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 | Central America | Chase | Wedding | Island

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
Jorge Zepeda	...	Carlos
Sergio Calderón	...	Alfonso
David Paymer	...	Cab Driver
Kent Williams	...	Ski Mask
John Hancock	...	T Man #1
John Finnegan	...	Deliveryman #1
Brass Adams	...	Deliveryman #2
Eduardo Noriega	...	Senator Jesus Braunschweiger
Danny Kwan	...	Billy Wong, Wong's son and pilot
Maurice Sneed	...	Man at Car Painting Shop
Rosanna DeSoto	...	Evita (as Rosana Soto)
Jim Goodwin	...	Guard
Mitchell Group	...	Second Guard
Carmen Dragon	...	Carmen Dragon
Peter Miller	...	Peter Miller, Bank Manager
Hanna King	...	Vicki
Dick Wieand	...	Al
Carlos Montalbo	...	Lieutenant
Tom Degidon	...	Bartender
Tony DiFalco	...	T Man #2
John Daheim	...	T Man #3 (as John Day)
Art Evans	...	Driver
John Hostetter	...	Workman
Bill Houston	...	Officer
Terry Bolo	...	Ad Lib #1
Drew Michaels	...	Ad Lib #2
Judith Garwood	...	Ad Lib #3
Ellen Clark	...	Ad Lib #4

Directed by
Arthur Hiller

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Andrew Bergman		writer

Produced by
Alan Arkin	....	executive producer
Arthur Hiller	....	producer
William Sackheim	....	producer
Dorothy Wilde	....	associate producer

Original Music by
John Morris

Cinematography by
David M. Walsh

Film Editing by
Robert Swink

Casting by
Dianne Crittenden

Production Design by
Pato Guzman

Set Decoration by
Ernie Bishop
Robert De Vestel

Makeup Department
Del Armstrong	....	makeup artist
Mark Busson	....	makeup artist
Francine Haendiges	....	hair stylist
Dione Taylor	....	hair stylist

Production Management
David Silver	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Carole Keligian	....	trainee assistant director
John T. Kretchmer	....	second assistant director (as John Kretchmer)
Jack Roe	....	assistant director

Art Department
Stan Cockerell	....	assistant property master
Sidney H. Greenwood	....	property master (as Syd Greenwood)
Michael J. Smith	....	construction coordinator (as Michael Smith)
Richard M. Kristy	....	lead man (uncredited)

Sound Department
Clint Althouse	....	boom operator
Les Fresholtz	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jerry Jacobson	....	adr editor
Larry Jost	....	sound mixer
Michael Minkler	....	sound re-recording mixer
Arthur Piantadosi	....	sound re-recording mixer
Sam F. Shaw	....	sound effects editor (as Sam Shaw)

Special Effects by
Milt Rice	....	special effects

Stunts
Phil Chong	....	stunts
Bennie E. Dobbins	....	stunts (as Bennie Dobbins)
Chris Howell	....	stunts
John Hudkins	....	stunts
Gray Johnson	....	stunts
Mike Johnson	....	stunts
Hubie Kerns Jr.	....	stunt driver
John Moio	....	stunts
Rick Sawaya	....	stunts
Jerry Summers	....	stunts
Chuck Waters	....	stunts
Jesse Wayne	....	stunt driver

Camera and Electrical Department
Eric D. Andersen	....	camera operator (as Eric Anderson)
Jack Gereghty	....	still photographer
Norman Harris	....	gaffer
Ron Kenyon	....	best boy
Richard Moran	....	key grip
Johnny Walker	....	first assistant camera (as John Walker)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
John A. Anderson	....	costume supervisor (as John Anderson)
Phyllis Garr	....	costumer: women

Editorial Department
Dennis Wooley	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Jerry MacDonald	....	music editor
William Sackheim	....	choral supervisor (as Bill Sackheim)
Dan Wallin	....	score mixer

Transportation Department
Joel Marrow	....	transportation coordinator
Bobby Marsh	....	driver
Joseph Sullivan	....	driver
John M. Woodward	....	transportation captain (as John Woodward)

Other crew
Phyllis Gardner	....	unit publicist
Delores Levin	....	script supervisor
Florence Luneau	....	secretary to producer
Paul Pav	....	location manager
Don Record	....	title designer
Dolores Rubin	....	script supervisor (as Dolores Levin)
Lee Stitch	....	production secretary
Brenda White	....	secretary to director

Production Companies

• Warner Bros. Pictures

Distributors

• Warner Bros. Pictures (1979) (USA) (theatrical)
• Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (1982) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Warner-Columbia Films (1979) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Columbia-EMI-Warner (UK)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (1988) (Finland) (TV)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2005) (Finland) (DVD)
• Scanvideo (198?) (Finland) (video)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (video)

Other Companies

• Pacific Title  titles and opticals

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:

When Vince is getting directions to meet the general, the streets include "United Fruit Boulevard," a reference to the U.S. Company that historically dominated much of Central America and gave rise to the expression "a banana republic."

Goofs:

Continuity: There are continuity errors while Ricardo and Kornpett get in and out of Senator Jesus Braunschweiger's Mercedes. While searching for the keys, the rear passenger window is shot out. In the next scene, they exit the driver's side door, but the window is restored. Later, while driving away from the airport, the rear window is shot out in two places, although there is only one rifle shot heard. In a later shot, as the car drives away, the rear window is mostly removed instead of the two holes shot out earlier.

Quotes:

Sheldon: The ocean? It's over the ocean to Scranton, Pennsylvania?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Land of the Lost (2009)

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.