I wish Hitchcock had used the exact same script and made a dark thriller with an able cast. It would have worked much better. Instead, it's played for laughs, and it's just not funny. The casting leaves much to be desired. Barbara Harris' "kooky" persona is out of step. Karen Black's acting is tentative and uncertain (she was too awestruck at being in a Hitchcock film). William Devane's grinning mouthful of capped teeth is distracting. The John Williams score, with its tinkling harpsichord (more befitting a Disney children's adventure) is excruciatingly trite. Hitchcock's misjudgments at that late stage of his career, when he probably shouldn't have been making movies anymore, can be forgiven in light of the remarkable legacy of masterpieces he left behind. However, this film improves with each repeated viewing. Ernest Lehman's script, with its two intersecting story lines, is well-developed and full of clever dialog. Supporting players are excellent, particularly Cathleen Nesbitt as Julia Rainbird and Ed Lauter as Joe Maloney. Hitchcock had not lost his touch completely. There's much to be savored on closer examination.
Review of Family Plot
