Rent The In-Laws (1979)
3.5 of 5 from 86 ratings
1h 38min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- With his daughter about to marry, Manhattan dentist Sheldon Kornpett is getting in over his head. The groom's father Vince Ricardo (who may/may not be CIA) has been in over his head so long he may have lost it totally. As played by Alan Arkin and Peter Falk, they're as different as night and day - and one of the funniest screen teams ever as 'The In-Laws'.
- Actors:
- Peter Falk, Alan Arkin, Richard Libertini, Nancy Dussault, Penny Peyser, Arlene Golonka, Michael Lembeck, Paul L. Smith, Carmine Caridi, Ed Begley Jr., Sammy Smith, James Hong, Barbara Dana, Rozsika Halmos, Álvaro Carcaño, Jorge Zepeda, Sergio Calderón, David Paymer, Kent Williams, John Hancock
- Directors:
- Arthur Hiller
- Producers:
- Arthur Hiller, William Sackheim
- Writers:
- Andrew Bergman
- Studio:
- Warner
- Genres:
- Classics, Comedy
- Collections:
- A Brief History of Film Weddings: Part 2, Cinema Paradiso's 2023 Centenary Club: Part 2, People of the Pictures, Remembering Alan Arkin, A Brief History of Film..., Top 10 Films About Dentists, Top 10 Films By Year, Top 10 Films of 1979, Top Films
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 15/08/2016
- Run Time:
- 103 minutes
- Languages:
- English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 1.85:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Audio commentary from 2003 featuring director Arthur Hiller, actors Alan Arkin and Peter Falk, and writer Andrew Bergman
- New Interview with Arkin
- In Support of "The In-Laws", a new interview program featuring actors Ed Begley Jr., Nancy Dussault, James Hong, and David Paymer
- Trailer
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Reviews (2) of The In-Laws
“Serpentine, Shel!” - The In-Laws review by griggs
Having recently sat through a different effort by one of the heavyweights of 20th-century screenwriting, I was hesitant to dive into The In-Laws. The era, the setup—middle-aged dads pulled into spy games—it all felt like it might go stale fast. But within minutes, it had me. Why hadn’t I heard of this film sooner?
Peter Falk is either CIA or completely off his rocker, and the film is better for leaving it gloriously ambiguous. Alan Arkin, dragged along like the world’s most anxious labrador, is in his element—sweating, blinking, trying not to die in a vaguely defined Central American republic. The comedy hits that rare sweet spot: dry, daft, and escalating like a wedding toast gone rogue.
There’s a shootout, a car chase, a scene involving hand gestures and a firing squad that had me rewinding just to laugh again. And somehow, it all still has heart. Falk and Arkin are comedy yin and yang—chaos and control in matching pastel shirts.
A Cold War farce with actual warmth. Instant cult classic.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Witless - The In-Laws review by CM
Amazing how poor this film is, given that Arkin & Falk are both brilliant in a lot of other material, but it creaks along predictably with sledgehammer humour.
0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.