Uncle Joe monitors their avarice from his wheel chair and hatches a counterplot. Such a timeworn premise can still be the stuff of comedy in the hands of a good director making merry with lighthearted writers and actors. No such luck here. Kirk Douglas plays Uncle Joe as a wily old guy who longs to see the only decent apple in the barrel, his nephew Danny, who enchanted him long ago with a Jimmy Durante impersonation before disappearing from his life. Worried by Uncle Joe's disapproval, the oldest ingrate seeks and finds the enchanting nephew and offers to cut him in on the inheritance if he succeeds in persuading the old man to leave his money to the family rather than to the sexy blonde who is enriching his old age.
Predictability works wonderfully when it is telegraphed by genius.
If you are laughing now, you may want to see this one. Kirk Douglas tries valiantly to retain his dignity, but is unconvincing in the role of a silly old man. His trademark bravery and bravado are still straining to break through. Michael J. Fox plays Danny as a silly young man who runs around endlessly in his boxer shorts for no apparent reason. In the most embarrassing of all his mistakes, director Jonathan Lynn is pretentious enough to think he has a comedy that is rooted in pathos.