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 thirty two years older than Matthew Broderick, but plays his grandfather.

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Goofs

When Jessie McMullen confronts Jimmy Chiu in his car, he calls him by his real name (Wong).

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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 The 77th Annual Academy Awards (2005)

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Soundtracks

"The Tenement Symphony"
Written by Hal Borne and Sid Kuller

User Reviews

A strong cast dragging along the weight of a dead film, with mediocre results.

Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman, and Matthew Broderick play grandfather, father, and son respectively in a heist movie that is less about the heist and more about the family that pulls it. Matthew Broderick is the good son, smart, squeaky clean, and destined for the good life beyond the criminal past of his father and grandfather, except he wants nothing to do with that life and instead dreams of being a thief. To help him on his way is the original thief of the family (Sean Connery), much to the dismay of Broderick's father (Dustin Hoffman) who is eventually pressured into helping with the heist against his better judgment.

Much of the film is spent exploring the familial relationship of the three men. The grandfather is an unrepentant thief who thinks his son is a quitter. The father is angry at the grandfather for never giving him the opportunity to be anything other than a criminal. The son is angry at the father for not giving him the opportunity to be a thief like his father and grandfather before him. The actors are talented and the premise is good but the movie lacks a certain intangible aspect that prevents it from being anything other than mediocre. The movie is just too......ordinary, for lack of a better word. There is no real flair for the dramatic, no golden comedy moments to remember, just a story idea that is dragged forward by the strength of the cast, and little else.