An epic story sprawling three decades, Rich Man, Poor Man tells the enormously long and involved story of the Jordache family. It ponders the age-old question: can money buy happiness? At least, that's one of the questions it ponders. It ponders a lot of questions, since each episode of the miniseries comprises the content of one chapter of the book it was based on, written by Irwin Shaw. It's probably one of the most thorough book-to-screen adaptations out there. Which may or may not be a fault, depending on what you're looking for in a miniseries.
The story begins with the conclusion of World War II in Europe—V.E. Day. The streets in Port Phillip, NY are full of celebration and joy. Not fully partaking in the festivities is the Jordache family, namely, the patron Axel Jordache, played by Ed Asner. He's of German decent, and although his allegiance fully lies in the U.S., he drinks in the basement of his bakery while tending to some work. Telling him to be quiet is his wife, Mary (Dorothy McGuire), a woman who, as headstrong as she can be, always seems to default to her frugal, aloof, ill-tempered husband.
Short, stumpy Axel and his petite wife Mary were somehow capable of birthing two strapping young studs of sons, Rudy (Peter Strauss), and his younger brother Tom (Nick Nolte). You can look up both of those actors, and tell me if you think they bear any kind of resemblance to their parents. As superficial as that observation might be, it's hard not to take a minute and reflect at how improbable the genetic makeup of that family is. The story, for the most part, follows Rudy and Tom as they move away from home—Rudy to college, Tom across the country to his uncle's for certain reasons pertaining to some heavy property-destruction he was involved in.
The story weaves in and out all the characters these two fellows come across and interact with; the character list is long to say the least, part of that list can be seen during the opening credit sequence at the start of each episode. Tom, who starts out as a sort of rebel-rousing jock, begins to settle down and find happiness in his own way. Rudy goes down the life of a businessman, hoping to earn a good salary and comfortable life, and eventually winds up on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. The key aspects of virtually every conflict in the entirety of the miniseries dances around the idea of money. Or more to the point, not having money.
It's hard to say that this miniseries has a lot going for it that could be called “unique” or “ground-breaking,” at least in 2010 terms. It's not a story without interesting and events, and the context is certainly right for the time period in which it is based, and could certainly be applied to today's economic crisis, but it's slow. It's slow moving, and the payoffs don't always justify the character developments and plot points that crawl along. Make no mistake, the story boasts some very likable characters, has some great drama and will leave viewers in suspense many times. But for the near 30 hours of content, it's hard to agree with everything that was put into the miniseries. If it's to add color to extraneous characters, fair enough. However, unless the performances and visuals are outstanding, much of that superfluousness can be left in the book, or else it's essentially just a shot-for-word remake of the text, which is a waste of the fluid brevity TV and film offers.
The performances themselves are very watchable, however, about as melodramatic as they possibly could be. It's not a shocker, though, seeing as this was released 1976. So be ready to watch Nick Nolte yell at the top of his lungs to his father as his father walks away out of his life, as he claims, “for good.” And be ready for that single tear to roll down Peter Strauss's eye during a hospital bed death scene, right after an emotional few last words.
Despite how obviously dated it is, and how long and thorough of a story it tells, it's very watchable. Becoming attached to the characters is made easy by the actors, and sympathy is easily drawn by the situations they are put in, or even put themselves in. While watching the final episode/chapter, it's impossible not to think back to V.E. Day that happened over 20 years ago for the characters, and look back on it fondly when their challenges were much different. Things escalate, particularly for Rudy Jordache, into a tale of revenge and violence. Needless to say, the story is unpredictable and will keep you engaged, so long as you stick with it and don't mind the story digressing to add more color to minor characters.
DVD Bonus Features
The only bonus content here is an audio commentary over the first chapter of the first book, that is, the first episode.
"Rich Man, Poor Man" is on sale September 28, 2010 and is not rated. Television. Written by Dean Riesner, Irwin Shaw (novel). Starring Dick Sargent, Dorothy McGuire, Ed Asner, Nick Nolte, Peter Strauss, Talia Shire.
