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 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

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

User Reviews

Underrated

This movie got a lot of bad reviews and is that well known. I don't know why. Each of the actors (whom I am all big fans of) put forward an amazing portrayal of their characters. The plot was not steady because it was a situational film in with the basis of the plot seems to change from each major occurrence in the film (noticed in many Woody Allen films). I thought that the movie had a lot to say about respect, morals, family values and trying to differentiate right from wrong under tense circumstances. This is definitely a must see if you are a fan of any of the three headliner stars in this film. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll enjoy it.