Family Business (1989)

Jessie is an ageing 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... See full summary »

Director:

Sidney Lumet

Writers:

Vincent Patrick (novel), Vincent Patrick (screenplay)

Stars:

Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, Matthew Broderick

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sean Connery	...	Jessie
Dustin Hoffman	...	Vito
Matthew Broderick	...	Adam
Rosanna DeSoto	...	Elaine (as Rosana DeSoto)
Janet Carroll	...	Margie
Victoria Jackson	...	Christine
Bill McCutcheon	...	Doheny
Deborah Rush	...	Michele Dempsey
Marilyn Cooper	...	Rose
Salem Ludwig	...	Nat
Rex Everhart	...	Ray Garvey
James Tolkan	...	Judge (as James S. Tolkan)
Marilyn Sokol	...	Marie
Thomas A. Carlin	...	Neary
Tony DiBenedetto	...	Phil

Storyline

Jessie is an ageing 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. So when Adam approaches Jessie with a scheme for a burglary he's shocked, but not necessarily disinterested....

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Plot Keywords:

criminal | career criminal | duct tape | bail | prison hospital | 

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Taglines:

There's nothing like a good robbery... to bring a family together.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 December 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Negocios de familia

Filming Locations:

Jericho, Long Island, New York, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$12,195,695 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Gordon Company, Regency International Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sean Connery is only seven years older than Dustin Hoffman, but plays his father.

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Goofs

When Vito leaves the lawyer's office in the parking lot he asks the attendant if he saw a Cadillac Fleetwood leaving. The car they were driving was actually an Eldorado.

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Quotes

Jessie: Hey, you bald-headed prick! Don't you ever get caught on the take. Because if you wind up in any joint I'm in, you'll leave feet first.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Family Business/Blaze/We're No Angels/The Wizard/The Rosegarden (1989)

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Soundtracks

"Red Roses for a Blue Lady"
Written by Roy C. Bennett and Sid Tepper

User Reviews

This movie taught me a lesson

I've got to learn to stop believing the studio-generated hype on movie jackets. To look at the summary, Family Business would appear to be a comedy...."laughs and larceny!" Whoever thought this movie is funny has a weird sense of humor. For me, it did not achieve even black comedy status. A couple of gaping holes in the plot almost made me eject it from the player. Were it not for the star power and consummate acting of Hoffman and Connery, I wouldn't have made it through to the end. And it may have been the first time for both of them to play characters we never really get to know. Broderick is wasted on a character that whines throughout the story. Glad I didn't pay full-tilt admission at a theater when this was first released.