Greed

Greed
Sony Pictures
Directed by Michael Winterbottom
Stars: Steve Coogan, Isla Fisher & Shirley Henderson
Rated R for pervasive language & brief drug use

     The seven deadly sins are all on display in Greed. The fashion industry has long been the subject of ridicule when it comes to the topic of labor & this movie is yet another one to bring that to the forefront with a comedic twist. Sir Richard McCreadie, also known as McGreedy, (Steve Coogan) has made his fortune in the fashion industry but not the way one would think. He made deals by walking out. We all know the type. Kind of a dare tactic, in my opinion. He'd make a deal, knowing the desperation of the person he was dealing with thought they had NO idea he knew because they were fighting him. He'd stand firm stating it was his final offer, take it or leave it because he was walking out. Then he would. Of course, as he was leaving, they would call after him to accept his offer. A genius tactic that always worked for him. He bought those companies with bank money, he'd sell the assets, keep the dividends and then the companies would go bankrupt. Doing this over & over, McGreedy amassed a fortune in the billions of pounds.
    
     For roughly 30 years, this way of dealing with banks & corporations worked for McGreedy. He married, had children & lived in luxury. The problem is, when you cheat the system, or anyone for that matter, it eventually catches up to you. 

     The story is being written/told by Nick; a biographer hired to tell Sir Richard's story. As he's chronicling pieces from McGreedy's life, Nick ends up in some of the factories where clothes are being made for stores that McGreedy owns. He's collecting videos of people wishing Sir Richard Happy Birthday for his 60th birthday. Ironically, a party that's being thrown to help salvage his reputation. Nick learns about the low wages these people are paid & the sad living conditions they inhabit. Thus, part of the issue of the inquiry, in addition to the money issues, bankruptcies, tax problem, et al happening to Sir Richard McCreadie. The party everyone is preparing for at the start of the film & all throughout, is being given to celebrate the big 6-0 and make him look good again.

     I'll leave it at that. Greed has a run time of 1 hour and 44 minutes & it felt like it, too. There were some good one liners & there were some funny parts. It's a comedy/drama & I'd say there was a pretty healthy mix of both. You'll probably notice that my synopsis was kind of all over the place...So was the movie. Some parts were kind of hard to follow because it bounced around a lot. Within the first few minutes it went from today to I think 5 days ago then 20 years ago then back to a week before today. I started to feel like a time traveler! It was all relevant to the story because it was telling the chronological story of Sir Richard McCreadie (McGreedy) but it was easy to get lost. 

     Sadly, my favorite character wasn't even one of the main ones but one of the architects working on the structures for the party. I don't want to call it a coliseum, but it's supposed to be a mini one. Sam the architect was a laugh riot! He was so funny to watch because he would aggravate so easily & have these fits of frustration. I could relate! LOL! 

     When it came to the ending, you won't be too surprised. I recommend not leaving until the credits roll. There are some statistics you do need to see. I've always had an interest in fashion & some of these still shock me. This was the most eye-opening part of the movie to me. Should you rush to see this in the theatre? Nah, unless you're an Isla Fisher fan. It's a decent movie but I think you'll be ok to wait until it comes to Netflix.