Respond to these rapid questions in our Greed quiz and we will tell you which Greed character you are. Play it now.
It is “Greed” that is produced when intelligent and righteously enraged filmmakers attempt to make an acidic black comedy about late capitalism, sometimes with varying degrees of success. Despite its generally sympathetic criticisms of class-less business tycoons like Sir Richard “McGreedie” McCreadie (Steve Coogan), a Trumpian fashion mogul based on real-life billionaire Sir Philip Green, “Greed” is frequently as entertaining as it sounds. McCreadie is a fantastic character, and writer/director Michael Winterbottom (“Tristram Shandy,” “The Shock Doctrine”) once again brings out the best in Coogan, whose comic timing, physicality, and line delivery make McCreadie’s thuggish behavior extremely amusing. “Tristram Shandy” is a must-see, and “The Shock Doctrine” is a must-see as well. However, “Greed” is never more than the sum of its best parts because other actors—particularly Jamie Blackley, who plays young McCreadie in a series of flashbacks and is fine but somewhat disappointing—are unable to achieve the delicate balance between broad humor and serious drama that the film requires.
“Greed” is presented as a hagiographic McCreadie biography gone wrong, commissioned by its proudly exploitative subject but written by blinkered freelancer Nick (David Mitchell), a sap who only realizes how vile McCreadie is while he is doing research for the project. Nick’s editorial commentary presumably makes McCreadie appear to be the most obnoxious character in his own adoring narrative, which unfortunately culminates in McCreadie’s disastrous 60th birthday party, an expensive toga-themed bash that is attended by musicians, celebrity impersonators, and a real-life lion, among others.
In any case, Nick’s crisis of conscience takes a long time to manifest itself, despite the fact that McCreadie is extremely proud of the fact that he made his fortune by undercutting everyone from sweatshop owners to clothing wholesalers. McCreadie may or may not be a real person, but he appears to be evil: he gets away with it because he knows that his money speaks louder than any government regulation (as he argues in a deposition in which he points out that the vast majority of large corporations do not pay income taxes).
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this Greed quiz.
It’s simple (and entertaining) to despise McCreadie because Coogan has mastered the art of parodying this type of oafish, Barnumesque personality. The character of Nick Mitchell, on the other hand, is even more obnoxious: he’s such a stooge that, in addition to conducting interviews for McCreadie’s book, Nick also records awkward birthday messages for McCreadie’s birthday party, which includes a salute from the Sri Lankan sweatshop workers that McCreadie employs. Nick Mitchell is a jerk. This type of spineless loser is something Mitchell is also very good at portraying, as evidenced by his performance in “Peep Show,” so it’s difficult to dismiss his character as a vile parody of what the fourth estate has become since being purchased by Murdoch-style McMoguls. The majority of the scenes in which Nick puffs out his chest with a scholarly but inaccurate quip (he paraphrases Shakespeare and Shelley, but doesn’t appear to have read any of them) have a lot of truth to them. Even so, it’s difficult not to laugh (or just nod grimly) whenever Nick, a walking one-note joke, acts like a wide-eyed mouth-breather whenever McCreadie’s former associates tell on Nick’s sleazy employer. Nick is a walking one-note joke, after all.
Greed Quiz
Winterbottom also doesn’t make full use of his main hook, which is that “Greed” is a satire whose style—a dramatic Great Man narrative, full of tastefully lit, wide-angle master shots—is at odds with the funny/sad findings of Nick’s investigations. Winterbottom also doesn’t make full use of his main hook, which is that “Greed” is a satire whose style—a dramatic Great Man narrative, full of tastefully lit, So what is Nick’s purpose in being in “Greed”? Winterbottom appears to have created him solely so that he can take a few good (and several ineffective) shots at the media, which he understandably believes is complicit in Green’s widely publicized extra-legal activities.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Greed quiz.
However, Coogan’s typically scene-stealing performance is already nuanced and funny enough to land the majority of Winterbottom’s bold-faced talking points before they even get out of the gate. Watch Coogan dismiss a group of Syrian refugees who are inconveniently located (they are too close to McCreadie’s party) with a wave of his hand and some uncomfortable stammering: “They’re refugees! They’re refugees!” I believe they can find safety somewhere…” Watch as McCreadie dismisses a Rod Stewart lookalike as Stewart’s “bitter brother” in a matter of seconds. Watch in awe as Coogan convinces you that a wealthy jerk like McCreadie can be so blinded by his own self-importance that, when his son (Johnny Sweet) quotes “Gladiator” while acting out, McCreadie can only think to say: “I didn’t teach him that.” In fact, I don’t believe that’s even in the film… ” Only a seasoned comic actor like Coogan can rescue such tired material as McCreadie’s final monologue, a self-deflating monologue whose impact is quickly diminished by an extended pre-credits Powerpoint presentation on the actual corporate greed that McCreadie represents in the real world.
About the quiz
Despite their best efforts, the makers of “Greed” are unable to get out of their own way long enough to allow their film’s acrid sense of humor to shine through. This is a shame, because the majority of the film’s contributors are talented enough to be excellent on their own, and even better when they work together as a group. A scene in which a soon-to-be-ex-employee (Pearl Mackie) rushes to save herself after McCreadie’s party inevitably blows up is the best the film has to offer. “F**k off, Keith!” she screams at a Keith Richards impersonator as she pushes him aside. The rest of the film is frequently amusing and true, but it is rarely intelligent enough to have any lasting impact beyond its most amusing moments.Also, you must try to play this Greed quiz.
For more personality quizzes check this: Greed Quiz.
