28th Mar2022

‘The Greatest Inheritance’ Review

by Phil Wheat

Stars: Mena Suvari, Jaleel White, Cameron Kelly, Jeff Schroeder, Leticia Jimenez, Miles Mussenden, Grace Pippas, Meredith Riley Stewart, Mychala Lee | Written by John K.D. Graham, Alexandra Boylan, Andrea Polnaszek | Directed by John K.D. Graham

I’ll admit I had never heard of The Greatest Inheritance or the production company behind it, Mustard Seed Entertainment, however I was drawn to the film on its short, but sweet, synopsis:

The estranged DuBose siblings return home to bury their mother and claim their inheritance, only to discover that their deceased mother has hidden the deed to the entire estate somewhere on the property.

That synopsis, to me, screamed “scavenger hunt” movies like Rat Race and Midnight Madness; mixed with a film such as Death at a Funeral, which meant I was immediately intrigued – expecting a fun, perhaps madcap, comedy that also had a touching side given it’s about a family. Unfortunately that’s NOT what I got. In fact, if I’d had read up on the film or the company involved in producing it I may have given this a wide berth.

Why? Because it’s a Christian drama.

Which is not actually a bad thing, especially if you’re looking for something more wholesome and family-orientated, however The Greatest Inheritance, at least for me, goes too far in terms of focusing on faith. So far that it feels like the film’s script slaps the audience around the ears with bible verses every second it gets. Even the CLUES(!) to the scavenger hunt within the film are all scripture and verse. It’s forced and laboured to the point that it’s a total turn-off (I didn’t turn the film off, mainly because I was watching this to review – if I was casually viewing I certainly wouldn’t have stuck with the film)

The other issue is the cast. Jaleel White is fantastic as Mr. Shepard, who is in charge of the funeral proceedings and tortures the DuBose siblings, he seems to be having a lot of fun in the role. Whilst Mena Suvari seems to be in the film for the paycheck, I felt very much like there was no conviction to her performance (though that can be said for a number of the film’s cast). However, The Greatest Inheritance‘s REAL problem in terms of the cast is Cameron Kelly. Her character Kasey, the musician of the family down on her luck, is intensely hateable. Like truly detestable. Her behaviour is questionable to the point of being disrespectful. So much so that I didn’t even care about the character’s arc – you know she’s supposed to come good in the end but I didn’t care. At all. Which ruins the point of the movie I guess!

As a reviewer I often try and vary my scope beyond the genre films I love, much like I did as a video-renting teen (where you’d give films a try based purely on the cover), and I keep an open mind – as I did with The Greatest Inheritance – but the idea of an open mind has to work both ways. Yes, you can make a faith-based films, much like some of the films of Harley Wallen, but I think, you need to make them accessible to all too. And this film, thanks to the excessive use of scripture, does the opposite – it alienates a large audience who might just be looking for more squeaky-clean fare.

If you want a Lifetime movie packed with bible verses then maybe give The Greatest Inheritance a go. But if you’re after a family-friendly scavenger hunt movie, like I was, then this is one to easily avoid.

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