Splitting Heirs (1993)

A member of the English upper class dies, leaving his estate and his business to an American, whom he thinks is his son who was lost as a baby and then found again. An Englishman who thinks... See full summary »

Director:

Robert Young

Writer:

Eric Idle

Stars:

Eric Idle, Rick Moranis, Barbara Hershey

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eric Idle	...	Tommy Butterfly Rainbow Peace Patel
Rick Moranis	...	Henry Bullock
Barbara Hershey	...	Duchess Lucinda
Catherine Zeta-Jones	...	Kitty
John Cleese	...	Raoul P. Shadgrind
Sadie Frost	...	Angela
Stratford Johns	...	Butler
Brenda Bruce	...	Mrs. Bullock
William Franklyn	...	Andrews
Richard Huw	...	Brittle
Charu Bala Chokshi	...	Mrs. Patel (as Charubala Chokshi)
Jeremy Clyde	...	14th Duke
Eric Sykes	...	Jobson the Doorman
Bridget McConnell	...	Nanny
Bill Stewart	...	Adoption Agent

Storyline

A member of the English upper class dies, leaving his estate and his business to an American, whom he thinks is his son who was lost as a baby and then found again. An Englishman who thinks he is an Indian comes to believe that he is actually the heir. He comes to hate the American who is his boss, his friend, and the man who has stolen the woman after whom he lusts.

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Plot Keywords:

poisoning | english nobility | incest | cutting car brake line | freeze to death | 

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Taglines:

A wickedly funny comedy of royal proportions.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for nudity and sexual dialogue

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 April 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Grandeur et descendance

Filming Locations:

France

Box Office

Gross:

$3,246,063 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Prominent Features

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The final film of Stratford Johns.

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Quotes

Kitty: That's Henry's mother, the black sheep in the family. She took so many strokes in the 60s they called her the U.S. open.

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Crazy Credits

and *introducing* John Cleese

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Connections

Referenced in What the Pythons Did Next... (2007)

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Soundtracks

"IT'S A LONG WAY TO TIPPERARY"
Words and Music by Jack Judge and Harry H. Williams
Public Domain

User Reviews

Not Terribly Hilarious, But Worth a Look

This movie starring former Pythons Idle and Cleese, as well as Rick Moranis and Catherine Zeta-Jones is an interesting little comedy about a baby English duke (Idle) who disappeared at birth and lost his inheritance to an American (Moranis). He doesn't learn about the mistake until he's 35, living with his adoptive Pakistani family, and working as a stockbroker for a large firm. Zeta-Jones is Moranis' pretty, golddigging fiance and Barbara Hershey plays the hysterical, widowed nymphomaniac "Duchess Mummy". John Cleese is a mad lawyer and it's clearly not his best work, but fans will like to see his face. Idle is not at his greatest either, but the plot is kinda neat and moves fairly quickly. This was before Zeta-Jones became the "Chicago" superstar she is today, but everyone will note her talent and latina-like beauty. I remember Rick Moranis best as the fabulous "Dark Helmet" in "Space Balls", but I enjoyed him as the nerdy, rollerblading, 10-year-old in a man's body in this one. You may be disappointed at seeing the comedy gods Idle and Cleese fall kind of flat, but give it at least a peek, for there are some quality scenes.