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Douglas goes loud to play Steve Tobias, a shifty, hyperactive guy whose secret life as a CIA agent has made him a chronically absent father to his son, Mark (Ryan Reynolds)
NC-17 â€â€? No one under 17 admitted
Among the various sight gags that aim for madcap laughs but fall flat:
â€â€? Steve and Jerry clutch each other as they parachute together off the top of Chicago's 100-story John Hancock Center Reynolds, surprisingly charming in the otherwise standard gross-out comedy "National Lampoon's Van Wilder," proves himself likable here, too
"The In-Laws," a Warner Bros At the Movies: 'The In-Laws'
May 23, 10:47 AM EST
"The In-Laws," starring Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks as mismatched fathers whose children are getting married, is essentially the same as the 1979 comedy it's a remake of, starring Peter Falk and Alan Arkin
â€â€? While at the controls of an airplane, Steve pretends he doesn't know how to lower the landing gear just to mess with Jerry, and the beeping from the control panel mixes cacophonously with Jerry's fearful cries
That's not funny, either â€â€? it's just frightening
â€â€? At the end, Steve and Jerry dodge torpedoes while zooming across Lake Michigan on a Jet Ski â€â€? screaming the whole way, naturally, to hear each other over the roar of the engine and the sound of Badfinger's "No Matter What )
Candice Bergen fares better than most of the cast as Steve's bitter ex-wife â€â€? even though she's basically doing a version of Murphy Brown â€â€? because she shows up and brings instant poise and grace
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Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:
G â€â€? General audiences Some material may be inappropriate for young children
It strives so desperately for laughs, you can almost feel the actors working up a sweat through the screen â€â€? like Brooks' memorable on-air flop sweat in "Broadcast News Douglas, in the role of secret government agent, drags Brooks' character to France; Falk, in the role of secret government agent, dragged Arkin's character to Central America Their banter competes for attention with Chic's disco hit "Good Times" blaring in the background Running time: 96 minutes Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian But props to Brooks for doing it without relying on a body double, and without breaking out into flop sweat
Brooks earns some sympathy as Jerry Peyser, a timid, neurotic doctor who's trying to control every element of daughter Melissa's upcoming wedding
Then there's the unfortunate scene in which Jerry emerges from a hot tub â€â€? where he's been soaking with sociopathic French smuggler Jean-Pierre Thibodeaux (David Suchet), who's developed a crush on him â€â€? and turns his backside to the camera to reveal that he's wearing a red thong bikini Some material may not be suitable for children release, is rated PG-13 for suggestive humor, language, some drug references and action violence
PG-13 â€â€? Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13
PG â€â€? Parental guidance suggested
Melissa (Lindsay Sloane) is marrying â€â€? you guessed it â€â€? Mark, which throws Steve and Jerry together in the days leading up to the ceremony
R â€â€? Restricted "
But again, not funny
But that's exactly what happens under the direction of Andrew Fleming ("The Craft," "Dick") whose idea of humor is simply cranking up the volume "
(The eclectic soundtrack, which includes Paul McCartney's "Live and Let Die," Cameo's "Word Up" and Electric Light Orchestra's "Don't Bring Me Down," is probably the most interesting thing about the movie
"The In-Laws" probably didn't need to be remade in the first place â€â€? and if it did, it certainly shouldn't have relied on two actors who've had varying degrees of comedic success
Steve's simultaneously trying to thwart a smuggler's attempt to buy a Russian submarine named Olga â€â€? which Jerry gets involved in, pouting and hissing the whole way
There are a few minor differences: Brooks plays a nerdy podiatrist; Arkin played a nerdy dentist One and a half stars out of four
Then there's the main difference: This new film isn't funny All ages admitted |