When a comedy isn’t funny, it usually spells disaster. Another textbook
example of a comedy castrated of its laughs is The In-Laws. Box office,
what box office? With a total gross of about 20 million, The In-Laws
was far from a success theatrically, considering its high expectations with
an all-star cast. Unphased, Warner Brothers Home Video releases the 2003
remake of the 1979 classic to DVD, hoping for big numbers, if only for a week.
Jerry (Albert Brooks) is a podiatrist who attempts to plan the perfect wedding
for his daughter, Melissa (Lindsay Sloane). One thing Jerry doesn't forsee is
the adventure that awaits him when he meets Steve (Michael Douglas), father
of Mark (Ryan Reynolds), the groom. Steve’s cover as a copier salesman
is abruptly blown and Jerry learns of his identity as a CIA agent. Now Steve
drags Jerry undercover to help him unravel a plot to sell a missing nuclear
submarine. Also aiding them is Steve’s assistant, Angela (Robin Tunney).
Jerry's contempt for Steve as a person grows as the danger ensues, and his identity
is soon mistaken for the “fat cobra,” a legendary criminal. The
FBI is now hot on the trails of Jerry and Steve under the misconception of them
being criminals. Jerry also grows weary of Steve as he realizes his lifestyle
is the sole cause of his absence as a father for most of Mark's life.
From the beginning, it seems the wedding is doomed. To add onto Jerry and Steve’s
mishaps, Steve’s ex-wife Judy (Candice Bergen) is on her way to the wedding.
She too has a grudge with Steve, and Mark doesn’t want a fight to disrupt
the wedding. Unfortunately, that’s not all that stands in the way of Mark
and Melissa becoming one, and Steve and Jerry becoming in-laws.
Unlike a majority of critics, I never saw the original 1979 version of The
In Laws. Therefore I lack much of a basis to make judgment between the two
films. I did, however, see a preview of the original (thank you special features).
What I noticed was that the story of the remake barely resembles the original.
Hopefully this holds true in regards to film quality since I couldn’t
imagine the original being this bad. The remake is not funny, and the main characters
are both completely annoying.
Something the original lacks but the remake of The In-Laws has, is special
features. Didn’t see that one coming did you? Anyhow, they include:
“Director’s commentary”: Perhaps he can give us an explanation
for this disaster, I know I can’t.
“Gag Reel”: Quite possibly the worse outtakes I have ever seen.
I’m not just saying this because I didn’t like the movie either,
they just really are that bad.
“Additional scenes”: Most of them are rightfully left out of the
movie. One is an alternate scene where Angela proclaims her love for Steve and
how he abandoned her. This too did not belong in the film, as it would have
complicated things further.
“ Multiple takes with Albert Brooks”: He acts out the same scene
over and over again, for two separate scenes. I guess this could be funny if
you like hearing the same thing multiple times. I guess this could be funny
if you like hearing the same thing multiple times.
“Theatrical trailers”: Trailers of both the original and remake.
It’s from these I saw how different the plots really were of both films.
As I stated in my review of Malibu’s Most Wanted, I don’t
find anything funny about parents neglecting their children as Steve neglected
Mark in The In-Laws. Seriously, who finds that so funny that they want
to see it over and over again as more and more comedies use this as a theme.
I’m not insinuating Douglas gave a poor performance, as I feel he did
the best he could. It’s just too bad I also feel the role was horrible
and even his supreme acting skills couldn’t save it.
I also don’t find humor in the neurotic, anal retentive and borderline
obsessive-compulsive Jerry as portrayed by Albert Brooks. His character also
neglects his daughter by not respecting her opinions towards her own wedding
and continuing to plan it as he sees fit. I understand this is supposed to be
a learning experience for Jerry as well as Steve about how bad of fathers they
both are, but this is comedy, and as opposed to laughing at them I found myself
wanting to strangle both of them.
As you can probably tell, I have nothing too exciting to say about The In-Laws.
It isn't funny, the plot is sub-par and although there are a decent amount of
special features, they aren't anything worth buying this DVD for. My final verdict:
I find it difficult to recommend renting this movie unless you feel like wasting
an hour and a half of your life.
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