Barnes & Noble

The inspired pairing of Peter Falk and Alan Arkin elevates buddy-film chemistry to a level beyond mere science in this 1979 comedy, a modest production destined to rank with the classics. The setup is standard: There's going to be a wedding; Arkin is the father of the bride, Falk the father of the groom. Arkin is Sheldon Kornpett, a mild-mannered New York City dentist, and Falk is Vincent Ricardo, a loose cannon who works, or at least used to work, for the CIA and strikes "Shelly" as an unbelievable blowhard. Even as Vince manages to drag the reluctant Shelly along on a last-minute prenuptial escapade to a small banana republic, the dentist remains convinced that Vince is just a nut. The story works like a charm, but the casting and chemistry are the main ingedients here. Falk gets one of the great roles of his career, playing a charming mystery man whose sanity is in doubt from the opening bell and who's delightfully unflappable in any situation. Arkin, meanwhile, moves effortlessly through escalating levels of hysteria as a beleaguered and ever-so-uptight average Joe who panics at the drop of a pin. Sharply directed by Arthur Hiller (The Out-of-Towners) from a virtuoso script by Andrew Bergman (The Freshman), The-In Laws is nonstop fun, setting off at a brisk pace and never looking back. Ultimately, the film's brilliance derives from the budding odd-couple friendship and the caterpillar-to-butterfly transformation of one shell-shocked dentist. It ranks as one of Hollywood's finest buddy pictures, and one of the funniest films ever made. Gregory Baird

All Movie Guide

Why aren't there more films co-starring Alan Arkin and Peter Falk Writer Andrew Bergman's loopy comedy takes full advantage of the prodigious talent of this double act, giving the two numerous chances to play off one another, and director Arthur Hiller artfully builds the comedy one ticklish brick at a time. In comedies, pace is everything: Even master directors of rigorously timed action films such as Steven Spielberg have bombed badly (1941) when they've tried to be funny. Bergman and Hiller start with a solid-enough premise, the old joke about crazy in-laws, and slowly, quietly add comic layer upon layer. Arkin's mournful gravity lends a humorous reality to the film and Falk's lunacy is so unaffected it seems almost innocent. Yet he's sly, too: The audience can sense his character's innate shrewdness no matter how crazy he seems. Michael Lembeck and Penny Peyser contribute nice bits as the betrothed - their reaction to the money their fathers have scammed is priceless - as does Ed Begley Jr. as a CIA station chief. Only Richard Libertini seems to go over the top as the lunatic South American dictator. Still, as in later Bergman works such as The Freshman, there's an underlying affection and sweetness to The In-Laws that makes it a treat. - Nick Sambides, Jr.

Product Details

• UPC: 085392387823
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Theatre Wide-Screen (1.85.1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital Mono
• Language: English, Français, Español
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español, Portugais
• Time: 1:43:00
• Sales Rank: 9,478

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• The In-Laws & The In-Laws

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