Family Business (film)

Infobox_Film
name = Family Business


writer = Vincent Patrick
starring = Sean Connery
Dustin Hoffman
Matthew Broderick
Rosanna DeSoto
director = Sidney Lumet
editing = Andrew Mondshein
producer = Lawrence Gordon
distributor = TriStar Pictures
released = December 15, 1989
runtime = 110 min.
language = English
budget = | music = Cy Coleman
awards =
imdb_id = 0097328

"Family Business" is a 1989 film drama directed by Sidney Lumet with a screenplay by Vincent Patrick, based on his novel. It is produced by Tri-Star Pictures.

Plot Synopsis

Jessie McMullen (Sean Connery) is a widower, a tough guy and most of all, proud of his past as a career criminal (now semi-retired). He raised his son Vito (Dustin Hoffman) to follow in his footsteps, but Vito went straight once he had a son of his own, Adam (Matthew Broderick).

Over the years, Vito became ashamed of his family's criminal past. He has tried to raise his son right, which in his mind means keeping young Adam away from his deadbeat grandfather. Little does Vito know that this strategy has backfired; the mystery surrounding Jessie has caused Adam to idolize him.

Now that Adam is grown, he is bright, good-looking, successful in college with a scientific grant and without a criminal past. So when he approaches Jessie with a scheme for a burglary, Vito is shocked and disappointed. He warns his son not to pursue this crime and even slaps his face to drive home the point. This pushes Adam even closer to his grandfather, who can't wait to take a shot at a million-dollar payday.

Vito is distressed, but not disinterested. The more he hears about the scheme, the more tempted he becomes to have three generations of McMullens embark on one great criminal adventure. And, in the process, he can watch out for Adam along the way.

The plan backfires horribly when Adam dashes back into the building to retrieve an important item, setting off an alarm on his way out. Vito and Jessie can only watch helplessly from afar as Adam is captured by the police. The only way for Vito to get his son's sentence reduced or suspended is to inform on his own father.

Cast

*Sean Connery - Jessie McMullen
*Dustin Hoffman - Vito McMullen
*Matthew Broderick - Adam McMullen
*Rosanna DeSoto - Elaine (as Rosana DeSoto)
*Janet Carroll - Margie, Waitress at Dohenys
*Victoria Jackson - Christine, Adam's Girl
*Bill McCutcheon - Danny Doheny, Bar Owner
*Deborah Rush - Michele Dempsey, Adam's Lawyer