Good start, but then it gets ruined

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

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

Julia Raul is convincing, Jane Seymour is beautiful and even more convincing in the role of Maria Callas, Francesca Annis is less compelling as Jacqueline Kennedy, Anthony Quinn excellent as usual in the role of Socrates Onassis, Anthony Zerbe very good in the role of Livanos. It's not a masterpiece, but it's an honorable film. Waris Hussein, very good director, who directed the excellent drama "Coming Out of the Ice", with the exceptional John Savage in the lead role and the same Francesca Annis in a supporting role.

This production is very well done and scripted based on what his close family and companions thought of Onassis and his actions. The cast is well selected to fit biographically the roles in which they play with good music and costume. The film in details tells the biography of Onassis without any complications and concentrates on the key epochs and aspects of his life from a humble background in to one of the most richest people in history with his shipping company a role that came with his heritage as greece was the biggest maker of ships in Europe due to its history of a navy heritage Another good aspect was his sad but rich personal life especially his affairs and marriages and relations with his children and the powerful elites he mixed with. One negative aspect i did not like about this film was that it contained anti-Turkish bias. The Greeks are displayed as virtuous and innocent whilst in a time of occupation after world war one living side by side with the Turks. The Greeks invaded Turkey in 1920 when Onassis was a teenager and acted like the Nazis in Europe during world war two until they were defeated by nationalist resistance in 1923 so how come turks are "religious fascists" Other derogatory terms are that "Turkish Peasant" his own people would of called him Anatolian not Turkish and "Garbage from the gutters of Turkey" to say he was not like the Greeks of the European mainland.

What can someone say about this movie ?... It is a "guide" for what a man can become, when he has money for his "god".. Also, shows the ultimate misery he face when he realize that all the money of the world can not give some "happiness " to him...Raul is really a master in this movie... As a Greek by myself, it is as if I can SEE ALIVE "our Onassis", living his drama again. Passion and sadness, money and lust, all together mixed in a wonderful way.. You can actually feel the old Onassis, with all his life "painted" on his face, in last scenes, fallen, broken apart and almost dead...A must film, for every person who loves great acting ~

I can appreciate how difficult it must be for a screenwriter and director to try and condense such an interesting man's life story that spans over 50 plus years of history into a two hour time capsule. Having said that, when you have such superb leading actors as Raul Julia and Anthony Quinn (Academy award nominee Best Actor in Zorba the Greek) you have an opportunity many other films do not get for instant credibility. Even with the benefit of top notch actors like Raul Julia and Anthony Quinn I was not impressed with the movies stop gap approach to how the years (and in some cases decades) progressed in Aristotle Onassis life. In one scene Onassis's hair is jet black, in another scene his hair changes to silver grey, and in the very next scene his hair is completely white. I know life passes us by when we don't expect it, but this bio movie was almost laid out in bullet points, rather than with any depth of character and story basis.I was very disappointed with the choice of Jane Seymour to play Maria Callas. I like Jane Seymour in some of her other movies, but as Maria Callas? You have got to be kidding? Her accent was so bad and her teary scenes for the love of her life breaking her heart again and again were just not very good.I know this review is critical but I would have preferred the biography to concentrate on a specific time period in Onassis's life, whether it was as a teenager when his father's wealth and home were taken over by the military and he stayed behind living with the commander as his male geisha, or how he built his shipping empire, or even the time period his passion for both Maria Callas and Jackie Kennedy were in full bloom. The film Onassis, the Richest Man In the World, is now celebrating its 25th anniversary. Unfortunately it is not one of the greatest films of the now deceased actors Anthony Quinn and Raul Julia's body of work. I prefer to remember these two great actors for some of their other performances such as Raul's Kiss of the Spider Woman, and Anthony's Across 110th Street.