Review for The In-Laws

I’d never seen ‘The In-Laws’ before nor really heard of it either. Which is unusual for a Criterion release which tend to focus on films that are either fantastically well-known or which are held in high-esteem. ‘The In-Laws’ certainly deserves such an accolade though, for whatever reason, it didn’t make much impact on its original release.


It’s a fun action-comedy in the ‘unlikely buddy’ tradition where a wild, off the rails individual is paired with the most uptight, straight-laced individual imaginable for some top notch farce. It’s a film where it’s essential to suspend disbelief as there is barely a moment of it that is grounded in reality (an example being the ‘serpentine’ scene where the two men run in curves to avoid being shot) but the two leads are strong enough to pull it off with aplomb. In fact, they make a really great double-act and, had the film had the commercial success it deserved, maybe they could have made a series. However, released in 1979, cinema goers were tiring of such film formats (Gould and Sutherland’s S.P.Y.S. had put pay to the genre some five years earlier) and were far more interested in ‘Alien’ or ‘Kramer Vs. Kramer’ than what was seen by many as some kind of ‘Columbo’ spin-off. Which is a real shame as the film is clearly better than just that.


 So what’s it about? A straight-laced, do-it-by-the-rulebook dentist’s daughter is about to be wed though, for various reasons, he’s never met the groom’s parents.

Cue an awkward dinner where Vince Ricardo, father of the groom, manages to upset everyone with wild stories about tsetse flies carrying off children, as well as wild mood swings and a request to make a call in the basement of the house. Sheldon Kornpett, the wealthy dentist (played superbly by Alan Arkin) doesn’t like him one bit but is persuaded by the daughter to lighten up. After all, she’s not marrying the father.


It seems as if Sheldon is up to something shady. After all we saw him take receipt of some currency plates at the start of the film from a masked robber. So the assumption is that he’s a crook. So when he turns up at Sheldon’s practice to ask for a small favour, you just know it’s not going to end well.


From the moment Sheldon agrees to collect something for Vince, his life spirals out of control. It transpires that Vince is indeed a CIA agent involved in some highly sensitive global affairs that will repeatedly put both their lives in danger.


Whilst the many car chases are impressive, so too is the humour throughout – principally as a result of Peter Falk’s coolness and Alan Arkin’s barely suppressed hysteria.

When they end up taking a trip (via Wong Airlines) to Honduras, they engage with a completely mad dictator (played for maximum laughs by the irrepressible Richard Libertini) who seems to have completely lost his marbles, though he does give them some $20 million for the plates.

It’s wildly entertaining and there is literally never a dull moment, though the formula probably felt pretty old fashioned even at the time of release.
Penned by ‘Blazing Saddles’ writer, Andrew Bergman, it’s just full of the most delightful dialogue as well a barely pausing for breath, action-wise.
The film paired director Arthur Hiller with cinematographer David Walsh and must have been a success from their point of view as they want on to do many other films together. In fact, Fleming went on to direct a re-make in 2003 though this was even less well received.



The 2k transfer came from a 35mm interpositive and looks great and it’s presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1. It’s been cleaned within an inch of its life and is probably the best you’ll have ever seen the film look.
For a Criterion release, the extra features are fairly sparse though what is included are very worthwhile.

•Trailer – A 3-minute theatrical trailer which does a decent job of persuading you that the film is worth a look.

•Alan Arkin – This is a brand-new 25 minute interview with Alan Arkin who remains in sparkling form despite his advancing years. He clearly loves this film which was pretty much created through his instigation. There are lots of contextual anecdotes which are a lot of fun too.


•In Support of "The In-Laws" – This is another Criterion exclusive, filmed this year and featuring actors Ed Begley Jr. (Barry Lutz), James Hong (Bing Hong), Nancy Dussault (Carol Kornpett) and David Paymer (young taxi driver). Running for just over 30 minutes, it’s great fun and it’s amusing to learn just how great it was for the unknown David Paymer to get picked as the cabbie, and to hear Nancy Dussault’s recollections of how different movie making was from her role on ‘Good Morning America’.

•Audio Commentary – This is actually a 2003 recording ported over to this release featuring director Arthur Hiller, writer Andrew Bergman, and both Peter Falk and Alan Arkin. It’s great to get some input from Peter Falk who passed away in 2011. They discuss the production, the quality of the script and how fluid it became on set as well as some of the technical background. All top notch stuff.


•Booklet – The set ships with an illustrated booklet which features an essay by comedy writer Stephen Winer.


Overall, this is a badly over-looked classic that richly deserves a second look. It’s fun, it’s entertaining, it’s well-made and well worth picking up. It’s occasionally laugh-aloud funny too.