The Estate

The Estate

Year: 2022

Runtime: 96 min

Language: English

Director: Dean Craig

Echo Score: 48
Comedy

Two siblings set out on a comical mission to win over their stern, unwell aunt and ultimately inherit her estate. They quickly realize they're not the only ones with designs on her fortune, as other family members are equally determined to claim their share. This sets off a series of escalating pranks and humorous schemes as everyone vies for the inheritance, leading to a chaotic and hilarious family rivalry.

Warning: spoilers below!

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Timeline & Setting – The Estate (2022)

Explore the full timeline and setting of The Estate (2022). Follow every major event in chronological order and see how the environment shapes the story, characters, and dramatic tension.

Time period

Location

Aunt Hilda's mansion, Halfway House

The primary setting is Aunt Hilda's mansion, a symbol of old money and family power. The estate becomes a pressure cooker where relatives scheme for a fortune while the aunt lies ill. The story moves between the opulent home and hidden corners where deception takes shape, highlighting how wealth can corrode family ties.

🏰 Estate 💰 Wealth 🏡 Mansion 👪 Family

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:58

Main Characters – The Estate (2022)

Meet the key characters of The Estate (2022), with detailed profiles, motivations, and roles in the plot. Understand their emotional journeys and what they reveal about the film’s deeper themes.

Macy (Toni Collette)

Macy is anxious about money and willing to push ethical boundaries to secure an inheritance. She partners with Savannah on the scheme, yet her pragmatism clashes with the growing awareness of the human cost of deception. Her actions reveal a struggle between loyalty to family and desire for financial security.

💰 Wealth 👪 Family ⚖️ Morality

Savannah (Anna Faris)

Savannah is impulsive and eager for a quick financial fix. She drives the plan with her sister, often relying on Macy's caution. Her bold moves create tension and push the scheme toward riskier maneuvers, revealing a temperament driven by desperation and thrill-seeking.

💰 Wealth 👪 Family 🧭 Morality

Aunt Hilda (Kathleen Turner)

Aunt Hilda is a cancer-stricken matriarch who still wields emotional and financial influence. She becomes the focal point of the cousins' plots, balancing vulnerability with a stubborn sense of autonomy as her will is tested.

💊 Illness 🪙 Inheritance ⚖️ Authority

Beatrice (Rosemarie DeWitt)

Beatrice is calculating and opportunistic, quick to exploit the aunt's illness and aligned with James for financial gain. She acts as a catalyst in the scheme, steering the group toward a money-driven decision and revealing a willingness to manipulate family for wealth.

💰 Wealth 👯 Rivalry 🎭 Deception

James (Ron Livingston)

James is the aunt's husband, torn between his marriage and money. His actions expose a readiness to betray, align with Beatrice, and navigate the complex power dynamics of a fortune within a frail relationship.

💍 Marriage 🤝 Deception 💰 Wealth

Richard (Dick) (David Duchovny)

Richard is a schemer who flirts with Macy and adds a dangerous edge to the family plot. He uses charm to advance his own agenda, complicating loyalties among relatives and fueling the sense of opportunistic danger.

💋 Flirtation 👥 Family ⚖️ Manipulation

Bill (Danny Vinson)

Bill is the sex offender the cousins attempt to use as a pawn to destabilize the aunt's life. His presence tests the family’s morals and, when exposed, threatens to derail the entire inheritance plan.

💥 Danger 💰 Inheritance ⚖️ Crime

Ellen (Keyla Monterroso Mejia)

Ellen is the younger sister who becomes bait in the scheme, pressured into risky moves to lure Bill. Her involvement highlights how family members can be drawn into manipulation with limited power to resist.

👧 Youth 👪 Family 🗝️ Deception

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:58

Major Themes – The Estate (2022)

Explore the central themes of The Estate (2022), from psychological, social, and emotional dimensions to philosophical messages. Understand what the film is really saying beneath the surface.

💰 Greed

A large inheritance sparks a scramble among Macy, Savannah, Beatrice and the rest of the cousins. The estate's value is Played like a game of chance, with plans and counterplans aimed at grabbing the fortune. The pursuit of wealth dominates conversations and drives ruthless actions, revealing the high cost of greed on family bonds.

👪 Family Rivalry

The siblings and cousins clash within the same household that should shelter them. Old resentments flare as they compete for the aunt's favor, attention, and the estate. Alliances form and fracture, testing loyalty and shifting the balance of power within the family.

🕯️ Deception

The plot hinges on lies, manipulation, and schemes involving the vulnerable matriarch. The plan to expose Bill relies on deception, while the aunt's consent or rejection of the will becomes a battleground. As truths surface, characters confront the consequences of their calculated moves.

Last Updated: October 03, 2025 at 19:58

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Desperate Farce Family Feuds like in The Estate

Bickering relatives spiral into absurd chaos while fighting over money or power.Looking for movies like The Estate? This section features comedies where families turn into rival factions, scrambling for an inheritance or advantage through absurdly escalating schemes. If you enjoyed the competitive chaos and desperate humor of The Estate, you'll find similar stories of greedy relatives and comedic backstabbing here.

competitivecomicalchaotictensegreedydesperatefarcicalfamily rivalry

Narrative Summary

These stories typically follow a straightforward plot where financial desperation or greed pits family members against each other. The narrative is driven by a rapid succession of increasingly ridiculous plots and counter-plots, leading to a climax that often reveals the ultimate futility of their efforts, sometimes with an ironic twist.

Why These Movies?

Movies are grouped here for their shared focus on family conflict played for laughs, a fast-paced and farcical tone, and the central theme of desperation leading to chaotic, humorous schemes. The viewing experience is defined by light emotional weight and a consistently competitive, comical mood.

Bittersweet Comedies of Error like The Estate

Humorous scrambles that end with an ironic mix of failure and unexpected gain.If you liked the ending of The Estate, where the main plan fails but a small win emerges, explore these bittersweet comedies. Discover similar movies about flawed schemes and ironic outcomes that mix humor with a touch of poignant reality, perfect for viewers who enjoy comedies that aren't purely happy-ever-after.

comicalironicunexpectedpoignantmisguidedschemingreflective

Narrative Summary

The narrative follows characters who are driven by a clear, often desperate, motivation. Their journey is a series of comedic errors and escalating missteps. The central conflict is ultimately resolved not with triumphant success, but with a mixed outcome—the primary goal may be lost, but a smaller, often more meaningful, reward is found, leaving characters (and the audience) with a reflective, bittersweet feeling.

Why These Movies?

This thread groups movies based on a specific tonal blend: the primary experience is humorous and light, but the story arc concludes with a bittersweet or ironic resolution. The shared element is the balance between comedic execution and an ending that acknowledges the complexity of the characters' actions.

Unlock the Full Story of The Estate

Don't stop at just watching — explore The Estate in full detail. From the complete plot summary and scene-by-scene timeline to character breakdowns, thematic analysis, and a deep dive into the ending — every page helps you truly understand what The Estate is all about. Plus, discover what's next after the movie.

The Estate Summary

Read a complete plot summary of The Estate, including all key story points, character arcs, and turning points. This in-depth recap is ideal for understanding the narrative structure or reviewing what happened in the movie.

The Estate Summary

The Estate Timeline

Track the full timeline of The Estate with every major event arranged chronologically. Perfect for decoding non-linear storytelling, flashbacks, or parallel narratives with a clear scene-by-scene breakdown.

The Estate Timeline

The Estate Ending Explained

What really happened at the end of The Estate? This detailed ending explained page breaks down final scenes, hidden clues, and alternate interpretations with expert analysis and viewer theories.

The Estate Ending Explained

The Estate Spoiler-Free Summary

Get a quick, spoiler-free overview of The Estate that covers the main plot points and key details without revealing any major twists or spoilers. Perfect for those who want to know what to expect before diving in.

The Estate Spoiler-Free Summary

More About The Estate

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More About The Estate

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