(L to R) Himesh Patel and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in ‘Greedy People’. Photo: Lionsgate.
Opening in theaters on August 23rd, ‘Greedy People’ comes across like a Coen brothers movie made by people who have not actually seen the siblings’ work, only heard it described by someone who remembered the wrong things.
Though Joseph Gordon-Levitt leads an accomplished cast, the film around them simply can’t find the right gear and is neither as funny nor as impactful as it believes.
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Does ‘Greedy People’ hit it rich?
Darkly comic crime thrillers are a tricky genre to get right. And yes, while we keep bringing up the Coen brothers, that’s because they effectively mastered it with the likes of ‘Fargo’ and ‘The Big Lebowski’, among others.
Which is not to say that other directors haven’t made it work, but when you have a movie that so clearly wants to stand alongside some of the classics, you need to make sure it really works. It’s regrettable to report that ‘Greedy People’ simply doesn’t. It’s far from unwatchable but scuppered by some serious issues.
‘Greedy People’: Script and Direction
(L to R) Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Himesh Patel in ‘Greedy People’. Photo: Lionsgate.
Writer Mike Vukadinovich is probably better known for TV than movies –– he’s worked on shows such as ‘Kidding’ and Marvel’s ‘Runaways’. Yet his big screen script work has been eclectic, including ‘Rememory’ and contributing to one of the many development drafts of the upcoming ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’.
Here, though, he’s come up with a spin on a familiar concept –– cash found in a small town that has all manner of shysters, grifters and struggling family types willing to go to any lengths to get their hands on it –– and, well, pumped out the latest generic version of said story. There are quirky characters galore, but so many of them feel like bland copies of earlier, better examples. And tonally, the movie is all over the place, seemingly unable to decide if it wants to be wacky, somber or wannabe-insightful about human greed.
Director Potsy Ponciroli, sadly, never overcome the issues of the script given to him. While he gets a handful of solid performances from a game cast, none of it adds up to anything really worth spending much time with. And one moment in particular –– which features the death of an animal played for laughs –– is so unfortunate as to sour reactions to even the most interesting character of the story.
‘Greedy People’: Performances
The one person who truly seems to be having fun here is Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who absolutely consumes the role of corrupt cop Terry. Around him, everyone else (except possibly Tim Blake Nelson and, in a brief appearance, Traci Lords) feel like they’re in another movie.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Joseph Gordon-Levitt in ‘Greedy People’. Photo: Lionsgate.
A wacky whirlwind of a performance, Terry the cop allows Gordon-Levitt to truly cut loose in a way he’s rarely allowed. And he commits, bringing the foul-mouthed, moral-free law enforcement officer to life with gusto. Yet, as mentioned before, he feels apart from pretty much everyone else, as if he wandered in from another set.
Effectively our audience surrogate leading us into the weird world of the Nantucket island setting, Patel opts mostly for earnest, which sort of works when playing off Gordon-Levitt’s firecracker of a role, but more honestly fits with Lily James (in a ‘Yesterday’ reunion) as his wife.
He’s not bad by any means, but he’s also something of a wet sponge compared to his co-star.
Tim Blake Nelson
Nelson –– a Coen stalwart –– definitely knows what he’s doing in this type of movie, ratcheting up the quirk levels and committing to being a scheming weirdo. Yet his role is still relatively small and what happens to him is fairly predictable.
Supporting cast
Around the main characters, there is the typical ensemble of townsfolk and friends/family. All the cast do what they can, some with underwritten roles. Lily James does what she can with the part of Will’s pregnant wife, playing her with a welcome mix of pragmatism, spirit and vulnerability. Traci Lords has a glorified cameo as the housewife (and aggrieved other half to Nelson’s character), whose 911 call sets the film’s plot into motion.
Other notable people deserving of praise? Jim Gaffigan is great in small role (and a big wig) as local assassin-for-hire The Irishman. His delivery and manner are really suited to this sort of movie, and he makes the character believably odd. Ditto Uzo Aduba as the police captain, whose cheery professionalism masks real grief.
‘Greedy People’: Final Thoughts
‘Greedy People’ is probably best described as a worthy failure. It certainly has some watchable performances, decent lines and a handful of fun scenes, but overall, it just can’t maintain its momentum, nor figure out exactly what it wants to be.
As the body count rises, the tone becomes increasingly tiresome, and while Joseph Gordon-Levitt shines in his role, even Terry becomes grating. If you’re a small-town noir completist, maybe give this a look, but otherwise it never works as well as it might.
‘Greedy People’ receives 5.5 out of 10 stars.
What’s the story of ‘Greedy People’?
Rookie cop Will (Himesh Patel) and his rogue partner Terry (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) upend their small island town when they accidentally discover one million dollars at a crime scene (of their own making).
After the duo unwisely decides to steal the money, the community’s quirky residents are lured into the mad dash for cash — ranging from an expectant mom (Lily James) to a masseur (Simon Rex) to a shrimp company owner (Tim Blake Nelson) — and everyone learns just how far they are willing to go for the almighty dollar.
Who else stars in ‘Greedy People’?
The cast also includes Uzo Aduba, Nina Arianda, Jim Gaffigan, José María Yazpik and Joey Lauren Adams.
(L to R) Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Himesh Patel in ‘Greedy People’. Photo: Lionsgate.
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