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» » Susan's Plan (1998)

Short summary

Susan wants her reprehensible ex-husband dead and, in several bungled attempts by henchmen, tries to accomplish the deed. First her boyfriend hires two dim-witted hitmen. Then she hires a ... See full summary
Susan wants her reprehensible ex-husband dead and, in several bungled attempts by henchmen, tries to accomplish the deed. First her boyfriend hires two dim-witted hitmen. Then she hires a former biker boyfriend to smother him in the hospital where he is recuperating from the first attempt. Then Zane's former wife figures out what is going on and wants a part of the action.

Trailers "Susan's Plan (1998)"

After getting so frustrated with the changes the studio made to Bluusivennad 2000 (1998), John Landis decided to make something for himself. This film was the result.

Michael Biehn, Billy Zane, and Thomas Haden Church appeared in Tombstone (1993).

Sheree North's final cinematic appearance.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Мох
    We picked up the DVD and thought, "Hey, with a cast like this and with John Landis directing, it's got to be worth at least a look. I mean, Landis did 'Blues Brothers', didn't he?" I also need to point out that we are big Dan Ackroyd fans and will watch, at least once, anything the man puts on film. Man, were we disappointed.

    Rather than beat a dead horse, we'll just throw a few adjectives and phrases your direction: disjointed, bad editing, failing jokes (the fart jokes were the funniest, if this gives you an idea), no closure, redundant, unnecessary and distracting segues, gratuitous sex scenes (although Lara Flynn Boyles is very appealing, just not enough screen time to make it interesting!).

    We watched this movie and braved the hour and a half hoping it would get better and that the cacophony of subplots would somehow congeal into a cohesive crescendo. Not happening. Just got worse and left us feeling like we wasted the popcorn.

    Do not rent this movie. If you need a Dan Ackroyd fix, just rent "Grosse Pointe Blank" or even "Ghostbusters." And if you need a Rob Schneider fix, I understand 'Deuce Bigalow' was 'Citizen Kane' compared to this fine piece of...art.
  • comment
    • Author: Foxanayn
    Although funny at moments "Susan's plan" fails to provide a meaningful plot, it basically revolves around money, the amount of which is not even revealed. The acting is nothing special and there is the absence of humor from Rob Schneider. The positive side of this movie is you get to see practically every female actress in it naked. The stunningly beautiful Lara Flynn Boyle is one of the main reasons why I give this movie 6/10
  • comment
    • Author: Nto
    This movie was one of the most disjointed, strange, contrived, hard-to-follow (and not really worth the effort) movies I've ever seen. There were so many holes. For example, we are told that Adrian Paul's character was bad and we're supposed to believe his death would not be a tremendous loss. But why? We have no idea why he "deserves to die" other than the fact that his ex-wife stands to gain a lot of money (of which she has plenty, anyway)! And if I had to see one more scene of gratuitous sex, I think I may have become violently ill.

    This supposedly is a comedy. Ha, ha. It's more like a strange hallucination without the prerequisite of medication. Many scenes seem completely pointless, and many others seem to be designed solely because somebody promised somebody that he/she could be in the movie and a minor cameo had to be created. (Example: Michael Biehn's character's cousin. If anyone can explain why that character was necessary, I'll give him/her a dollar -- and that's nearly one-fourth of the total amount I wasted renting this movie!)

    It will be a very cold day in a notoriously hot place before I feel compelled to waste a couple of hours on this one again.
  • comment
    • Author: Snowseeker
    I can't really say that this was a good movie, as much as I'd like to say so, but some of the performances in the film are pretty funny. I think Michael Biehn is terrific and he is easily the best character in the film. I also think Rob Schneider and Billy Zane give good supporting performances. Some of the gags are hilarious, but this Landis film can't compare to most of the stuff he's done in the past.
  • comment
    • Author: Hra
    I liked this movie only because Nastassja Kinski starred in it, and it was kind of a different role for her. She usually plays victim types, but in this she's not so nice. I wish the movie had been better scripted and edited. Too many things don't make sense. Why should we think Adrian Paul is worth killing? He's supposed to be not worth much, but we never know why. The ending is practically non-existent. It just runs out of steam and dies. Having said that, there were a few funny moments. Enough to rent a video for? Probably not, unless like me, you like one of the leads.
  • comment
    • Author: Ffan
    Not John Landis's proudest moment. I'm not sure what his last movie was before directing (and writing!) this forgettable dark comedy, but it seems as if he took a long break from the business. You would think he'd make a big revival, after his many successes with such hit comedies as "Animal House," "Trading Places" and "Coming to America." Wrong.

    I'm not going to be entirely negative. I was laughing a lot during the first and second acts. The film never quite hits the comic bull's eye, but it starts out on a positive note with many funny and entertaining moments. The characters are never well-developed, and it's obvious that Landis was leaning towards a dark farce, but I let that slide at first. Towards the end, the one-joke premise is stretched to the point where we're watching a series of violent dream sequences, which get quite repetitive. The film loses all focus, and the audience is given the run-around.

    The cast is promising. Rob Schneider has a few funny sequences. Dan Aykroyd looks cool as a snide, tough-guy biker dude. The women are sexy, led by Natassja Kinski. However, I will give a warning. I'm a man and I'm not offended by female nudity; in fact, I enjoy it. But for all women who are offended by the "degrading of females" in countless motion pictures will probably croak on this one. Those who saw Landis's landmark comedy "Animal House" know his tendency to insert gratuitous nudity to catch the attention of his male viewers, but in that film it better fit the tone. In this case, I think he was pushing it. I don't know if it was exactly necessary to show Thomas Haden-Church doing Lara Flynn Boyle doggystyle. As I said, I'm not offended, but prudish women probably will be.

    The soundtrack is awfully one-note. It's as if Landis was running way, way underbudget and could only fit one theme song into the soundtrack. Though I was laughing most of the way, I couldn't help but feel this film was way under par--especially for a man of Landis's talent. The last thirty minutes is all over the map, and Landis seemed to have written those final scenes in his sleep.

    Altogether not bad, but not too good either.

    My score: 5 (out of 10)
  • comment
    • Author: Urreur
    I actually didn't expect this film to very funny, as the cover mostly made it look like more of an action movie - but as it turns out it was very very funny. Great actors, great story and plot twists everywhere! It reminded a bit of "Two Days In L.A." but this one was far better. Most comedies nowadays have enough good jokes in them to last about ten minutes, but John Landis proves that movies like this still can be made.
  • comment
    • Author: Jugore
    It's little unusual genre for John Landis. I got used to his good comedies, like "Coming to America" or "Trading places". This one is good movie too and it's "black comedy". But I like this movie. Sometimes it's funny and very stupid. Characters during the whole movie find oneselves to the most stupid situation. And this all cross with the strong violence and sexuality. So I can call this movie "The standard of black comedies".
  • comment
    • Author: Mavivasa
    What the hell has happened to John Landis? Not that he was ever a genius behind the camera, but he did make some genuinely entertaining and original films. `Susan's Plan', however, isn't one of them. The reason I watched this was for the cast, which boasts many talented performers, but I felt bad for them by the end, which is a slapdash mess. The film starts off promisingly enough, but much like the titular `…Plan', this movie falls apart by the third act.

    One of the rules of this site discourages blowing the ends of movies, and I'll respect that, but be prepared for a weak, very predictable conclusion. This film is also chockablock with dream sequences, which were a forgivable indulgence in `An American Werewolf in London', but in this seemed like a copout filmic device for audience misdirection that mainly seemed included to pad out a very thin script to feature length. It's also got plenty of gratuitous female nudity, which is pleasant to look at, but kind of made me feel bad for the actresses, especially Lara Flynn Boyle. Time for her to get a new agent. In this case I think the actresses were exploited, but hey, it's a Landis movie.

    Maybe an adequately diverting watch on cable if you're laid low by the flu or something, but if you're feeling fine, watch a good movie or go out and enjoy your life. Get some fresh air. Ninety minutes could be better spent doing something other than becoming embroiled in `Susan's Plan'.
  • comment
    • Author: Friert
    I've seen this film this evening with my wife and I'm very perplexed about it. I think John Landis is near a genius - The Blues Brothers are there to show it - but this is a tired film with some great gags. The cast of characters is very good and Dan (Aykroyd, obviously) play a splendid cameo but I'm not satisfied at all. I understand that directors are not always thinking about a masterpiece but some more diligence would be appreciated. However - Landis is Landis - your money and your time will be well spent.
  • comment
    • Author: Delaath
    People had been dumping on this film a lot so I made sure to check all the other Landis movies I could before trying this one out. Susan's Plan is a low budget "a bunch of people talking to each other" movie with a very simple plot - the title character comes up with a plan to whack her ex husband with the help of her friends and split the insurance money, but the plan goes wrong and hilarity ensues.

    Susan's Plan, even if obviously smaller, is still classic Landis. The low budget is compensated by a strong narrative and a myriad of colorful characters who're rather at home in the Dream On universe, than in bigger Landis movies. Almost everybody in this movie is famous for one thing or the other, even the small parts, just check out the cast. The most unexpected performance comes from Michael Biehn, I'm not sure if he ever played something so funny and against type, because it's a role one would expect Jim Carey to play. Thomas Haden Church seems to be playing Peter Weller. Lisa Edelstein is all Cuddy again. And Dan Aykroyd's character is just really sick!

    Susan's Plan feels constructed around cheap and accessible locations and well known, but inexpensive actors, and it's very well done at that. At just 85 minutes it appears to have some padding scenes of various importance, like characters' dream sequences, Susan's day job as a teacher, or Stuart Gordon as a doctor telling a dirty joke, but it's done to make a full creative use of a location. One thing that I found amazing was how Landis and his actors manage to switch between something really funny, or plain silly to something suspenseful and genuinely scary almost all in a single scene. Overall it's a small crime comedy for midnight TV that looks bigger than it actually is. I really liked it and I recommend it.
  • comment
    • Author: Modifyn
    I rented this movie becuase Michael Biehn was in it, and found it surprisingly good. Biehn, in his first comedic role, really shines. He brings an interesting airheadedness to the role which is a fun change to his usual mega-serious roles in other films. However, the film is also filled with humorous portayls by Lara Flynn Bolye, Nastassja Kinski and Billy Zane. Rob Schneider, Thomas Haden Church and Adrian Paul also give semi-funny performences, and Dan Akroyd plays a barely believable, but funny role as "Bob". The plot is very cliched and rather normal, but the film is very funny and the charecters interesting to watch. It was a very pleasent surprise, this film. Highly reccomended to fans of Biehn, Kinski, Boyle or just fans of good comedies.
  • comment
    • Author: Kabei
    WARNING!!!!WARNING!!! In case you haven't seen the movie. then do not read this comment I do mention main things about the ending.

    Did Paul (adrian paul) die in the movie or what. After he is supposed to have been smothered to death by bob. Adrian paul's character calls his ex-wife susan(nastassja kinski)and says he been been in an accident but he is fine.so is he dead or what, or was it all a scam.

    Then at the end it shows betty (lara flynn boyle) in vegas who happens to run into the doctor (thomas hayden church),when he asks her how she's been. she says she does not know him. This would only make sense if paul"s character really died. So could someone please explain this. I really liked the film thought it was very funny,I laughed a lot.
  • comment
    • Author: Gabar
    Stars: Natassja Kinski, Billy Zane, Lara Flynn Boyle, Rob Schnieder, Michael Bien, Dan Aykroyd, Thomas Hayden Church and Joey Travolta.

    This was a genuinely funny movie with great performances. It's a kill the husband get the money plotted film, but John Landis's script is surprisingly fresh. I'll start with the actors. Dan Aykroyd was my favorite performer as the humorless gangster. His lack of humor in the film is actually the funniest part of it. Schnieder and Bien are good as the two buddies in the film. Lara Flynn Boyle is hilarious as the slutty hairdresser. Now my problem with the film was the horrible ending. The plot felt so unresolved and it ended on such a horrible note that it ruined the rest of the film for me.

    My rating: ** out of ****. 86 mins. rated R for Sex/Nudity, Gory Violence and Language.
  • comment
    • Author: Debeme
    That's what it was, a small, amusing, John Landis film.

    The plot is simple. Woman and her lover hires people to kill her no good ex-husband for the insurance money. Unfortunately the people she hires are all incredibly screwed up. Will they finally commit the murder? Watch this movie for the actors. The actors are great. Lara Flynn Boyle is stunning as a dumb blonde (but actually she's a brunette) type. Michael Biehn plays against type as a weirdo, and he's very good. Billy Zane is funny and gorgeous, and so is Natassia Kinski as the scheming woman who want to do away with her husband, the incredibly handsome, sexy Adrian Paul.

    This is a nice movie with some very funny moments, unfortunately the story and the dialog could've been written better. I think that's why this movie never went to the theaters.

    Personally, I liked the movie for its' quirky characters and good acting. Rent this movie when there's nothing else to do on the weekend. This is a very pleasant way to pass the time.
  • comment
    • Author: Ydely
    Right up until the ending, I had been enjoying this film. It's dark humour and well defined characters brought together by a great cast. It was very interesting to watch Michael Biehn play someone very different to his usual characters.

    The only (and unfortunately, quite a major) drawback to this film was its ending, which made it look like the writer ran out of ideas and after deciding they were bored, quickly slammed on a hurried ending.

    I gave this film a 6/10 (because mainly, the ending killed the whole film for me).
  • comment
    • Author: Uanabimo
    I could have very well spent 90-some minutes staring at a blank sheet of paper, and my trains of thought would have been much more entertaining. Actually trains, of thought involving two of the actresses (Lisa Edelstein and Cristina Venuti) took me on very plesant journeys indeed. However, this movie is so PAINFULLY slow, and the dialogue so forced, that is impossible for this movie to do anything but make you stare at your watch. The cast is great, but no one seems to fit. Billy Zane finally has a role where he portrays a Human Being, but Micheal Biehn is woefully miscast as a ne'er-do-well. It just amazes me that John Landis- genius behind Animal House, Blues Brothers, American Werewolf in London, Coming to America and Spies like Us, was responsible for this waste of time. So very sad. C'mon, John, we know you have it in ya!
  • comment
    • Author: felt boot
    With some wonderful names attached to this film you would expect to see some great acting... no disappointment there. All the main cast were superb in their roles.

    So why am I not enthusing over this film. There seemed to be something just slightly off key with the humour. It had all the trappings of being exceptional but, perhaps it went a little too far overboard and became a little confusing - in the 'why did the Director want to do that?' sense of the word.

    The highs: Michael Biehn as the inept, would-be-killer, Bill, stuck in the closet with panicking Billy Zane's Insurance salesman and Bill's 'flatulent' best buddy.

    Dan Ackroyd in a wonderful deadpan role as 'Bob'.

    The Lows: The script - it was a little too flat and I am amazed the actors did such a great job given some of the lines they had to work with.
  • comment
    • Author: Kison
    With the introductory titles at the beginning of the movie, one can sense that this film is in big trouble. After all, how much emphasis should a palm tree receive - shot and reshot via redundant closeups and pull backs? The first set of scenes seems to set the tenor of the movie and is a grand hint that what follows has the potential of being awful. Cheesy sets, lousy dialogue, poor editing - all worthy of a ninth grade film buff student in his first big homework assignment. The framing of the shots almost seem to be out of "How to Make a Movie 101," with the subsequent movie having a very cook booked feeling or how to make a movie by the numbers.

    Somewhere about the 30 minute mark, it becomes exceedingly difficult to suppress the thought that the producer, director, and writer, John Landis, should not be taken outside and shot. It is amazing how he can take a more than capable cast and have most of them looking like low IQ dimwits. The movie's only saving grace is that it is highly uneven, meaning that there is something there to almost balance out its dreadfulness, but not quite. That factor is Dan Aykroyd whose reputation as a comedian proceeds him and without that awareness, the movie would be a complete failure. As the character, Bob, Akyroyd does his version of Tom Hanks in "Road to Perdition" - a deadly serious killer whose lack of on screen humor makes him very funny.

    The basic plot of the movie is contained within its title, "Dying to Get Rich! --- Susan's Plan," and revolves around Susan, played by Nastassja Kinski, scheming to get rid of her ex-husband to collect his insurance money. Characterizing the film as a "black comedy" cannot mask its gross deficiencies. It is painful to watch an actress of Nastassja's caliber having to mouth some of the lines that are liberally interspersed with a four letter word, starting with "f" and ending in "k." This must be a Guinness world record for Nastassja uttering the "f" word in any of her movies. It is my fervent hope that Nastassja will never have to attend a film festival of her works and have to provide commentary on a frame to frame basis for this movie.

    Because this movie is like a sitting duck, it is too easy to blast it out of the water. One scene has the major participants openly discussing the murder in a crowded, public restaurant! The awkwardness and stiffness of some of the scenes should constitute a nice lesson on how-not-to-make a movie. This is one movie that not even Nastassja can escape unscathed as she leads her merry band of idiots down a path of ruin.
  • comment
    • Author: godlike
    This movie sucked big time. I caught it on Cinemax one afternoon, and it was just plain stupid. The "plan" was spoofed in so many ridiculous ways-after awhile it just got stupid and pointless. Do yourself a favor and skip this one.
  • comment
    • Author: Wel
    I like this special comedy with much of neurotic fun very much. Susan's Plan is to kill her husband, and the film shows us many versions, how people to do it. The plan - is the problem, because you need someone who really can do it! At last it will be done by the smartest man in this film, but than came the police and will catch them all. The night on the swimming pool, with Susan the whisky and him is very strange.

    A film about possibilities against realities, about the opposition between dreaming and real-life. A neurotic comedy like Woody Allens "Borris Gruschenko", where he is planning (together with the Diane Keaton) to kill Napoleon (and they kill double of Napoleon). Nastassja as Susan in one of her best roles in the last ten years. Very good is the scene, where she is sitting in the car and reading Stephen King. Then when one from her friends will knocking at the door of the car she became great fear. She said to herself, that she will reading King never again.
  • comment
    • Author: Rleyistr
    Hard to say what went wrong with this movie. Great cast and a director famous for his funny films - but somehow the pieces of the puzzle don't fit together. Everything is a bit lame. Except for the unexpected dream sequences, the film holds few surprises and just doesn't make me laugh as often as it should. Worth watching for the fans of Dan Aykroyd, though, because he's never had the opportunity to play such a mean tough guy before (as far as I know). Nastassja Kinski still got the magic: I love the moment in the prison cell, when she looks at the other prisoner and doesn't know if she wants to cry or laugh... (Voted 6/10)
  • comment
    • Author: Folsa
    This excellent indie film by John Landis was thankfully shown on late night Cinemax where it could be taped. I guess it was not successful commercially. An intelligent and funny film with great acting and directing.
  • comment
    • Author: Bluecliff
    Incoherent, unfunny John Landis comedy about a team of buffoons who try to pull off the perfect crime. Story is poorly structured with characters just running all over the place. Biehn is the only performance that raised my eyebrow. A grown man who spends his time playing Nintendo Games! How creative! Look out folks, he may play Lear next!
  • comment
    • Author: Vonalij
    This is a funny, nonsense movie that should not ever be taken literally. I laughed almost all the way through it. I have only one criticism of the list of cast members. Most of the lists (including the one broadcasted on Max) neglect to mention Adrian Paul as the guy all the others are trying to kill. Can't you tell? I'm a huge fan of Adrian's. Anyway, at the showing here in Dallas my daughter-in-law went with me to the film festival. She really likes John Landis & was thrilled to meet him & get his autograph. She told him the only reason she was there was because her mother-in-law-(me) was one of Adrian's following. (Of course, there were others of us in the audience as well). Mr.Landis asked her if I approved of how he used him in the film. She responded yes, that I did. Since this was the first time I had the opportunity to see Mr. Paul on the big screen, it is a night I shan't forget. Well worth seeing.
  • Cast overview, first billed only:
    Nastassja Kinski Nastassja Kinski - Susan Holland
    Billy Zane Billy Zane - Sam Myers
    Michael Biehn Michael Biehn - Bill
    Rob Schneider Rob Schneider - Steve
    Lara Flynn Boyle Lara Flynn Boyle - Betty Johnson
    Carl Ballantine Carl Ballantine - Harold Beyers
    Thomas Haden Church Thomas Haden Church - Dr. Chris Stillman
    Bill Duke Bill Duke - Detective Scott
    Lisa Edelstein Lisa Edelstein - Penny Myers
    Sheree North Sheree North - Mrs. Beyers
    Adrian Paul Adrian Paul - Paul Holland
    Dan Aykroyd Dan Aykroyd - Bob
    Joey Travolta Joey Travolta - Bartender
    Christina Venuti Christina Venuti - Janice
    Robert Harvey Robert Harvey - Car Dealership Boss
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