Customer Reviews

The In-Laws (Full Screen Edition)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(10)

 

 

Why? Why why why?

Well, there are positives to get out of the way first. Albert Brooks is an inspired choice to recreate Alan Arkin's role from the original "In-Laws". He brings to every movie a fully-formed nebbish ready to let loose 6 or 7 really memorable zingers, and this was no exception. Michael Douglas has played a very wide range of stock characters, if not necessarily deep. And the original "In-Laws" certainly wasn't technically perfect: it suffered from atrocious film editing. Why not spruce it up with some CGI submarines, more expansive stunt sequences, and a Paul McCartney soundtrack?

Most of the changes in the remake, however, don't make sense. Brooks is playing a Chicago podiatrist, not a Manhattan dentist. Michael Douglas has been saddled with a female sidekick, the likes of which Peter Falk didn't need. There's considerable more emphasis placed on Brooks's daughter and Douglas's son... so they can argue at length about his pre-marital flings. Candice Bergen has a strenuously unfunny cameo as Douglas's ex-wife (Falk was happily married in the original, albeit to a wife who had no idea what he did for a living).

Most noticeably, the witty humor of the original is all but gone, save for a few Brooks gags. That's all been replaced by a wide variety of warmed-over sex and toilet jokes, which have been funny in a hundred other movies since "The In-Laws" came out, and which are so familiar here that you'll laugh at the joke before it's even finished. Indeed, with the main character being a nebbishy Jewish medical professional from Chicago, and his co-star an over-the-top CIA agent, you'll quickly realize that this is a remake of "Meet the Parents" more than anything else.

The accomplished David Suchet shows up for a pointless role only faintly evocative of Richard Libertini's in the original. I'm sure that blatant gags about repressed gay terrorists are still funny somewhere, but it is possible to do a movie without them. Right?

I wasn't expecting a carbon copy of the original "In-Laws". However, I was expecting something lively and original. And this movie isn't it.

A good movie is a like a good book, a means to escape. The older I get, the more I enjoy watching something that is just plain funny. I don't want to be sad, I don't want to have to concentrate on a movie with a lot of metaphors and hidden meanings. I don't want murders, rapes, heart breaks or pain and suffering. Sometimes it's fun to watch a movie that is just pure entertainment and THE IN-LAWS fits the bill. Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks play the fathers of a couple who are about to be married. The only problem is that the dull, neurotic, germ obsessed, fanny pack wearing foot doctor becomes involved with CIA agent Douglas's secret life. Here begin laughs that don't stop until the movie is over. In fact, I laughed until I cried and trust me, it is wonderful to be that happy! What an escape!

There isn't much to say about this movie. I haven't seen the original that it is based on, so I can only write about what I have watched.

It's an okay movie. There's only a couple of funny scenes. Most of it is pretty bland material, and it is probably one of the most predictable movies that has ever been made.

(No way will you guess this, but everybody learns a valuable lesson... No way will you guess, but the groom learns about honesty and why it's important...)

Plus, I found the bride and groom characters to be extremely irritating. I can't explain why, exactly, and it may just be my personality reacting to them, but they seem to be rather obnoxious people.

However, in spite of being a dull and lifeless comedy, there are good points. The direction is agreeable and the special effects / sets are pretty good. About half of the actors do a good job, with Albert Brooks stealing the show completely.

And, even if it isn't hilarious, it isn't painful to watch. The jokes aren't stupid or offensive, they're just not particularly funny (At least, not to me). This is good news, because it means that no matter who you are, you can at least give the movie a chance without being shocked by any nasty surprises or crude humor. You may not laugh, but, hey... like I said, "Innocuous."

VIOLENT CONTENT - Some punches and kicks, people point guns at each other a lot, some slapsticky humor. There's no blood. Saturday morning cartoons have more violence within two minutes than this movie has in its entirity.

LANGUAGE CONTENT - Not much. I think they say the "F word" once, there's a couple of the "S word." Scattered language throughout that doesn't amount to a whole lot.

NUDITY / SEXUAL CONTENT - Almost nothing. The only thing close is a brief monologue by Candice Bergen's character about how she had great sex with her ex-husband. There is one shot of Brooks in a thong, but it's fleeting. I think it was actually in the trailer of the movie...

Is Hollywood really that bereft of ideas that they need to tamper with and besmirch the memory of the most perfect comedy ever made?

Do yourself a favor: save yourself and your moviegoing companion {money}by ignoring this film. Run - do not walk - down to your local video store and rent the original starring Alan Arkin and Peter Falk. Right now.

Dianne Crittenden, who did the casting for the 1979 original, deserves a lifetime achievement award for pairing up Arkin and Falk. [Remember, Falk was one of the biggest stars on TV at the time as Detective Columbo. Who knew he'd be such a master at comic timing and deadpan delivery?]

This isn't a swipe at Albert Brooks and Michael Douglas, but they had to know that by accepting these roles, they would be held to an unattainable standard.

Let's force Hollywood to come up with some new ideas instead of destroying old ones within our lifetime.

Remakes have it tough; everyone who's a fan of the original will be hypercritical of any shortcoming. Lots of other reviewers on this site have blasted this remake as falling far short of the hysterical 1979 Alan Arkin-Peter Falk film, and I, for one, am willing to take the 15 yards for piling on.

Really, if you liked the original, stay the heck away from this ill-begotten travesty. Brooks is funny at times, Douglas isn't, and the magic just isn't there. Sorry, Hollywood, you blew it on this one. What's next--a remake of 'Casablanca' with Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston?

I didn't see the original with Alan Arkin and Peter Faulk, so I have nothing to compare it with, but I thought this one was hilarious. Loved the way Michael Douglas' hair never moved, no matter what he did! I always love Candace Bergen (except maybe in MISS CONGENIALITY).

Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks play prospective fathers-in-law who are mismatched in every way. Douglas is an undercover CIA agent who lives on the edge and who has always interrupted family events in order to carry on his spying. Brooks is an uptight podiatrist who is afraid of flying, heights and just about anything that would take him out of his comfortable rut. Little does he know what he is getting himself in for when he unwillingly teams up with his daughter's future father-in-law. Suddenly he is flying in a plane "borrowed" from Barbra Streisand to an exotic location, in order to make a deal with a powerful smuggler. Douglas's suave Bond-like actions are the perfect foil for the neurotic twitches of Brooks. This is an amusing comedy which lives off the chemistry between Douglas and Brooks. Throw away your critical eye and just enjoy this one for the laughs!

Lucky for me I did not read the reviews nor have I ever seen the original of 'The In-Laws'. I do not know that that would have mattered because I was delighted with this movie. I saw it in Singapore in June and laughed and then I saw it again last week in Moscow and laughed all over again. I'll definitely be adding this comedy to my collection of need a laugh movies that includes 'Meet the Parents', 'Rush Hour 1 and 2', 'Stripes' and other assorted frivilous fun movies!

I know this film received awful reviews. And, I don't understand why. This was an absolutely fantastic remake! In some ways better than the original. Of course, the original, with Falk and Arkin, is a great work. However, this version, is updated, clever, funny, and with unexpected performances by Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks. I had to go rent the original to remind me how good I remembered it and also to see why so many reviewers were trashing this remake. However, seeing the original only told me one thing. Both movies are great! Go see this fabulous remake!

A poorly done remake. There are a few laughs but I have some advice. Save the money and apply it to renting the original. No matter how many times you have seen it, the original is better!