Ed Harris Movie:

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		Our Price: $17.66
		Used Price: $18.04
		MPAA Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
Alfred Hitchcock's final film is understated comic fun that mixes suspense with deft humor, thanks to a solid cast. The plot centers on the kidnapping of an heir and a diamond theft by a pair of bad guys led by Karen Black and William Devane. The cops seem befuddled, but that doesn't stop a questionable psychic (Barbara Harris) and her not overly bright boyfriend (Bruce Dern, in a rare good-guy role) from picking up the trail and actually solving the crime. Did she do it with actual psychic powers? That's part of the fun of Harris's enjoyably ditsy performance. --Marshall Fine

Family Plot [Region 2] Reviews:
The Last Plot
2009-11-10 - Barlow Creek cemetery is rampant with weeds. Its dirt paths, bare patches, and rotting concrete separators are not pretty. The tombstones are poorly set; the slightest push can knock them over. The evasive caretaker doesn't care. You don't want to be buried there, unfortunately one of the following people will be.

Julia Rainbird: Forty years ago her unmarried sister Harriet had a baby. To protect the family name, Julia coerced her to give up her son for adoption. Harriet, to her dying day, never forgave Julia. And now, Julia is nightly haunted by Harriet's unforgiving spirit. Julia doesn't want to go to her grave before finding her only heir; she seeks the help of a spiritualist.

Blanche: She contacts the dead through a compliant spirit named Henry, who must speak through Blanche. His gruff voice is murder on her throat. Blanche agrees to find Julia's heir. She needs George's help.

George: He is a taxi driver who claims to be an actor. The only acting he does is in the role of a lawyer as he tracks down the elusive heir. He is a good driver, unless Blanche is in the car. On one occasion, he almost ran over Francis.

Francis: Her six inch heels are killing her, but she is willing to do almost anything for Arthur.

Arthur: He and Francis kidnap prominent personages and hold them for a ransom of diamonds. Francis loved their capers together, but then, she wasn't aware that the happiest day in Arthur's life involved murder!

Maloney: This generous man would give his heart and soul to commit murder for a friend.

The most memorable event: the wild ride down a mountain road.

Best extras: 'Plotting Family Plot' and the 'Storyboards: The Chase Scene.'

Picture: excellent. No cropping. Sound: excellent. Volume: typical.

1976 Hitchcock film.
2009-10-06 - Hitchcock's last film, which was released in 1976, might have been somewhat out of touch with the current trends or direction that Hollywood was headed towards. The hugely successful Jaws came out the previous year, which was more like The Birds, than Family Plot was, with it's main theme of Nature VS. Man. The point being that, films at this time period were leaning towards special effects and action, none of which can really be found in Family Plot.

A decent Hitchcock
2007-11-12 - The last ever Hitchcock film is a good movie, but lacks the cutting edge that his best movies always have. Contrary to some reviews I have read I thought the cast were fine and William Devane, Karen Black and Bruce Dern have all done many other interesting films. No doubt that Al Pacino would have been better though!

The main problem with the film is that is never really decides what it wants to be. There's some light black comedy and a bit of suspense but nothing really ever grabs you like his best films. The screenplay is by Ernest Lehman who wrote North By Northwest and its perhaps no coincidence that we get a scene from that great film recreated here (and played for laughs) when a car goes out of control going down a mountain road.

Look out for Hitchcocks very brief cameo appearance its one of his best.
So its no masterpiece, but entertaining enough, and its still Hitchcock. So at the right price buy it!

STILL A CLASSIC - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
2007-10-13 - 1976. The last movie directed by Alfred Hitchcock won the 1977 Edgar Allan Poe award. What a satisfaction ! FAMILY PLOT is one of these films I watch every three or four years or so. Our young directors so full of themselves should do the same.

Highly Underrated, Classic Hitchcock
2007-07-14 - Alfred Hitchock's Family Plot is not only his last movie, but highly enjoyable and the final chapter to a career full of brilliant filmmaking.

Barbara Harris shines as Blanche Tyler, a phony psychic who hits it big when one of her wealthy clients offers her $10,000 to track down her dead sister's adopted child who is the last remaining heir to the millions she will pass along. With the help of her boyfriend George (Bruce Dern), the two set out to find the nephew, going by the name Arthur Adamson (played brilliantly by William Devane), who has blossomed into a prominant jeweler, diamond thief, and murderer. Eventually Blanche and George track down Arthur and his girlfriend Fran (Karen Black), but with a chilling conclusion that is pure Hitchcock magic.

The film delights with its strong lead performances and witty dialogue. Although obviously not Hitchcock's best work, the film is solid, and keeps the viewer enthralled throughout.

The DVD contains a digitally remastered version of the film, with improved audio and video from its original state. The bonus features on the disc include an imformative 48-minute documentary entitled "Plotting Family Plot," which chronicles the making of the film from pre-production to casting and filming. It also includes behind-the-scenes footage and stills as well as interviews with cast members Bruce Dern, Karen Black, William Devane, composer John Williams, and Hitch's daughter Pat Hitchcock O'Connell. In addition, there are two original theatrical trailers for the film, some storyboards for the car chase scene, and production notes, photographs, and posters.