The In-Laws (1979)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writer:

Andrew Bergman (writer)

Release Date:

12 September 1979 (France)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Thriller | Action

Tagline:

The FIRST Certified Crazy Person's Comedy.

Plot:

In preparation for his daughter's wedding, dentist Sheldon Kornpett meets Vince Ricardo, the groom's father...

Plot Keywords:

Dentist | Chase | Central America | Wedding | Father Daughter Relationship

Cast

Peter Falk	...	Vincent J. Ricardo
Alan Arkin	...	Sheldon S. Kornpett, D.D.S.
Richard Libertini	...	General Garcia
Nancy Dussault	...	Carol Kornpett
Penny Peyser	...	Barbara Kornpett
Arlene Golonka	...	Jean Ricardo
Michael Lembeck	...	Tommy Ricardo
Paul L. Smith	...	Mo (as Paul Lawrence Smith)
Carmine Caridi	...	Angie
Ed Begley Jr.	...	Barry Lutz, CIA Intelligence officer at Embassy in Tijada
Sammy Smith	...	Mr. Hirschorn, Dental Patient
James Hong	...	Bing Wong, owner Wong Airlines
Barbara Dana	...	Theresa the Bank Teller
Rozsika Halmos	...	Mrs. Adelman, 2nd Dental Patient
Álvaro Carcaño	...	Edgardo

Runtime:

103 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Spanish | Mandarin

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | France:U | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Cuernavaca, Morelos, Mexico

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

After The In-Laws (2003/I) came out, Alan Arkin called Peter Falk to congratulate him on all the great reviews he was getting from critics recalling the original as they trashed the remake.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Sheldon is being chased around the cab and shot at, uniformed police officers are visible in the crowd across the street.

Quotes:

Sheldon: Please God, don't let me die on West 31st Street!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (2008)

Soundtrack:

Buffalo Gals

Director Arthur Hiller presses all the right buttons with this one

I've just seen this film for the third time - the first was in 1979 when it was in the cinemas, the second was in 1989, and last night - 1999. And each time I've loved it. Somehow it catches just the right note early on, and manages to maintain it right thru the film.

I think the character of Vince (Peter Falk) is the key. At the start of the film we are convinced that he is a loud-mouthed schmuck with criminal tendencies, embarrassing and unpleasant to be around. This image slowly begins to crack, and although his behavior doesn't change one iota from start to finish, our perception of him does. So much so that by the close of the film we come to see him as a man of heroic qualities, gracious, and modest to boot. It's a very clever transformation and it's achieved via a plot that spirals hilariously out of control at dazzling speeds.

And of course the other joy of the film is the unlikely relationship which develops under fire between the zany CIA operative Falk and Alan Arkin as the dull but respectable dentist.