A business satire that promises to skewer a few yuppies along the way is certainly a promising premise, but this uneven comedy simply doesn't live up to its own expectations. Michael Caine is characteristically winning as Graham Marshall, a Wall Street exec who loses a shoe-in promotion to the young and the restless yuppie Bob Benham (Peter Riegert). Marshall, who sees himself as a modern day Merlin, thinks his magic is failing and resolves to get it back. First, he offs his nagging wife (Swoozie Kurtz, who's onscreen much too briefly), and then he sets his sights on Benham, cashing in on the interests of a young secretary (Elizabeth McGovern) who unwittingly aids him in his master plan. The murder comes off right on schedule, but Graham loses his lighter while tying up loose ends. The resulting inquiry into Benham's murder brings an unbelievable amount of speculation over the lighter, and the whole thing blithely careens into the realm of the implausible for its final reel. What could have been a powerful contemporary satire ends up being just another poorly plotted film with a few shining moments. Not recommended. (R. Pitman)
A Shock to the System
(1990) 88 min. R. $89.95. HBO Video. Library Journal
A Shock to the System
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: