Greed

By: Maggie Stankiewicz

Greed, written and directed by Michael Winterbottom, is a star-studded exploration of…excess wealth and a few other choice sins. Largely satirical and sometimes unsuccessful in its rendering, the film follows the life and times of a billionaire with a PR problem. Greed is forthcoming with its intent and presents as an overt criticism of the uber-wealthy and their inclination towards hedonism, but its delivery often leans more towards absurd than constructive. This film is best when taken at face-value, though not for a lack of trying. Greed fails at successfully communicating its assertions on the rich and the special permissions they’re granted (often at the expense of others), but it makes for a good time – complete with a few laughs and maybe a couple eyerolls.

Sir Richard McCreadie (Steve Coogan), often regarded as “McGreedy,” is a larger-than-life personality with an even larger bank balance thanks to his massive success in the fashion and retail industry. McCreadie prides himself on being a self-made man, though his success was achieved by stepping on those he viewed to be below him – something that is demonstrated through a series of flashbacks that follow a younger McCreadie as he ascends to billionaire status. After an extended thirty-year run as an untouchable fashion figure, McCreadie finds himself and his brand in crisis after a public inquiry exposes his disingenuous business practices.

The central conflict of Greed circulates around McCreadie’s tendency to take advantage of a system rigged in favor of the rich and private equity practices. Rather than operating a truly successful company, McCreadie acquires companies, buries them in debt, siphons the cash and leaves it to die. Of course, this conflict is felt less by McCreadie and more by his constituents. Instead, McCreadie busies himself by planning his sixtieth birthday with the help of estranged wife Samantha (Isla Fisher). The party, McCreadie convinces himself, will be a spectacular blow out that will help him re-stablish his image as a fun billionaire, instead of a criminal one. Steve Coogan does his best work as McCreadie when the billionaire is unabashedly himself, an overindulgent man-child with more resources than he knows what to do with.

The Greek island of Mykonos is set to house the entrepreneur’s birthday bash, but the island isn’t ready for a blowout of McCreadie proportions. Hijinks ensue, though none of it is necessarily memorable – aside from a few choice scenes that are stolen by performances from the supporting cast, including Isla Fisher, Asa Butterfield, Sophie Cookson and Stephen Fry playing…himself.

Greed is full of characters who are not capable of redemption, nor do they deserve it. And those who maintain a modicum of integrity aren’t developed enough to draw the affections of audiences – making the film fall flat across the board. Sure, some scenes elicit a chuckle, but Greed struggles to remain engaging. When the most interesting part of a comedy is its explorations of economics and the politics of private equity, you might have a small problem on your hands.