The In-Laws

Meet the parents: Dr Jerome Peyser is relatively comfortable with his daughter's forthcoming marriage, until he finally meets Steve Tobias, father of the groom. Steve claims to be a photocopier salesman, but what's this with the agents and assassins on his tail, his access to Barbra Streisand's private jet, his dealings with dubiously accented arms smugglers? In the US, Arthur Hiller's 1979 slapstick comedy The In-Laws has come to enjoy a cult reputation. The remake substitutes a rotund Brooks for Alan Arkin, and a blonde Douglas for Peter Falk. It begins with some fairly amusing odd-couple schtick as neurotic, stick in the mud Jerry is whisked off his feet by slick Steve and Suchet's bisexual French underworld kingpin. The film's broad, farcical ricochet between wedding rehearsals and criminal hijinks doesn't leave much room for subtlety, but that doesn't stop the director and his screenwriters grafting on some unwanted 'issues'. A movie this dumb ought to be a lot more fun.