STUFF YOU GOTTA WATCH

FAMILY PLOT

(1976)
With Barbara Harris, Bruce Dern, William Devane, Karen Black, Ed Lauter, Kathleen Nesbitt, Katherine Helmond
Directed by Alfred Hitchcock
Reviewed by JL

Hitchcock's final film is far from one of his major works, but it's good for some lighthearted fun. (Even the crooks in this one seem lighthearted.) Barbara Harris plays a phony psychic, Bruce Dern a phony detective. They try to track down William Devane to tell him he's a missing heir; jewel thief Devane and partner Karen Black think Harris and Dern are cops on their trail. There are several fine and amusing scenes in FAMILY PLOT, but some of the potential suspense was marred by Hitchcock employing such lazy technique as a car chase constructed mostly of back projection and stock footage. The best moments showcase Harris' ditzy ebullience and Devane's hammy unctuousness. ½ - JL