The In-Laws

Why is this guy so LOUD???

Comedies from the 1970's tended to suffer from pacing problems and The In-Laws is no exception. Hiller's direction is a double edged sword; his light and loose approach gives Falk and Arkin room to breathe, which was smart given their considerable talent and chemistry as the perfect odd couple (the film is beneath them) but the action scenes are clumsily staged and the jokes often miss their marks even if the actors don't. There are a few solid laughs, but it should have been better.

There are a lot of good things to say about The In-Laws. The casting is terrific and the two leads make a very amusing odd couple. The story seems just haphazard enough to surprise you at the end, and it's peppered with amusing minor characters. Even the music is rather delightful. It isn't so much a laugh-out-loud comedy as a quietly amusing comedy, but that's mostly because it's busy keeping you guessing about what will happen. Or maybe I just identify too much with Arkin's character.

Andrew Bergman's absurd screenplay is heightened by great performances from Falk and Arkin. The two lead actors seem perfectly cast as Bergman wrote the roles specifically for the two of them. Arthur Hiller's direction mostly stays out of the way as Falk and Arkin skillfully move between wit and slapstick.

This is the kind of comedy that works very well partly because it's clever, but mostly because it's impeccably cast. Falk and Arkin are both in top form and you just want to see more of them. Richard Libertini comes along and steals scenes from them as the dictator. James Hong gives the world's funniest airline safety lecture. It's superb. Remember ... serpentine.

A hit and miss spy caper comedy that relies heavy on the chemistry and comic timing of the two leads. The beginning is great and it had some funny scenes throughout but it ran out of steam towards the end.

A sprightly comedy that relies mostly on the brilliant pair of Peter Falk and Alan Arkin for laughs, but it's also the sort of zippy, plot-heavy, kinda-suspenseful comedy that was done really well back in the day and is never done now. It's a good one.

Predictable in many ways but enjoyable nonetheless.

Much more than a predictable odd couple movie. Casted and acted perfectly, with superb writing. Honestly just stick with it. The first third of the film does an amazing job of setting up the other two thirds. Such an underrated film.

A comedy script that accelerates gradually and crisply with great clear-cut farce, so that even if it falters, the manic on-screen presence of able comic actors will be all we could ask of it. Arkin is one of the funniest men in the movies, and most of his most side-splitting moments come from the pure spontaneity of his reactions to what happens to him.

I need to buy more black velvet paintings.

Fairly frivolous, but trite and really not funny.

Andrew Bergman's script commendably unpredictable start to finish; Libertini hilarious as Latin dictator with a Señor Wences fetish. Enjoyable score by John Morris.

A standard slapstick premise made fresh by excellent casting. Falk and Arkin delightfully engage in their particular brands of shtick; they're a perfectly matched odd couple.

Love this film. Arkin and Falk do the "odd couple" routine perfectly. Stiller and DeNiro should have watched this before attempting Meet The Parents.

Watch this original instead of the remake. This one's actually funny.

Looney, highly fun movie