Movie Review: The Estate (2022)

Genre: Comedy

Director: Dean Craig

Starring: Toni Collette, Anna Faris, Kathleen Turner, David Duchovny, Rosemarie DeWitt, Ron Livingston

Running Time: 96 minutes

Synopsis: Siblings Macey and Savannah (Toni Collette and Anna Faris) are struggling financially and about to lose their coffee shop business. Macey is more responsible but unlucky in life and love, while Savannah is flighty and scrappy. When they learn that their rich Aunt Hilda (Kathleen Turner) is about to die, they rush to her house to try and weasel their way into her will. Unfortunately, cousin Beatrice (Rosemarie DeWitt) and her husband James (Ron Livingston) are already there with the same agenda, as is cousin "call me Dick" Richard (David Duchovny). 

What Works Well: Some of the jokes land well and the quality cast members buy into the silly premise, with David Duchovny having the most fun as the oily cousin absolutely no one wants to have. A side-track involving Aunt Hilda's long-lost high school sweetheart (Danny Vinson) scores with all-out audacity.

What Does Not Work As Well: Director Dean Craig's flimsy script leans heavily on far-fetched character actions and frequent vulgarity, sacrificing smarts and wit along the way. Neither Aunt Hilda nor any of her relatives are deserving of sympathy, severely hampering enjoyment.

Conclusion: The crass treatment of a flimsy premise deserves no windfall.



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