Greed Never Quite Grips in Its Capitalism Satire

Sony Pictures International

Michael Winterbottom has certainly sharpened his humor for this eat-the-rich satire on capitalism. Similar to his meanderings of the Trip movie saga, Greed is a film that lingers and wanders around numerous conversations, trying to evoke some smile or allure. While Winterbottom makes his targets very clear with his stark contrast of the rich and poor, as well as an extended epilogue about the cold real-world facts, Greed perhaps misses an opportunity in its swirling of satire.

At the center of this story is the wealthy Sir Richard McCreadie—played by Steve Coogan, of course, this being a Winterbottom movie. Richard, having established a long-running clothing empire through a series of shady business practices and haggling over prices, is looking to celebrate his birthday. He plans for a party on the Greek island of Mykonos, choosing a theme of ancient Greece in a not-so-subtle commentary on the fall of Rome. (His excuse is that he’s really into the movie Gladiator.) For the event, journalist Nick (David Mitchell) seeks to interview a few of the folks who know Richard to do a writeup on the event and assemble a congratulations video of celebrities. Naturally, what he discovers is more than a little bit shocking.

The more Nick digs into Richard’s life, the more horrible things he uncovers. We hear about how Richard’s career took off from mere card games at school to stiffing his manufacturers to make the most money possible. We see how his relationships took a turn for the unfaithful and despicable, be it betraying his wife or going against humane business practices. And then Nick makes the most horrifying discovery of the textile factories overseas, comprising poor conditions and work environments that lead to tragedy. Richard’s latest wife, Samantha (Isla Fisher), is all too familiar with this aspect of her culture and can’t let it go when engaged to someone who looks down on the working class.

This gross perspective comes to light on the island when Richard discovers there are refugees living out on the beach, a development that will seemingly ruin not only his party but also a reality show that is filming at the same time. The refugees are wrapped into both the show and the party as Richard tries to make the best of the situation. He figures if he can’t rush them off the beach humanely, maybe he can get them to work for him. (Initially, his plan is not to pay them—only when realizing that would be slavery does he agree to minimum wage.)

Though Greed has a clear target, it goes about its satire in a scattershot method that makes a messy hit. There are so many swirling stories about Richard in so many lights that the film often seems to forget what it wants us to despise about him the most. Should we be more appalled by his behavior of looking down on everyone or his terrible choices in textiles that have led to broken lives? I assume we’re supposed to take it all in, but through a meandering maze of capitalism corruption. When Richard gets all cocky about his island and the refugees, his nastiness is easy to read. When Nick digs into the unconventional and unlawful business decisions, it’s such a complicated investigation that even Nick, astute as he may be, has to ask whether what Richard is doing is illegal. And as the bitter and detail-divulging opponents will tell him, “Yeah, that’s very illegal,” in so many words.

This film builds up an elaborate observation on the nature of greedy moguls but never quite stings the right way despite covering so much. The assembly of the story is so grand, complete with cameos from celebrities like Stephen Fry and Colin Firth playing themselves, that it appears in moments as looming and piercing into the problems as Adam McKay’s The Big Short. Unlike that film, however, Greed never quite settles on the seriousness of the situation, merely wandering around the darkness of the line between the elite and the poor. It is only by mercy that the film arrives at a somewhat viscerally deserving ending yet still letting the wheel of division continue to spin, letting us know that this is still an issue. There’s just something about Winterbottom’s direction here that doesn’t feel well suited for this material, which is deserving of more than some standard Coogan rambling humor.