Teringer An Exercise In Nonsense

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Kamila Bell This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Ella-May O'Brien Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

HotToastyRag The Greek Tycoon is supposed to be loosely based on the romance of Jackie Kennedy and Ari Onassis, but it's a pretty shameless copy on the surface. Jaqueline Bisset plays Liz, a high-class, prim and proper wife of James Franciscus, who plays an ambitious politician named Jack Cassidy. The soon-to-be president has an equally ambitious brother, Johnny, played by Robin Clarke, who soon gets promoted to Attorney General. I'm not kidding. They meet The Greek Tycoon, who has silver hair and dark glasses, named Theo Tomasis. I'm still not kidding.No one in Hollywood knows what happened behind closed doors between Jackie and Ari, so beyond that, the movie is probably largely fiction. I hope the movie is largely fictitious, because neither lead is even remotely likable. "Theo" is an open womanizer who tells his new bride on his wedding night that he's going to sleep with his mistress the next day. He has a temper, and unlike most Anthony Quinn roles, he's not warm or tender underneath the roughness. "Liz" is cold and callous, giving an unbelievably heartless speech after her husband's assassination. She also has a temper, and she vacillates between boredom and anger, with no reason for either. Also, the so-called romance between the two is pretty ridiculous. She's married to a "Cassidy" and she's bored? She's married to a "Cassidy" and she is immediately drawn to the crude "Theo" even during her marriage? There's no reason for her hormones to take over when he's around, but screenwriter Mort Fine thought the audience didn't need a reason. Tony does a Greek dance and all of a sudden she can't control herself. Jaqueline Bisset could have poured herself into the role, but either she chose not to or she wasn't able to, because I wasn't able to find any real acting on display. Anthony Quinn doesn't even do a good job! He gets in arguments with Jaqueline, loses his temper, throws a punch at his son Edward Albert, and sleeps around with various women. That's about it. The music is like a bad '70s tv movie, as is the very trite script. The only thing the movie manages to do is cast two actors are infinitely more attractive than the real people they're portraying.DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not your friend. The movie contains lots of shaky helicopter shots, and that might make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

monroeanderson I saw The Greek Tycoon when it first came out in 1978. I found it extremely boring. I thought it was no better than a travelogue except for one thing: For the first time in my life I realized why it would be good to be rich. Seeing the scenery off Aristotle Onassis' yacht and getting my first real peek into the lifestyle of the rich and famous opened my eyes. To paraphrase Martha Stewart: It was a good thing. Funny, I don't remember the sex scene. I hadn't seen the movie since it was on the big screen and found the lovemaking session with the mistress memorable this time. Maybe because I was younger and single back then, it was no big deal.

doors64248 Anthony Quinn is perfectly cast in the role of a wealthy Greek aristocrat to Jacqueline Bisset's rich American widow. Set in the 1970s, the acting is passable though not fantastic. Quinn's turn is the best, though, as he plays an emotional, powerful man who is used to having his way in and out of the boardroom. Thinly veiled plot, you can figure out what is going to happen in the movie during the first few minutes, but it is worth sitting through for the scenery of the Greek islands. Even if the volume is turned to mute, it is nice to see how rich and famous frolic aboard yachts, in pools and on the beach. Serious film critics might just see this film as a glorified television movie of the week.

peterjamesyates I remember the erstwhile BBC reviewer, Barry Norman, opining that Anthony Quinn's portrayal of Theo (Ari?) had 'all the appeal of an armpit'. One or two other reviewers over the years have rather dismissed Quinn as 'overrated'. Be that as it may, I thought the great actor played his part, at times, both sensitively and sympathetically. And, of course, Jackie Bisset remains a good enough reason to watch a movie.