L'Héritage

"Inheritance," directed by Sylwester Jakimow and now streaming on Netflix, attempts to blend the intrigue of a murder mystery with the quirks of a dark family comedy. Despite its ambitious premise, the film falls short in delivering a compelling narrative. The story revolves around the eccentric Fortuna family, who gather at their wealthy uncle Wladyslaw's mansion for the reading of his will, only to discover he has faked his death to bring them together. The real chaos begins when Wladyslaw is actually murdered, setting off a whodunnit mystery.

While "Inheritance" shows potential with its initial setup and ensemble cast, it quickly becomes mired in predictability. The film adheres closely to the standard tropes of the genre without offering any fresh twists or surprises. The characters, though quirky, lack depth, making it difficult for the audience to invest in their individual stories or the overarching plot. The humor, which shifts from dry to slapstick, is uneven and often falls flat.

The film's execution fails to capitalize on its unique elements, such as the game show-themed tasks designed by Wladyslaw to promote family bonding. Instead of adding layers to the narrative, these elements feel like missed opportunities, contributing little to character development or plot progression. The investigation into the murder, which should be the film's focal point, is lackluster and secondary to the forced comedic moments and repetitive emphasis on family reconciliation.

Despite some positive aspects, such as the strong set design and occasional humorous scenes, "Inheritance" ultimately does not deliver a satisfying experience. Its predictable storyline and lack of character depth result in a film that is more tedious than engaging. For these reasons, "Inheritance" earns a score of 4 out 10.

A rich inventor and ex game show host has died and the family are invited to his mansion to hear his will. However to get hold of all his patents, those present must play a series of elaborate games if they are to win anything.

In many ways like 'Clue' sans the subtlety. Each family member is eccentric, with issues and talks very fast often nonsensically and the whole thing, dotted as it is with some fun moments is far to frantic. The twists and turns, bar a neat little feller right at the end, fall rather flat and keeping track of the barmy mystery is itself quite an ordeal. One or two enjoyable bits, it's nice to look at with some fun sets, but overall it's performed as if it were a pantomime and overall is really too fraught to take in.

Plot

After the death of eccentric inventor Jan Peszek, a family gathers to inherit his fortune. Unexpectedly, he prepares a last game to test their reconciliation and teamwork.

Cast

Not familiar with anyone involved however Joanna Trzepiecinska was great here.

Verdict

I'm not sure how I got around to watching this, it was my pick for movie night and I was rather tired and eager to get started.

Immediately I saw charm, everything looked fantastic and the house that this is set in? Magnificent. It came across quirky, goofy (In a good way) and I was curious where it was going to go.

Well let's be clear this is a family film and certainly not a competent murder mystery. It's hard to pigeon hole, but if forced I'd simply say it's a comedy but simply not a very funny one.

The characters are mostly annoying, the quirkiness only goes so far and the payoff is so lackluster it's hard to forgive and that's assuming you can get over how silly the entire premise is anyway.

Inheritance is a harmless watch, but expect it to slip your mind in mere moments never to return.

Rants

The best thing to come out of this is I at least got another film added to my Top 10 Polish movies list, because at time of writing I still only have 4! It also broke my Top 10 2024 movies list as well, but considering how bad this year has been thus far it's really not surprising!

The Good

Certainly has a charm Joanna Trzepiecinska That house! Want, need, desire

The Bad

It's all rather silly Characters are annoying and un-engaging for the most part Flat finale.

Well it is not always as easy as it may seem. So no pun intended - we are family ... as a song suggests. But not all families are alike ... and not all families do like ... each other. Especially when it comes down (boils down) to getting a lot of money ... one way or another.

Of course getting inheritance is something some people look forward to - openly ... and others just have it in the back of their mind. How to draw the real character and see who is deserving .. well you can say the movie (characters) have it in for them here. You hopefully will like the comedy and humor - with some interesting twists along the way too ... not super special (and overall for many I reckon predictable) ... but decent enough ... which again, can't be said about most characters I reckon.

Movie tries to be a bit of crime, a bit of mystery, a bit of family drama all wrapped in a comedy. But in the end it ends up being worst of all worlds. Crime isn't intriguing, mystery isn't compelling and drama isn't dramatic. While most of the jokes fall flat.

It doesn't help that characters tend to be on the cliche side and one dimensional. In the end when all comes together you realise you don't really care and twists that keep piling in the end are just boring.

Few jokes are fine and there are couple of funny scenes sprinkled but not enough of either to save the movie. Pretty much the only positive thing I can say about it is that I watched it during boring night shift and it helped me pass the time.