Film
What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases
Bookmark this pageThe In-Laws (1979)
Director: Arthur Hiller
Movie review
From Time Out Film Guide
Never mind the remake, this is the real deal, a formula comedy raised to heights of hilarity by the kind of off-beam lunacy which probably wouldn't get past the studio suits these days. Bergman's screenplay melds odd-couple and fish-out-of-water templates, as their children's forthcoming wedding brings together maverick undercover operative Falk and fastidious New York dentist Arkin, pitching both into potentially lethal circumstances as the CIA man plans to sell US Treasury printing plates to a dubious Central American republic. Falk's unflappable whimsicality is put to excellent use, Arkin commands sundry shades of blind panic, and if the car chases sustain the widely held belief that Arthur Hiller could not direct traffic, the script's out-of-nowhere zingers are wonderful. We won't spoil the fun but look out for the tin-pot dictator's little 'friend', and chuckle for days afterwards at the hitherto unsuspected comic fecundity of the word 'serpentine'.Author: TJ
Cast & crew
Director: Arthur Hiller
Producer: William Sackheim, Arthur Hiller
Cast: Peter Falk, Alan Arkin, Richard Libertini, Nancy Dussault, Penny Peyser, Arlene Golonka, Michael Lembeck, Ed Begley Jr, James Hong, David Paymer full cast
Genre(s): Comedy
Duration: 103 mins
Most popular on this site
Top Stories
Has David Cronenberg turned tame?
Has director David Cronenberg veered too far from his radical and bloody roots with new film 'A Dangerous Method'?
The 10 worst date movies
Just in time for Valentine's Day, we present ten of the least romantic films ever made
Where to watch this year's Oscar-nominated films
Find out where to watch 2012's Oscar-nominated films in London cinemas
10 unlikely badboy biopics
Featuring Phil Collins, Jeremy Clarkson, Nick Clegg, David Starkey and a host of other unlikely subjects
Interview: Sean Durkin on 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'
The first-time director of the brilliant new thriller discusses religious cults and robot boxing
Pop-up cinema for Valentine's Day
Side-step romantic clichés with some alternative Valentine’s viewing
What do you think?
Post your review now