the leading man is my tpye

People are voting emotionally.

Absolutely Fantastic

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Crack comedy writer Andrew Bergman penned this intentionally erratic farce involving a Manhattan dentist with his future in-law, a mysterious CIA operative who took part in the rogue robbery of the U.S. Mint in order to expose an inflation conspiracy begun in Central America. Overtly nutty, high-decibel nonsense takes two potentially funny characters, played by Peter Falk and Alan Arkin, and soon has them dodging bullets and running from the law. Director Arthur Hiller keeps the mania moving briskly enough, even though the plot is superfluous and occasionally offensive--the real humor is in the character portraits. Still, a box-office hit, remade in 2003. *1/2 from ****

Men, naturally, are always trying to one-up each other for reasons only known to themselves (while the women are arguing about wedding shoes, they are getting shot at). The two patriarchs of the Kornpett and Ricardo families come together on the eve of the joining of hands in marriage, and sense the opportunity to gain an upper hand. Arkin and Falk are natural showmen, and Hiller plays their performances against a plot that never seems to force its hand but inexplicably drives them towards bigger and more ridiculous circumstances. But first, the in-laws are visiting for dinner. It is not a situation that calls for flamboyance, so the two men have to settle, quite humorously, for a battle of who is the more humble. Vincent gives his toast, and before they can even finish drinking Sheldon is up and giving his own. Vincent, not wanting to miss a beat, is already sobbing liberally into his handkerchief. It's a tactical cry, and because men seldom pull this trick out, we stare rather incredulously. The In-Laws places a comedic duo within a larger crime story and then lets them fend for themselves. Arkin is a splendid straight man; never has dentistry been less thrilling, and never has such an incompetent every-man lasted so long in a plot that would normally squash him flat in the opening scene. He has an ever growing incredulity about his face, as if he has wandered in from another slower, gentler movie and been asked to play a role that goes against every fibre of his body. It would not so unusual if he was to glance at the camera every now and again with a disbelief etched on his face, as if to ask the audience "Can you believe this?" But he is also a wonderful participant. He feigns indignation at times, but is one of those types that can be easily guilted and coerced if only because of his weak will and good nature. Arkin adds an extra layer of exasperation that has long passed the point of asking for explanation - just see the look on his face as he pays for the paint-job that has left his car looking like a hot-wheels toy, complete with dancing flames to match his brown suit.And then there is Falk's Vincent, who at times seems almost as loony as the mastermind General Garcia. Falk tiptoes the line between absurdity and seriousness. The easiest example is his early recount of his days in Guatemala, and how the aura of the dinner table suddenly shifts in line with his tone, and he takes on a persona that is akin to something of a war veteran mumbling on about the unspeakable terrors abroad. Falk's sincerity is matched by only his ability to keep a straight face, and add layer after layer of fabrication to his story and monstrous appendage after monstrous appendage to these 'flies'. The scene is so side-splittingly hilarious because we get the sense that Vincent is merely making it up as he goes along, and no one but Sheldon notices. What are the chances that he popped into the local nachos place for a side of guacamole that very afternoon? A strong possibility, if you ask me. Arkin takes on the common sense reaction, while the rest of the table is transfixed by the power of his tale, and the rest of the film goes along with this very notion. Because Arkin only seems unflappable and is easily pushed into escalating the situation again and again, they find themselves in foreign and precarious scenarios that James Bond would not feel out of place in. Hiller affords the pair an invincibility that enables their partnership's natural humour to shine even in the most unlikely of circumstances; see Vince's last minute absurd appeal to the General to spare their lives, but if not both of them, at least Sheldon's because of his excellent dental care, and how Sheldon explodes at this pathetic appeal. But then watch Arkin's perfect reaction to being accosted by two thugs armed with guns, and see if Vince's pleas are not wrong. He cries "He's my in-law", clutches the black bag of mystery in one hand, and with the other, flings his business card like a boomerang designed to doubly further his business and to enable a quick getaway. Arkin's eyes flash death and anger sometimes, but deep down he enjoys playing this little game.

Considering all the rave reviews, one would think this movie was something special. I found the film typical Hollywood garbage, incredibly bad on all levels, from a preposterous script to bad casting and unbearable acting (especially by Peter Falk). There is little sense of comic timing and most of the humor attempted is typical Jewish stick, which Arkin overdoes. So why is a dentist in N>Y> living in a mansion that looks like San Simeon, why would he run off on various errands for his imbecilic future in law when he knows hes nuts, and the list goes on. Its not enough to say that this is the point of the film, or some other idiotic rationalization. A good comedy must have some sense of reality to play off, must have an intelligent script, and must have some pathos underlying the comedy. This film, in the inglorious American movie tradition of the last 40 years (with a few exceptions: My Cousin Vinny, Tootsie)is predictably stupid and unfunny unless you believe the zenith of comedy is Neil Simon or Woody Allen. I gave the film one star for some of Arkin's deadpan and another for the possibility the film got better after I turned it off.

Inane farce with Peter Falk involving future in-law Alan Arkin is a CIA romp.The chase scenes and shootings become actually annoying in this film which lacks real humor. When our two heroes meet a dictator of Honduras, he tells them that his army people once worked as security guards for J.C. Penney? This is supposed to be funny. Methinks not.For the straight dentist Arkin portrays, after a while, he seems to be enjoying himself and does pretty well in dodging bullets along the way.The only funny scene here is that woman left with the cement in her mouth as the two fools make their escapade. Maybe, she succeeds because she is quiet. This is what the rest of the film should have been like.