Stars: Michael J. Fox, Kirk Douglas, Nancy Travis, Olivia D'Abo, Phil Hartman

Director: Jonathan Lynn

Summary: Uncle Joe McTeague is a cantankerous, contemptible old man but he's filthy rich. In fact, Joe's so wealthy that his nieces and nephews, the only kin he's got, have been indulging and obliging the miserable geezer for years in hopes of inheriting his money. When Joe finds a barely post-pubescent English tart to cater to his every whim, the family goes bonkers, fearing they'll lose all the money to the young stranger. But they come together instead and formulate Plan B and this leads the family to bowling failure Daniel McTeague, a good-hearted, socially conscious relative even old uncle Joe won't refuse.

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The best thing about this misguided 1994 comedy is the performance of Kirk Douglas as a feisty old scrap-metal millionaire named Joe whose venal family is out to get his fortune. Douglas had scored a modest hit with Burt Lancaster in the 1986 buddy comedy Tough Guys, but this was the veteran actor's chance for a late-career comeback--and his last major movie role before he was temporarily sidelined by a stroke in 1995. Douglas is quite funny here, playing an old codger who keeps frustrating his greedy relatives by refusing to die. Instead he threatens to will his fortune to his sexy "nurse" (Olivia D'Abo), and the scheming family reacts by finding a long-lost nephew named Daniel (Michael J. Fox), who is the only relative that Uncle Joe remembers with any fondness. The idea is that Joe will warm up to his welcomed nephew and will him his fortune--but of course this only makes the old man more crotchety and protective of his money. The movie's got a strong supporting cast including Ed Begley Jr. and the late Phil Hartman, but director Jonathan Lynn (who also plays Douglas's butler) fails to maintain a steady pace and the movie's cynical humour gradually wears out its welcome. Along the way, however, Fox keeps up a lively rapport with Douglas, who's obviously enjoying himself in a role that lets him cut loose with plenty of saucy and savvy attitude. --Jeff Shannon

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Year:	1994
Release Date:	June 1, 2009
Runtime:	107 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	8235937
Keywords:	Comedy, General, Greedy
Genre:	Comedy