Family Business is one of those films that has a lot of promise, but never gets into full swing.

Sean Connery, Dustin Hoffman and Matthew Broderick star as three generations of men who cannot peacefully co-exist.

Connery's character, Jessie, is a crook, responsible for son Vito's (Hoffman) terrible childhood. Vito has never forgiven his father for a youth riddled with petty thievery and covered by a guise of order.

Conversely, Vito's son Adam (Broderick) was given everything he needed to become a legal success in life. However, this is not what Adam wanted from life. "I'm too young to play it safe," Adam whines. He wants the kind of excitement he thinks only crime can provide.

So, as the previews suggest, the trio set off to perpetrate an establishment and steal things of great value.

Until the robbery, the film is satisfactory. Moments of humor are offset by moments of family discussions and problem solving. Without ruining the story, it is safe to say the robbery is not a complete success.

The caper's failure causes the film to flounder, changing it from a light-hearted -- often funny -- movie, to a boring, predictable piece which might be seen in a sociology class.

The aim, it seems, is to show the importance of family relations. However, the film's repetitiveness makes it almost unbearable. The relationships are supposed to be examined in detail, but the characters always talk about the same problems. This makes the difficulties dull and unimportant.

There are easily spotted gripes from each character. Jessie always haughtily abuses Vito for his failure to provide a more interesting homelife. Vito is constantly making excuses for this behavior, feeling that although the wholesale meat business may not be a glamorous occupation, it provided a stable, "safe" environment for raising a child.

Lastly, Adam is bitter that his life has always been planned for him -- showing his spite by dropping out of a masters degree program months shy of graduation. He wants desperately to find himself.

With such an immense amount of cliched dialogue and action, it is no wonder the film wanders into inescapable oblivion. The film just plain gets tiresome.

The performers give the film their best effort, each bringing to life a unique character, but these laurels are not enough to salvage the film.

The most engaging performance is by Hoffman; Vito is quite a departure from his usual roles. The diminutive Hoffman even physically displays Vito's temper with unsettling ease.

Unfortunately, the other two principal performers are not as effective. Broderick simply wants for talent, but Connery is just not given enough screen time.

The plot is also terribly predictable. Foreshadowing ruins many of the scenes intended to be moving or surprising.

Perhaps most disappointing is the blase direction. Sidney Lumet is often a visually amazing director, as with The Morning After, but here the style is adequate but thoroughly unimaginative.

Family Business has potential, but fails to deliver and is essentially a soporific film.