Review of The In-Laws (2003) by Lanning : — 11 Mar 2008

I must make sure to add the original to my Netflix queue -- now closiing in on 400 movies! I would love to see what Alan Arkin and Peter Falk made of this idea. I have to admit that I was very skeptical of the pairing of Albert Brooks and Michael Douglas -- two of my other favorites.

No worry, shrimp curry, they did very well playing off of each other. If this plot seems a little bit far-fetched to you, rest assured that I felt the same way. It is unbelievable, but it was also easy to let a willing suspension of disbelief kick it.

This one is, however, worth a viewing. Douglas and Brooks make some very real music together. I feel for the other actors here, especially David Suchet and Candice Bergen. There is very little room to shine in this rather claustrophobic(?) -- narrowly focused(?) -- script for anyone besides Brooks and Douglas.

Everything else is window dressing, really. I guess I'd call this a road/buddy flick in the end. It's truly very funny at times, but with a lot of so-so stretches as well. Still, I must reaffirm, flixster friends, that this is worth at least one watch, especially if you've ever believed in Brooks and Douglas.

If I run across it again, I will happily give it another go, I think.