source: Family Plot

Trailer—Family Plot

Family Plot

This was Hitchcocks last movie. He was very ill on set, and he did well to finish this. There are more "sexual innuendo" lines than in any of his other movies. Perhaps he was telling us.......I do have a naughty side and a sense of humour. Bruce Dern and Karen Black are pretty good and the pace is always fast. This last Hitchcock film was not well received (particularly in America). One of the reasons was Alfreds VERY English & naughty sense of humour. There are vast differences between American humour and British humour. Hitchcock finished his great career ..............with one for the Brits. Well done Alfred.....we all know American humour is....ummmm not at all funny.

I think if you approach this movie beforehand knowing it's not going to be a "Vertigo" or "Rear Window," you'll have some fun. Sure it's fluff, but it is entertaining nonetheless. Even kooky, vegetable-like Karen Black aka "The World's Worst Actress" seems to have benefited from working with Hitch and pulls off an adequate performance. Never cared for Bruce Dern and here he's his usual Willard looking self. Barbara Harris was a true delight, "Don't blaspheme, George." and found her character of Madam Blanche quite amusing. I even found the run away car scene entertaining, if not a bit over the top. All in all, I liked the story and liked the way it wrapped up in the end. Hitchcock's last gift to us all.

Hitchcock did like to play with the audience, give them suspense and comedy and of course thrill. Now there is not any other movie where he directly communicated the winking than in this movie! Literally. And it is a shame this was his last movie, but he did end it on a high note. Again not something people expected of him or maybe even wanted him to do (comedy mostly in this one), but something he was more than capable to do. Very good actors and very nice setting to two opposites "forces", if you'll excuse the pun. It is not completely flawless of course, but it is way better than the rating here suggests. I guess sometimes his own shadow meant it was an obstacle on how people viewed his movies ... don't get trapped and enjoy this for what it is

I first saw this when it opened in my home town movie theater. I had no appreciation of Hitchcock at the time, and have, over the years, put him at the top of my director's list. Finally, seeing it again, I realized my hesitation came from all the reviews that said Hitchcock's last film was a great disappointment. The thing is, when one has such a magnificent filmography, good or decent are seen as disappointments. This film has two plots working toward each other. Bruce Dern (a cab driver) and Barbara Harris (a flakey, phony psychic) are trying to bilk an old lady out of 10,000 dollars. Meanwhile, William Devane and Karen Black are deadly jewel thieves. Dern' discovery of a phony gravestone, accidentally puts him in danger (without his knowledge). Devane and his female partner decide to waste the couple, but this actually works to the advantage of the lightweights. While there wasn't the great suspense here and a bevy of unique scenes, it still kept my interest to the end.