A remake of the original 1979 cult classic, 'The In-Laws' is A Decent Entertainer, that doesn't bore. Sure, it's not all-out funny & gripping, but it arrests your attention & provides fair entertainment nevertheless.
'The In-Laws' Synopsis: Right before his daughter's wedding, a mild-mannered foot doctor discovers that his new in-laws are international smugglers.
'The In-Laws' has its moments for sure. In the first-hour, especially, there are some really nice sequences. The second-hour, does lose pace, but it doesn't drag, thankfully. The Screenplay is fast-paced, but it could've been tighter in the second-hour. Andrew Fleming's Direction is fair. Cinematography & Editing are functional.
Performance-Wise: Michael Douglas & Albert Brooks deliver superbly. Both of the veteran actors, also share a striking on-screen chemistry from start to end. Ryan Reynolds is passable. Lindsay Sloane is good. Robin Tunney does fairly well. Maria Ricossa & Candice Bergen support well.
On the whole, 'The In-Laws' is a decent watch.
The In-Laws
2003
Action / Comedy / Thriller
The In-Laws
2003
Action / Comedy / Thriller
Plot summary
In four days, Jerry Peyser and Steve Tobias will become in-laws when their respective offspring, Melissa Peyser and Mark Tobias, get married. Married Jerry is a Chicago area podiatrist. He is risk averse to an extreme, afraid of heights including being in tall buildings and flying, even watching airline commercials. He is also extremely controlling, having organized the lavish wedding against the simple affair Melissa had envisioned. He is aggravated that he has not yet met Steve, who has missed one family function after another. Divorced Steve is a photocopy machine salesman... or so Mark says. In reality, Steve is a deep undercover CIA field agent, something that Mark knows but is unable to divulge to anyone, even Tracy and her family. His work, which has always overtaken his life, is the reason Steve has missed all these family events. Steve is unwilling to hand over reigns of his cases to his junior partner, the capable Angela Harris. Steve finally meets the Peysers, which Steve manipulates into an undercover work dinner. Steve's current mission involves setting up the sale of twenty year old runaway "Olga" to a French arms dealer, violent Jean-Pierre Thibodoux, which is purely a cover to obtain information clandestinely from Thibodoux. Jerry inadvertently gets embroiled in Steve's case when he overhears the beginning of the deal going down. Jerry does not believe Steve to be one of "the good guys", especially as he learns that the FBI is after Steve, who they believe has become a rogue agent. This belief may affect not only their time together, but their lives and whether Melissa and Mark will get married. Thrown into the mix is Mark's mother/Steve's ex-wife, Judy Tobias, who hates almost everything about her ex-husband except one thing...
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A Decent Entertainer!
Hit and miss comedy
Melissa Peyser (Lindsay Sloane) and Mark Tobias (Ryan Reynolds) are getting married. Her father Jerry (Albert Brooks) is a mild-mannered podiatrist. His father Steve (Michael Douglas) is a copier salesman or at least that's his cover. He's actually a deep cover CIA operative. Jerry stumbles onto Steve's secret operation and he is pulled into his crazy wild undercover chaos. The FBI is after them. There is a bad guy that likes Jerry. Steve has a side kick Angela Harris (Robin Tunney). Jerry is dragged along kicking and screaming.
It's an odd-couple pairing with Brooks and Douglas. Brooks has a few funny moments screaming and crying. The fact that none of his family believes him is somewhat annoying. It's a lot of hit and miss joking around. There is a lot that makes me roll my eyes. However there is enough laughs that I can barely cling to. Neurotic Brooks gives just enough to let this pass.
Extremely Funny
Steve Tobias (Michael Douglas) is an undercover and efficient CIA agent, supported by the lower-ranked CIA agent Angela Harris (Robin Tunney),and assigned in a dangerous and secret international mission. He is trying to retrieve a nuclear submarine and arrest some international drug dealers and smugglers. Steve is also a reckless and absent father. His son Mark (Ryan Reynolds) is a lawyer, who is going to get married with Melissa Peyser (Lindsay Sloane),the daughter of the housewife Katherine Peyser (Maria Ricossa) and Jerry Peyser (Albert Brooks),a conservative podiatrist of Chicago. Jerry is the opposite of Steve, being afraid of airplanes and living a routinely life. When the two families meet for a dinner in a Vietnamese restaurant to celebrate the forthcoming wedding, Jerry is mistakenly identified as a secret agent, turning his life upside-down. I found this movie extremely funny. The combination of Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks was amazingly (and even surprisingly) good. The performance of David Suchet, as the gay French drug dealer and criminal Jean-Pierre Thibodoux, is also excellent and very funny. KC and the Sunshine Band playing an old hit is also great and completes a highly recommended comedy. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): 'Até Que os Parentes Nos Separem' ('Until the Relatives Get Us Apart')