The In-Laws

I can think of a lot of different types of buddy movies. Westerns like Butch and Sundance, cop flicks like 48 Hours and Lethal Weapon, even straight comedies like Silver Streak and The Odd Couple. I'll watch them in basically any variety with any cast. There's just something appealing about the dynamic when handled correctly. So bandits, cops, oddball friends, how about in-laws? Not my first thought either, but 1979's The In-Laws is a gem.

Preparing for the wedding of his daughter (Penny Peyser), mild-mannered NYC dentist Sheldon Kornpett (Alan Arkin) is a little skeptical and worried to meet his future in-laws. Upon meeting them, Vince Ricardo (Peter Falk) and his wife (Arlene Golonka), Sheldon is less than impressed when Vince starts spouting off at dinner about all his experiences, even screaming at his son. He's worried about what his daughter may be getting into, but he's thrown for an even bigger loop when Vince shows up the next day at his Manhattan office. Vince needs some help recovering something from his office, but he can't go in. Trying to go along with the odd-sounding plan for the sake of his daughter, Sheldon goes along with it. What's Vince up to? As Sheldon finds out when two men start shooting at him, Vince is a C.I.A. agent caught up in a plot to recover two U.S. currency engraving plates. Uh-oh, weird in-laws just got weirder.

My only real exposure to this movie was a vague recollection of a vaguely remembered 2003 remake that I never saw. Long story short? It didn't look good. I've been in a rut on Netflix so when I stumbled across it via an actor's search (being a movie reviewer is hard work I tell you!) I jumped. This comedy from director Arthur Hiller can officially be called a slump-buster. I loved this movie. It was perfection in its subtlety and when it's funny, it's hilarious. All I'm trying to figure out now is why it doesn't have more notoriety, more popularity? And what have I come up with? I've got ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. It doesn't rewrite the genre -- but few comedies do -- and doesn't rely on anything dirty, sexy or violent. Oh, and there's little if any cursing. So anyways, that mystery is still to be solved. I for one, loved it.

How this 1979 comedy slipped through the cracks for me is another mystery. Alan Arkin and Peter Falk are two of my all-time favorites so teaming the two of them up is like a fastball down the middle. It is a match made in heaven. What works so well is that both actors get a chance to play the straight man to the others' screw-up goofball. You just don't see that a lot as comedies usually pigeon-hole actors into one or the other. As Falk's Vince gets Arkin's Sheldon deeper and deeper into his highly dangerous C.I.A. mission, things get better and better. They have an easy-going perfection in their chemistry. Any scene they have together is spot-on, and that's a good thing when they're in virtually every scene together. Both Falk and Arkin are given their chances to shine, and neither Hollywood pro disappoints. Just a solid pairing that carries the movie.

With a few exceptions, a majority of the laughs here come from the kookiness going on more than the performances. It's that almost laid back, subtle goofiness between Arkin and Falk that works so well in the ridiculously stupid situations they find themselves in. Vince's reveal to Sheldon about his occupation in a crowded NYC deli really gets things going, the duo talking about a federal crime loud enough that everyone around them can hear clearly. Later as they disembark a plane in Honduras (don't ask), they come under fire from snipers. Experienced under fire, Vince yells "Serpentine, Shell! Serpentine!" in regards to how he should run so the snipers can't draw a bead on him. The line is great, Arkin's follow-up even better. Another highlight comes late as Vince and Sheldon race from hired killers, Vince saying "It's incomprehensible they took my license away! I'm a great driver!"

The goofiest and funniest is saved for last when the duo ends up at the villa of a Central American dictator, General Garcia (Richard Libertini), who's clearly a card or two short of a full deck. Case in point; he's drawn a face on his hand and talks to it....all the time. There's a great pay-off to this extended sequence, but it plays like the rest of the movie. The story and ever-escalating craziness is all sorts of nuts, but Arkin and Falk keep it grounded. Also look for Nancy Dussault as Sheldon's wife, Carol, and Ed Begley Jr. as Barry Lutz, a C.I.A. agent with an interesting reveal about Vince's background. Underrated comedy, one that's definitely worth seeking out.

The In-Laws (1979): *** 1/2 /****