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DVD The In-Laws
This 1979 comedy is absolutely indispensable for fans of Peter Falk, Alan Arkin, or Andrew Bergman, who wrote the film's screenplay and went on to direct The Freshman and Honeymoon in Vegas. (Let's forgive him for Striptease.) Arkin is extraordinarily funny as a dentist who quickly grows skeptical about the wild claims of his daughter's future father-in-law (Peter Falk) that he is a CIA agent. When he is drawn into a bizarre adventure in a banana republic, however, he takes a different view. Arthur Hiller (Love Story) provides serviceable direction, but the real draw here is the perfect chemistry between the two leads and Bergman's weirdly comic mind. Watch for the look on Arkin's face when Falk's character tells a story about giant tse-tse flies. --Tom Keogh
Another reviewer has said that 5 stars are not enough for this film. I'll second that opinion.
If you have seen the remake with Michael Douglas, pretend you haven't and watch the way it SHOULD be done. If you've seen neither version of the film, get this one and get ready for anything.
This is above all a classically sarcastic farce between two misfits who have amazing chemistry together. Both Peter Falk and Alan Arkin are marvelous craftsmen, and their combination of silliness and genuine rolicking humor is blended in an almost non-stop pace from beginning to end. Again (as I've said in other of my reviews), minor characters are important. Ed Begley as the CIA boss adds weight and color to that aspect of the plot, and Richard Libertini as the South American dictator (I've never seen him play a sane character) adds another kind of raucous fun.
This is a comedy for anyone who appreciates true comedy. And if you meet anybody who has seen the film, just scream, "Surpentine! Surpentine!" and watch them fall apart.
One of the greatest comedies of all time
My parents introduced me to this movie, which came out before I was born. I'm so glad it was finally released on DVD so that we don't have to watch our VHS-off-television copy when we want to see this movie. It's a delightful comedic romp, and Arkin and Falk playing perfectly off one another. Some of the other characters are a little flat (the marrying son and daughter), but the action is hilarious for the two main characters. My favorite scenes take place when they travel out of the country illegally towards the end (I won't say more so I don't ruin the plot). Definitely check this movie out, and it is one you'll want to own on DVD to watch again and again.
Part of the reason I married my husband....
On our first date, my husband and I discovered that we both thought this was a hysterical movie. On our second date, we rented and watched it. One of my all-time favorite movies - I laugh every time I watch it, even though I can recite most of the dialogue! Arkin & Falk are both superb in the roles they play - I can't imagine anyone else in them, and agree with another reviewer that you shouldn't even bother with the remake - it absolutely does not do justice to the original!
The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming looks overly cute now, but really, it was pretty hip for 1966. The cold war was in full deep-freeze when this well-meaning comedy tried to thaw things out a little: a Soviet submarine beaches on the New England coast, sending the locals into a paranoid frenzy. The chief pleasure of the film is Alan Arkin as the sub captain; this was Arkin's first major film role, and he had already mastered his exasperated, slow-burning frown (to say nothing of mastering his Russian dialogue). Arkin snagged an Oscar® nomination, with the movie receiving nominations for best picture, adapted screenplay, and editing--nods that reflect the film's smashing success at the box office. Somewhat dated now, the movie still has its place in the roster of... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Carl Reiner - Eva Marie Saint - Alan Arkin - Brian Keith - Jonathan Winters Director(s): Norman Jewison DVD Release Date: Released the 15 October 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Director Martin Brest rocketed to the top of Hollywood's A list with the blockbuster success of Beverly Hills Cop, and this 1988 follow-up is even better. Midnight Run is a genuine rarity--an action comedy that's dramatically satisfying--thanks to a sharp script by George Gallo, the superb teaming of Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin, and Brest's consummate skill in combining suspense and humor with well-developed characters. De Niro plays a maverick bounty hunter whose latest assignment is Grodin, an accountant accused of embezzling from the Mob. De Niro thinks he's in for an easy job, transporting Grodin (who's afraid to fly) from New York to Los Angeles, but soon discovers that both the FBI and the Mafia are hot on Grodin's trail. Equal parts road trip, action thriller,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Robert De Niro - Charles Grodin Director(s): Martin Brest DVD Release Date: Released the 03 June 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Neil Simon wrote this 1976 spoof in which virtually every famous fictional detective of the 1930s and 1940s congregate at the home of a mysterious fellow (Truman Capote) to try and solve the mystery of who's trying to kill them all. Simon's jokes are mostly obvious, and the film's real appeal is the clever concept matched with fine--sometimes legendary--actors. Peter Falk plays a very Bogart-like Sam Spade equivalent, James Coco is a Hercule Poirot wannabe, Peter Sellers does a Charlie Chan bit, David Niven and Maggie Smith are reflections of Nick and Nora.... You get the picture. Lighthearted and silly, this is cotton-candy comedy for the cast as well as viewers. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Director(s): Robert Moore DVD Release Date: Released the 18 December 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Arthur Hiller (Love Story) directed the film adaptation of Neil Simon's curious comedy about a pair of non-New Yorkers (Jack Lemmon and Sandy Dennis) having a hellish visit to the Big Apple on the eve of a job interview for Lemmon's character. Made in 1970, this hectic film almost seems ahead of its time when compared to more recent misery-piled-on-misery comedies such as Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. The couple in this film endure everything that can go wrong on a trip, including being forced to spend the night in a mugger-happy Central Park. The strange element in Simon's script, though, is that Lemmon's character is so unpleasant. A middle-class, uptight guy who can't believe that New Yorkers in the service profession don't perform their jobs slavishly, he's kind of a... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Jack Lemmon Director(s): Arthur Hiller DVD Release Date: Released the 25 November 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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It won't steal any thunder from the 1979 original, but this breezy remake of The In-Laws offers a few solid laughs. It's blessed by the casting of Albert Brooks as one of two imminent fathers-in-law who embark on the proverbial "wacky misadventure" on the eve of a lavish family wedding. The veteran comedian plays a podiatrist (in the dentist role originated by Alan Arkin) and Michael Douglas (in Peter Falk's role) is a deep-cover agent for the CIA, unbeknownst to Brooks or his daughter, who's about to marry Douglas's son--an event also attended by Douglas's ex-wife (Candice Bergen), who remains spiteful despite her newfound Buddhist enlightenment. As an arms dealer targeted by Douglas's latest covert operation, David Suchet matches Brooks laugh-for-laugh in the movie's funniest... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Michael Douglas - Albert Brooks - Lindsay Sloane - Ryan Reynolds Director(s): Andrew Fleming DVD Release Date: Released the 01 June 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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