Family Plot (1976)

"Well even fish smells good when you're starving to death.", 25 February 2008

Blanche and George (Barbara Harris and Bruce Dern) are small time operators who use Blanche's supposed abilities as a medium to con trusting old souls out of a few dollars. Their latest mark has agreed to give them $10,000 if they can help her locate a long lost family member. Meanwhile, successful jewelry merchant Arthur (William Devane) and girlfriend Fran (Karen Black) have made something of a career of kidnapping wealthy individuals and ransoming them for diamonds. As luck would have it, the trail of the missing relative leads to Arthur. Not knowing what the pair of would-be detectives is up to and assuming the worst, Arthur quite naturally decides that he and Fran must put a stop to Blanche and George's snooping.

I'm joining the chorus singing the praises of Family Plot. Like a lot of others, I think it gets a bad rap. Sure, it's not the best thing Hitchcock ever directed, but come on, it's still a very entertaining, funny movie. It may lack the nail-biting, gut-wrenching suspense of Notorious and the horrific elements and images of Psycho, but it was never meant to be like those two films. Besides, I don't want to see the same movie over and over anyway. What's wrong with a little diversity and a change of pace? I've always thought Hitchcock did a great job with Family Plot. He manages to take two completely different plot lines and seamlessly and expertly merge them together. He mixes just the right amount of generally understated comedy with a thrilling conclusion. Ernest Lehman's screenplay is smart and filled with some terrifically dark humor that almost always hits the nail on the head. The film may run long for a comedy at 121 minutes, but I can't think of a wasted scene or moment that should have been cut out. I also like the way the audience is allowed to play along with the movie. The audience discovers plot points right along with the characters. There are no "cheats".

But as much as I enjoy the script and as talented as Hitchcock my have been, it's the cast that makes Family Plot really special. From Karen Black's cool entrance in the black trench coat and hat to William Devane's toothy and creepy smile to Bruce Dern's wild hair and constant fidgeting with his pipe to Barbara Harris' hysterical and manipulative séance scenes, I really cannot pick a favorite. They are all equally fantastic. And, I cannot imagine Family Plot without even one of this quartet of actors.

In the end, Family Plot is a neat little movie. It may not be Hitchcock's best or most suspenseful or most horrific or most dramatic, but it just might be amongst his most fun.

7/10