NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Protraph Lack of good storyline.

Kailansorac Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

st-shot Boasting two of the biggest male superstars (Jack Nicholson, Warren Beatty) in their prime along with a major director (Mike Nichols) The Fortune isn't worth a plug nickel. Smug, abrasive, shrill it attempts to bowl you over with its heavyweight roster but instead trips over itself and falls flat on its face with one forced routine after the next.Nicky (Beatty) runs off with sanitary napkin heiress Freddie (Stockard Channing)but in order to do so must employ the dim witted Oscar to tag along in order to get around The Mann Act and the fact Nicky is still married. Acting as a stand in until Nicky gets his divorce Oscar marries Freddie and the trio head for sunny California. When the living situation causes a schism between Nicky and Oscar the boys agree to off Freddie to get at the fortune.There is hardly a laugh to go around in Fortune as Beatty looking like a slick gigolo and Nicholson a cross between Larry Fine and Professor Irwin Cory show a complete lack of comic timing or any chemistry between each other even though Nichols intention seems to be an attempt at a homicidal Laurel and Hardy. Channing starts out promising enough but even she catches what the boys have (crass comic timing) by pictures end.Nichols who up until this point had directed some seminal 70s performances allows his stars to lurch in every direction as he places more emphasis on camera movement and toying with ellipsis including not one but two long runway takes that remind us how well he did it in Catch 22 but not here.John Alonso lenses capably while Richard Sylbert's production design applies a thick coat of lipstick to this pig but the end result is an arrogant display of contemporary might who felt reputation alone would carry this turkey. Instead it chops its head off.

Jimmy L. THE FORTUNE doesn't seem like much, but the movie wins you over by the end. It is a screwball-type comedy set in the 1920s and focusing on a peculiar love triangle. The film rests on the shoulders of stars Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, and Stockard Channing.I ended up liking this movie perhaps more than I should have. Mike Nichols's direction is terrific, with long takes and well-choreographed shots. I really enjoyed the 1920s setting, with the period costumes and set design. Warren Beatty hams it up in his dapper, mustached role, but I enjoyed it. (I like the way his character cusses all the time.) The odd pairing of Beatty and Nicholson as partners in crime is great, and Stockard Channing has some fun moments.If I was on the fence about this comedy, the final act won me over. The dark humor really shines through as Beatty's and Nicholson's scheming goes awry. (It won't look like suicide if she's in a trunk.) The ending doesn't really seem to close the book, though.THE FORTUNE is a little-known and under-appreciated comedy. It's great to see big stars like Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson share the screen in an offbeat little comedy like this. The film seems to be lacking something, but the direction is excellent and there's plenty to make you laugh.

bruce47-1 I'm not too big on comedies, but this one was recommended, so I watched it when it was run on network TV years ago.....One of the funniest movies I've ever seen in my life. It's incredible to me that it is so underrated..... Not even a mention at any of the lifetime achievement awards for either Beatty or Nicholson. I hate to oversell a movie because it creates expectations that are almost impossible to live up to, so let me just say , "This is a 'good' comedy ". :-)I just became aware that my comment is not yet ready for submission because it does not contain the minimum 10 lines of text , so let me amend my earlier statement....." This is a very very good comedy ".......This is my first comment submission to this forum.....I was heartened to find others who recognized the gem this movie is and I just wanted to add my voice to the positive comments above......But, believing that less is sometimes more , I wanted to encourage others to seek out this movie , without "overselling ". i hope I have done my job :-).

stanistreet Stockhard Channing must be one of the most underrated comediennes about. This is an hilarious film. gridoon, who found it disappointing, seems to base his critique on the quality of the cast; Nicholson; Beatty & Channing. His expectations were probably pitched too high - and, sure, Five Easy Pieces is amazing, and Bonnie & Clyde is a classic. But The Fortune can stand on its own. It is very funny. The pace is hectic and the storyline has resonances of "It Happened One Night". The difference being that in the "The Fortune", the heroine is kidnapped - a botched attempt by two incompetents (Nicholson & Beatty). The so-called Swedish Syndrome seems to have rooted here, in that the captive falls for her captors & doesn't want to be saved. This film is well worth putting into DVD format - all Regions, please.