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

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:

In the 2003 DVD commentary, Alan Arkin relates that Marlon Brando once told him he had seen The In-Laws 20 times, and even imitated Arkin's delivery of certain lines from the film. Writer Andrew Bergman concurs that Brando's appreciation of his script was integral to getting Brando to star in The Freshman (1990).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Sheldon is being chased around the cab and shot at, uniformed police officers are visible in the crowd across the street.

Quotes:

General Garcia: I am a pacifist by nature with a deep Quaker belief in the sanctity of human life. I wish I had a choice but to kill you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Land of the Lost (2009)

Genius

This is one of the funniest and most underrated movies ever made. Just when you think it's about to slow down and become a normal movie, it veers in a whole other, even crazier (and arguably funnier) direction than you could have ever hoped for. With brilliant performances by Peter Falk, Alan Arkin, and Richard Libertini (who has one of the film's best lines: "These are the best security men in the world. They used to work for J.C. Penney"), this is a must see for any fan of true film comedy.