Photo Illustration by Luis G. Rendon/The Daily Beast/Signature Films
Like it or not, we’re officially in the holiday season. For a sizable chunk of the population, that means having to start weeks of emotional and mental preparation just to deal with extended family. I myself do not have a difficult family. I’ve been told it’s a gift: While others plan an exit strategy before the pie is served, I’m nose-deep in the blueprints of where to hide the Christmas presents I bought a month early so they won’t be found and ruin the surprise.
My lack of detestable aunts and weird uncles is a godsend, yes, but it makes me that much more predisposed to seeking out stories about families fighting to the death over the dinner table. That’s part of what makes writer/director Dean Craig’s new feature, The Estate, so alluring: It’s a deliciously immoral story of warring, ne’er-do-well cousins, all battling over their rich aunt’s estate after she’s diagnosed with terminal cancer. What better way to forget your own familial woes? And though the film ratchets its hereditary havoc up to impossible heights, The Estate proves itself a delightfully foul-mouthed family comedy that’s tonally frenetic, but ultimately amusing.
Macey (Toni Collette) and Savanna (Anna Faris) are two sisters already knee-deep in business debt when they hear about their aunt Hilda’s (Kathleen Turner) cancer diagnosis. They run a small New Orleans café that has been losing business since their father died. Without another loan from their bank, they face having to close down the one thing that’s honoring his memory. Macey, more reluctant and rational than her impulsive sister, is hesitant when Savanna suggests they visit Hilda and try to worm their way into her will. But when Macey’s boyfriend has to move or risk losing his job, she’s on board. Why not try to bankroll a few extra millions to keep both the family business and her personal life from sinking?