Family Plot

Movie Review: Family Plot

Year of Release: 1976
Country of Origin: USA
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Cast: Karen Black, Bruce Dern, Barbara Harris, William Devane

Plot outline: A phony psychic and her taxi driver boyfriend encounter a pair of serial kidnappers while trailing a missing heir in California (IMDb).

Family Plot is Hitchcock's last movie - he died in 1980. It's lighthearted suspense intertwined with comedy. This movie reminds me of his earlier work from 1955, The Trouble with Harry. The characters and the dialogue are not as rich and witty as those in the earlier work; nonetheless, the cast, especially Bruce Dern, give solid performances of their roles. Meanwhile, the musical score is unexpectedly dull; considering John Williams, the composer, had just won the Oscar for Best Original Score for Jaws the year before. It's often grouped among the less successful Hitchcock's movies; nevertheless, it holds your attention and keeps you guessing until the very end.

My judgement: **1/2 out of 4 stars