The In-Laws (1979)

Pete Rating: 6.9
One of those movies you get a few small laughs from, and then forget about completely 5 minutes after you see it. My complaint is the same I have of the next blog review (All the President’s Men), which is the cliched relationship between Peter Falk (who, might I add, I am tired of from watching hours of Columbo with mom) and Alan Arkin, with the cluelessness of Falk’s character, and the very clear straight guy character Arkin plays. It’s kind of funny, but also dull, and not something I would watch again.

Dad Rating: 9.0
Once again, I feel like Pete and I may have been watching completely different movies here. This is Lynne’s favorite movie comedy of all time. It’s not hard to see why. This was probably the 5th time I’ve seen The In-Laws, but it remains just as funny as the first time. Peter Falk has the more showy role in this “buddy comedy” and he delivers like no one else on the planet could have. But I actually think the movie is stolen by the straight(er) man, played by Alan Arkin. This could have been a silent movie and he would have been just as funny, such as the scene where he’s sitting in the Wong Airlines jet, observing the preparations for the flight to Scranton, or so he thinks. The screenwriter should have won an Oscar for this movie. For example, when Falk’s Vince Ricardo suggests to his cabbie that he should join the CIA: “The benefits are terrific. The trick is not to get killed. That’s really the key to the benefits program.” Lynne had the perfect comparison of In-Laws to a later, also hilarious, movie: Midnight Run.