Parents' Guide to Greed

The latest collaboration between Coogan and director Michael Winterbottom is starting to look a little tired. (The duo previously worked together on such successes as The Trip and 24 Hour Party People.) While pop culture references abound, jokes about James Blunt, Gary Glitter, and reality TV only serve to make the film feel dated, despite its poignant subject matter, which couldn't be more timely. The comedy reaches far and wide and will no doubt elicit some easy laughs, yet it doesn't challenge viewers in the way it could. And the satire suffers from a lack of focus and finesse that leaves it in danger of missing the mark, even with "extra material" from Veep/The Thick Of It writer Sean Gray.

Coogan is as watchable as ever, and fans will enjoy the BAFTA-winning actor's latest character: Sir Richard is the physical embodiment of the Greek term "hubris," existing in a world of many classic references that can point only toward tragedy. Cameos from Ben Stiller to Stephen Fry bolster the party scene, and Fisher is great as the smart ex-wife who's fully aware of the intricacies (and legalities) of the business model that led to their success. Yet, despite the honorable intentions of picking apart the soulless retail billionaire and drawing attention to the dire inequalities to which so many continue to turn a blind eye, Greed never quite makes it clear what it's saying. Until, that is, the very end, when bleak statistics fill the screen, revealing that 80% of garment workers are women, that nine out of 10 billionaires are men, and that 17,000 refugees drowned crossing the Mediterranean in search of safety. It's sobering and important stuff. It's just a shame it feels so detached from the narrative.