Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		2.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Greedy Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Randy Miller III February 27, 2019

What you see is almost what you get in Jonathan Lynn's Greedy (1994), a forgotten but raucous comedy about one dysfunctional family's transparent tricks to wrangle rich uncle Joe McTeague (Kirk Douglas) out of his $20M estate. Initially planning to suck up pay the old fella a birthday visit, sycophantic nephew Carl (Ed Begley Jr.) and his rotten family have dropped by with a gift for their "dear" uncle. They're immediately met by Joe's maid, distraught over a death inside the mansion...but it's his doctor under the white sheet, and wheelchair-bound Joe is still alive and kicking. What's more is that he's hired pretty young "nurse" Molly (Olivia d'Abo) as a live-in caretaker, and Carl rightly believes that she's just in it for a quick payday once Joe finally kicks off. In Carl's world, only he should be able to take what he hasn't earned. As more equally selfish relatives arrive, including Carl's cousins Frank (Phil Hartman), Glen (Jere Burns), Ed (Bob Balaban), and Patti (Colleen Camp), the short birthday visit and subsequent party become a sprawling game of one-upsmanship as the McTeague clan trips over themselves to become sole beneficiaries.

It's a pretty cynical setup for what proves to be a surprisingly light comedy, thanks in part to one surprise guest: soon-to-be-retired professional bowler Danny McTeague (Michael J. Fox), who hasn't seen any of them since his activist father (Francis X. McCarthy) had a falling out with Joe several decade ago. Danny appears to be the only level-headed guy in the bunch, but harbors no ill feelings towards his uncle; as far as he's concerned, Joe's just a guy who likes Jimmy Durante and taught him how to bowl as a kid. In turn, Joe adored young Danny but hasn't seen him since both were much younger. Here's where everything comes together: Frank has managed to rope Danny back in as the ultimate "birthday present", but all Danny wants to do is ask politely for front money to invest in a bowling alley at the request of his TV producer girlfriend Robin (Nancy Travis). The rules haven't changed much, but the addition of an actual decent human being among this pack of wolves at least gives us someone to root for. Well, kind of.

It's no surprise to learn that director Jonathan Lynn also helmed, among other things, My Cousin Vinny and Clue; both get their laughs from, respectively, a fish out of water and (literal) backstabbing. Nor that it was penned by long-time writing partners Lowell Ganz and Marc "Babaloo" Mandel, who previously collaborated on big hits like Splash, Parenthood, City Slickers, and A League of Their Own. While Greedy doesn't exactly reach those heights, it's got no shortage of great comedic performances and the cast plays well off one another: Douglas and Fox are the obvious standouts even when not sharing scenes together, while Jere Burns, Phil Hartman, and others steal plenty of smaller moments along the way. Even Olivia D'Abo, who's basically written as eye candy, earns her keep as certain characters' true(r) colors are finally revealed in the home stretch. Aside from maybe one or two others in this three-ring circus (who I won't even name, to avoid potential spoilers), she's the hardest to pin down as the drama unfolds.

While Greedy seems a little too mean-spirited at times and can't help but drag under the weight of a few too many supporting characters, it certainly has its moments....one being the film's fantastic ending, which ties everything up in a nice, neat noose. It's the kind of knockout punch that might just win you over, even if Greedy hadn't done so already. I haven't seen this one enough or at the right age to consider it a nostalgic favorite, but even without those handicaps it's a solid little comedy that wears its miserable, black heart on its sleeve. Sadly, it's been under-represented on home video thus far: as far as domestic releases go, Greedy was issued on DVD by Universal all the way back in 1998 and, since then, was recycled in at least two different Michael J. Fox comedy collections. It's finally graduated to Blu-ray, but don't get your hopes up: Universal has issued it as a manufactured-on-demand disc that, while officially pressed, contains no bonus features or even a menu. While the film itself is given a lot of room to breathe on this dual-layered Blu-ray, it's also sourced from a very old master. Not much of an upgrade for $20.

Greedy Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

In a word, yikes. Though not the worst-looking catalog title in recent memory, Universal's 1080p transfer -- framed at the original 1.85:1 aspect ratio with pillar-boxed opening credits (see screen capture #20) -- is thoroughly below average and will disappoint anyone expecting a major upgrade. This transfer has obviously been sourced from a DVD-era master, and maybe even the same one first used by Universal in 1998 (!). All the telltale signs are here: digital noise, occasional shimmering, a generally soft and thin image, and boosted contrast levels that result in white blooming and limited shadow detail. (Although it looks slightly better in-motion than these screen captures imply, I've seen better looking standard-definition discs.) Simply put, it's not a pretty picture and has an overall "video, not film" appearance that even the best-authored DVDs couldn't avoid. Still, there are some pluses here: this is a generally clean image, textures can be impressive in close-up and mid-range shots (several of the tackier sport jackets, for example, can be appreciated in all their gaudy glory), and the film's sky-high bit rate ensures that there aren't any obvious compression issues beyond what's baked in to the source material. But while this is technically the best that Greedy has ever looked on home video, it's certainly not by leaps and bounds. Where's Warner Archive when you need them?

Greedy Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly, the DTS-HD 5.1 Master audio track makes the most of its limited source material and the lossless upgrade offers a few notable benefits. Greedy is, not surprisingly for the genre, a mostly front-loaded affair and features a lot of overlapping dialogue. It's handled well enough and, though a bit cramped overall, there are signs of obvious channel separation that allow for some breathing room. The music by Randy Edelman -- whose best-known work might be the MacGyver theme song -- enjoys a solid presence and occasionally ventures into the rear channels, as do a few stray weather-related effects (rain, thunder, etc.). But while there's not a great deal of activity here and Greedy sounds its age at times, this feels like a more satisfying presentation than the video by a clear margin.

Optional subtitles, accessible via the subtitle button or pop-up menu button on your remote, are available in English SDH and placed within the image frame.

Greedy Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

No extras here, not even a trailer.

Greedy Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As its title and tagline implies, Jonathan Lynn's Greedy is a biting and mostly cynical comedy that features one mature, responsible family member surrounded by complete assholes. This is the kind of film tailor-made for a certain group but, thanks to its (mostly) light touch and good heart beating underneath, even those outside of its target audience might get drawn in. The casting and performances are great here and, though it runs a bit long, its fantastic ending gives Greedy a solid amount of staying power. Unfortunately, Universal's lackluster Blu-ray spoils the party somewhat, mostly because this film desperately needed a new scan and didn't get one. There aren't even any bonus features included -- even the old 1998 DVD had a trailer. Barely recommended for die-hard fans, and newcomers certainly shouldn't be spending $20 on this.