Sadly Over-hyped

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Blistering performances.

Regardless of what you think of Pauly Shore, he always made me laugh in Son in Law. This film was always a feel good movie which I could watch over and over again, smiling every time. Nothing too deep, just mindless fun, which we all need sometimes. Carla Gugino also shows how likable she can be and she has an infectious laugh in this film which I've never heard her do in any of her other films. A fun comedy which will leave you smiling every time. Definitely recommend

"Rebecca Warner" (Carla Gugino) is a farm girl who has just graduated from her high school in South Dakota and has chosen to attend a university in California. When her parents drive her there they are shocked to see some of the students she will have to live with in her co-ed dormitory with a resident adviser by the name of "Crawl" (Pauly Shore) being the worst of them. However, they have faith in their daughter's decision making ability and although they are sad to leave her there they console themselves with the fact that they will see her again in a few months when she comes home for Thanksgiving. But what they don't count on is the influence that Crawl manages to exert upon her which causes her to dramatically change her outlook on life. To top it all off, when she comes back to her home in South Dakota she brings Crawl with her—and once again her family goes into a deep shock. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film had some pretty good humor here and there. Unfortunately, it also had some scenes that fell rather flat along with a rather erratic performance by Pauly Shore as well. Not only that, but I wasn't exactly over-whelmed by the performances of either Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (as "Tracy") or the aforementioned Carla Gugion either. That being the case I have rated this movie accordingly. Slightly below average.

I just saw Sin City for the first time this week and couldn't help but notice how attractive Carla Gugino still is, once I found out she was 39 years old!! After Googling her name, I stumbled upon a video clip picture that for me was instantly recognizable. SHE was the stunning brunette in the Bon Jovi clip for "Always" (1994). For 16 long years, I finally found out it was the gorgeous Miss Gugino (after not knowing all this time) who not only was in that clip, but also featured in a Season 5 episode of "The Wonder Years." More recently, she was also in "Night At The Museum" with Ben Stiller. Going into the video store this afternoon, I decided to get out "Son In Law" which I recall seeing as a teenager and quite enjoyed. After the revelations of the past week I again was surprised to find a young Carla Gugino in the lead role next to Pauly Shore. This is your typical 90s looking movie, just about watchable but nothing spectacular. Pauly Shaw's character "Crawl" is pretty much the same as his character in Encino Man. But like most people who have commented on this movie, they can't help but mention the equally stunning Tiffani-Amber Thiessen from 90s sitcom "Saved By The Bell". Someone mentioned in this thread she should have been in the lead role but the fact remains is Gugino over time has had a more prestigious acting career than Thiessen and her role in "Son In Law" shows this. In saying that, Thiessen is certainly memorable in this movie and easily sits in my Top 20 Hottest Females of All Time list. If anything, its great to see both of these girls in early roles and I don't agree with some people who have regarded this as "one of the worst movies of all time". Sure, Pauly Shore at times is annoying but if you want to see a truly bad movie, go check out Adam Sandler's very first effort "Going Overboard".

Perfect double bill for the horribly corny "Beverly Hillbillies" is this equally atrocious, lame brained 'comedy', "Son in Law". Country girl Rebecca goes to wild California to attend college, only to be assaulted by the lifestyle. 'Resident Adviser' "Crawl" helps her settle in, and soon the two are good friends. Bec decides to bring the wacky "Crawl" home for Thanksgiving, with obvious "fish out of water" results.The only other comic angle Steve Rash (aptly named ) achieves here is a sexual one. This he bludgeons us with, but to no avail. Both comic aspects fail dismally, and you know the film is groping when "Crawl" hijacks the combine harvester and writes his name in the corn field.Dramatically the movie falls short too, with several attempts at family and personal counselling from "Crawl" misfiring. Between them Pauly Shore and Carla Gugino manage to raise a couple of smiles, but little else, while the rest of the cast are mere fodder. The problem is it's nearly impossible to actually like "Crawl", and you'll find yourself spending the whole flick wondering why Rebecca would want to spend a moment with him. However, if you're a fan of unintelligent comedy, "Son in Law" is right on the mark.Sunday, November 10, 1996 - T.V.