Bergorks

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

... View More
Candida

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

... View More
Rodrigo Amaro

Looking back now, we can say that this is the kind of films Hollywood should be doing now. Put together three big stars from different generations and make a good film about a good subject; in the case of "Family Business" about a family united in criminal activities. A material like this could rescue the career of many veterans actors.In 1989, having Sean Connery (after Oscar for "The Untouchables"), Dustin Hoffman (right away for his Oscar in "Rain Man") and Matthew Broderick (still on the wave from hits like "Biloxi Blues" and "Ferris Bueller Day Off") as the cast from this film directed by Sidney Lumet was solid gold, a real bait to attract audiences, and even know when you hear that those talents were together in a picture you rush away to see it. Those are the expectations but expectations always differ from reality. Given a better script these could be a better picture than it is, more memorable."Family Business" tells the story of three generations of a problematic Jewish family involved with robberies. It starts when the bright college student Broderick (Hoffman's son and Connery's grandson here) decides to get involved in a sure thing business related to robbing a laboratory and he calls for his family to help with. But all of this triggers a crisis among father and son and grandfather, when Hoffman's characters wants at all costs protect his son for doing this, he doesn't want his son to get caught and arrested while Connery thinks they must do it, because nothing can go wrong. From here, the movie is more about family issues than dangerous and illegal activities. It lacks substance to this being a great film, it lacks something to make us involved with their problems. The main problem was the that there were times when the film required of its viewers a certain seriousness but when we knew this was also a comedy. It gets stranded in never being really funny and never being awfully dramatic as some situations tend do be. The good news about this project is that Sean Connery has an incredible timing for comedy, his punchlines were amazingly funny, not to mention that his character is very problematic yet very amusing. His best scenes are when he defends himself on court for beating a policeman and when he beats another prisoner during their transfer, to what the guard asks what happened and the other prisoners reply "He felt!" A path should be decided by the writers in what type of film they were looking for, a goofy comedy or a powerful drama about family relations, and that was a deficiency that almost ruined the film for me. Regarding the most awaited moment of this, the robbery was pretty good, funny and tense at the same time but the whole situation involving Broderick's arrest was poorly made, unconvincing that he couldn't run away and cross the street to his family car or run to any other direction when it was clearly enough that the police wasn't so close to him, that scene is bizarre. One final complaint: the soundtrack was totally wrong for this film, hauntingly dramatic.What makes me like of this film, except the reunion of stars involved even though they're not at their best and they are somewhat mediocre, is its way of showing us the importance of family and caring about them whether through good times or bad times. When it comes down to present how Hoffman suffers for his son, wants the best for him, is when the movie really hits the target, family is family and business are business and sometimes they should not be mixed, otherwise is problems to both sides. And that's the ruin for everyone involved.A good film from the 1980's, deeply flawed but completely watchable. I'm positive that Lumet has better than this. 6/10

... View More
ananumb

I found this movie a touching treatment of a grandson's love for his grandfather and the bonding experience they have together before life takes its toll. Although it is a relatively light movie, with a simple straight-forward plot that is easy to follow, I found many unspoken emotional cues. The importance of family and not betraying their trust is addressed, as well as family over-protection and over-care which doesn't always work or enhance the family relationship. The grandson's love and admiration of his grandfather's simple realistic 'fun' approach to life is interesting, although the subject the brings the family together might be immoral. The grandson's belief of not ratting out family and his grandfather's eventual taking of the hit show the importance of family, and the consequences of having them.I enjoyed it thoroughly and would recommend it as a soft gentle treatment

... View More
orocolorado

I watched this movie without reading the cover... however it is sure not funny. Sean Connery slowly dies in prison...what a big laugh.The movie has that feel of trying to turn Novel into Movie....it is very talky and has gaps in the plot. (Why would a kid with no offenses face 14 years with no parole for a nonviolent burglary? What happened with the payoff from the corrupt Chinese scientist?). In trying to cover the novel cover to cover it jumps from vignette to vignette in a choppy stiff manner. My impression is that it was trying to show that non violent "clean" burglary is better or at least no worse than legal tricks like buying condos that terminally ill cancer patients live in (something Broderick's girl friend does). OK, I can be twisted into this noir idea.However because of the choppiness the movie doesn't flow well. What exactly is the purpose of the Jewish household at Passover?? I realize it is the in-laws...but it seems like a sort of isolated island from the rest of story and this happens a lot. Who exactly was Connery's girlfriend? I guess they had to put that in because it is in Chapter 26 of the novel.This is the second bad movie I have seen Connery in. This one is light years better than Zardoz (the other terrible Connery movie)...but I am beginning to lose faith none the less.Rent something else.

... View More
MovieAddict2016

In this disappointingly recycled, dry and surprisingly unfunny comedy, a tri-generation family of males (Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, Matthew Broderick) with problems of their own mix paths in crime. Broderick is the grandson who wants to help his granddad pull off the heist. Hoffman works in-between as the worrier who knows exactly what's going to happen to his son. And it does.Too bad Lumet never stopped to insert any laughs in this dry comedy with a top-notch cast that just barely manages to make it worth watching on television.Just barely.Don't go out of your way for this one.2.5/5 starsJohn Ulmer

... View More