Splitting Heirs (1993)

Director:

Robert Young

Writer:

Eric Idle (writer)

Release Date:

30 April 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

A wickedly funny comedy of royal proportions.

Plot:

A member of the English upper class dies, leaving his estate and his business to an American, whom he...

Plot Keywords:

Black Comedy | Farce | Nudity | Inheritance | Incest

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

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

Runtime:

87 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Iceland:L | Germany:12 | Spain:T | USA:PG-13 | UK:12 (original rating) (cut) | UK:15 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Longleat House, Wiltshire, England, UK

Company:

Prominent Features

Trivia:

The final film of Brenda Bruce.

Quotes:

Tommy Patel: You don't have to worry about me, dear. I'm bi-sexual. Whenever I want to have sex, I have to buy it.

Movie Connections:

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

Soundtrack:

SOMEONE STOLE MY BABY

Glad that I checked here first

Okay, it may not have been the greatest flick, but it certainly wasn't the worst. In fact, I'm glad that I checked the IMDB comments first because it gave me the proper perspective. I love British humor and I've been a Python fan since it first hit the US. The negative comments prepared me for the worst, and the good ones gave me a reason to watch.

That said, I enjoyed the flick, in spite of its idiocy. Sometimes you just have to sit back and drop your logic in order to enjoy plain, simple entertainment. I'd take this movie over any sitcom on TV. The movie was silly and lighthearted, (in spite of a few murders). By the end of the movie, I actually found myself liking Rick Moranis, who often gets on my nerves. Eric Idle and John Cleese were their typically silly selves. Catherine Zeta-Jones was beautiful and fun, though she seemed the tiniest bit pudgier than she is now. I was really impressed by Barbara Hershey, who took on her comedic role with gusto.

If you like your movies logical, you'll hate this one. It's full of holes, loose strings and stupid logic--but that's just not the point. If this were a totally reasonable world, there'd be no Monty Python.

I watched it a second time with my husband, who laughed all the way through, and so did I. I think this one is like any Python stuff. You laugh harder the more you watch it, in spite of the absurdity. (I know it's foolish of me, but I laugh every time I hear Cleese repeat the phrase, "She turned me into a newt.")