Film Review: THE ESTATE (2022): Toni Collette and Anna Faris Star in a Lukewarm Comedy That’s Been Done Before

The Estate Review

The Estate (2022) Film Review, a movie written and directed by Dean Craig and starring Toni Collette, Anna Faris, David Duchovny, Rosemarie DeWitt, Kathleen Turner, Ron Livingston, Danny Vinson, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Gichi Gamba, Patricia French, Eric Esteban, Kim Baptiste, Billy Slaughter, Ronald Chavis and Juan Gaspard.

In 1994, the hysterically funny Michael J. Fox comedy, Greedy, changed the way audiences would perceive certain family members who only seem to come around when they “need” something. In that film, a group of misfits target the fortune of an aging family member (played hilariously by the great Kirk Douglas). After seeing that gem of a comedy, audiences could be skeptical to see the plot done again because it was done so well. Dean Craig’s new film, The Estate, is by no means a remake, however. It’s far less intelligent although it covers the same exact turf as the 1994 movie. Who am I to even mention the old film? 28 years have passed and I bet very few people remember it given its disappointing take at the box-office. If you haven’t seen the old picture, The Estate could work for you but it’s far more raunchier and a lot less clever.

Two of the finest female talents in show business play the lead roles in Craig’s film. Anna Faris, who was a hoot in What’s Your Number? and The House Bunny before that, plays the foul-mouthed Savanna who has a sister named Macey (the great Toni Collette of Hereditary). Macey’s husband cheated on her with a stripper so Macey’s dating a new guy now but she still has bad luck. The two sisters’ restaurant business is in trouble. Macey goes to a bank to try to get a loan to put them back on track but doesn’t succeed. Savanna then goes into the bank and throws coffee at the bank manager before kicking him in the testicles but she, it turns out, went into the wrong bank. So, the two sisters must flee the scene in a funny part at the beginning of the film.

Kathleen Turner is the aging Aunt Hilda who is dying of cancer. Macey and Savanna decide to visit her to see if they can get some of her inheritance when she dies. The sisters learn that another family member, Beatrice (Rosemarie DeWitt), has already arrived with the same intentions alongside her husband James (Ron Livingston). Beatrice and James have beaten Macey and Savanna to the punch, so to speak. Soon, Macey ends up holding a bowl of Aunt Hilda’s feces around the house as she tries to dispose of it. This scene isn’t so funny, though.

David Duchovny is Uncle Richard who “prefers Dick.” Richard tries to get it on with Macey but doesn’t succeed very well. Aunt Hilda is not the most relatable woman but she yearns to have sex again and misses an old school acquaintance named Bill (Danny Vinson). Beatrice encourages James to make moves on Aunt Hilda but that doesn’t work out so well. Macey and Savanna have already turned their attention to getting Bill to come over to the house for Aunt Hilda. The sisters offer him a couple of hundred bucks but, soon, Aunt Hilda’s ready to marry him and give him everything. But, wait, Bill’s a sex offender who occasionally exposes himself to the public.

It is possible the Farrelly Brothers could have turned this into a passable comedy with the current script but it is very unlikely. That’s because the screenplay is treading on very familiar ground and is only sporadically funny. Also, the Farrelly Brothers have split up so we’re left with the film that we have here which needed more life breathed into the stale premise. You can only say the “F” word so many times before it becomes annoying. This assembled cast is talented but it’s simply not funny when the characters try to “expose” Bill (literally) to get him away from Aunt Hilda. It’s a little desperate and will not be all that humorous in most people’s eyes.

All these criticisms aside, Faris and Collette do what they can with their characters to make them watchable. Collette’s character is stronger and to the actress’s credit, she emerges from the film somewhat respectably. Faris overacts too much making it a performance that ranks on the lower end of her comic roles. It was fun to see Duchovny again but he doesn’t have much to do here. In one scene, he even goes out to Starbucks. This is one of those movies where the talent is just hanging out, not exactly doing their best acting. Rosemarie DeWitt is always an actress of integrity but she’s been underrated in so many good films, who can blame her for doing a movie like this?

The Estate has a story line that, if you have never seen something similar before, could actually be funny for you. Greed runs deep and people become desperate. It’s a premise as old as time itself. However, actors such as the ones involved should have known this was going to be a one-note comedy with little chances of becoming a box-office hit. Still, if you like raunchy comedies and haven’t seen Greedy, The Estate could hold your attention for a little while.

Rating: 5/10

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