Film Critic to the Culver City Observer and over 132 Publications Worldwide including: The Observer, Inc., John Schimmenti, Inc., CCN, Inc.,
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THE IN-LAWS
by
debbie lynn elias
Mayhem, madness and marriage. An indelible
- and at times, lethal - combination. And never moreso than when dealing with
in-laws. Inspired by the 1979 sleeper hit of the same name starring Alan Arkin
and Peter Fal, "The In-Laws" is the story of two dads who meet for
the first time just days before the wedding of their children. But don't get
too comfortable, on hearing the melodic strains of Paul McCartney & Wings'
"Live & Let Die", you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt, this
new 2003 version is nothing like the original but for the premise and the name.
Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks head up a top flight cast (which includes
one of my faves - Candice Bergen) as Steve Tobias and Jerry Peyser. Tobias is
a CIA operative, deep, deep, deep undercover while Peyser is one of the most
hypochondriacal, neurotic, paranoid podiatrists you could ever not hope to meet.
Peyser wears a fanny pack with all those little emergency essentials so necessary
to life - a collapsible sanitary drinking cup (you know the kind - think Girl
Scouts and Boy Scouts), a package of Lorna Doones and a security alarm that
sounds like a foghorn. Tobias, on the other hand, wears a knee brace fully equipped
with killer darts and has a knife in his shoe.
Although each is trying to make their children happy, Peyser paying for the
ultimate catered dream wedding for his littler girl and Tobias, just trying
to show up for dinner without being the target of an assailant, both fail miserably.
That is, until fate lends a hand and the boys end up together. Tobias, trying
to close an arms deal that will net $120 million and either kill or imprison
another arms dealer and make the world safe from another rogue nuclear sub,
seems to have a calendar crunch. Just how do you fit in covert arms deals with
a wedding with no one noticing? The ever paranoid Peyser, not buying Tobias'
Xerox salesman cover for a minute, stumbles into the surreal when he follows
Tobias into a bathroom, overhears cryptic references to a Russian runaway named
Olga, witnesses a fight with an assassin and on fleeing the restaurant with
wife and daughter ends up being tailed by the FBI and ultimately "kidnaped"
by Tobias and flown to France aboard Barbra Streisand's private jet. One misadventure
leads to another complete with homophobia, foot fetishes, the Fat Cobra, French
thongs, fanny packs, tables turning, missiles launching, and oh yeah, a wedding.
There is no doubt that Michael Douglas had the time of his life filming this
movie. Looking like a kid in a candy store, no matter what the peril, he has
a hard time suppressing a grin. And hey, he doesn't do a bad job playing a daredevil
James Bond-type! Brooks is perfectly cast as the insufferable Jerry, to the
point that you just want to slap the simpering jerk — that is until a little
liaison on the south of France where the character starts to take a 360 and
become a living likeable human being. Although lacking some of the chemistry
that Arkin and Falk had in 1979, these two are still quite a handful together.
Candace Bergen as Judy Tobias, in true Murphy Brown form with a New Age twist,
makes the most of her limited screen time, adding another layer to the film
with a spicy character who loves her son but hates her ex although she still
wants to jump in the sack with him because the sex was always "great, great,
great." And hey, you gotta love the woman. Saving on budget and in an effort
to help build her character, she even provided some clothing from her personal
wardrobe! Stealing the show with pitch perfect comedic timing, however, is David
Suchet as arms dealer Thibodoux. Far superior to Richard Libertini's performance
as the South American dictator in the 1979 version, Suchet will have you rolling
as he calmly explains his new "centering" and "calm" thanks
to Deepak Chopra. After all, now when he wants to kill someone, he gives them
a running start. And of course, how can you not laugh at an international arms
smuggler with foot problems and a fetish for the Fat Cobra. (Ya gotta see it,
folks!)
As our newlyweds to be, Ryan Reynolds, best known as "Van Wilder",
and Lindsay Sloane, of television's "Sabrina the Teenage Witch", are
little more than backdrops to the antics of Douglas and Brooks, but nevertheless
hold their own - especially Sloane who has perfected the whiney daughter routine.
Although director Andrew Fleming moves things along at quick pace, once the
film ends, you realize all the missed opportunities for some real comedy, possibly
due in part to some weak adaptation of the Andrew Bergman's 1979 script by Nat
Mauldin and Ed Solomon. Too bad, too. Can't you just imagine, Douglas and Bergen
giving us some "great, great, great" sex.
Steve Tobias: Michael Douglas
Jerry Peyser: Albert Brooks
Angela Harris: Robin Tunney
Ex-wife Judy.: Candice Bergen
Jean-Pierre Thibodoux.: David Suchet
Mark Tobias: Ryan Reynolds
Floral Consultant: Mike Beaver
Warner Bros. presents a film directed by Andrew Fleming. Written by Andrew Bergman,
Nat Mauldin and Ed Solomon. Running time: 98 minutes. Rated PG-13