The In-Laws

1979 action comedy

Rating: 16/20

Plot: When a dentist meets the father of the man who is marrying his daughter and agrees to help him out with a tiny favor, he finds himself on a wild and confusing adventure.

I had to give this movie a bonus point because of the boastful tagline: "The first certified crazy person's comedy." It's unclear to me whether it's a comedy for a person who is certified as crazy or a comedy certified for crazy people. Either way, it's my type of comedy.

It wouldn't take a lot for Peter Falk to win me over anyway, but he did it early on during a dinner scene where he's talking about flies with beaks. From that point on, his character is impossible to read. Is he part of the CIA? Is he a criminal? Is he insane and completely lucky to be alive by the midway point in the movie? Is he completely sane and calculating, the kind of super-agent who knows exactly how to stay alive? Whatever the case, he's the funniest I've ever seen him in this. And Alan Arkin is the perfect foil or straight man. They're the perfect odd couple for this action comedy.

A cool opening heist, General Garcia's collection of velvet paintings and especially the new flag he's designed, an umbrella-wielding child extra who lunges at Arkin during a foot chase, the tooth-loving ramblings of patient Mr. Hirschorn, and an appearance by the always-great James Hong are highlights not involving Falk and Arkin, but it's really the rapport between the leads and the comic action scenes (the "Serpentine!" scene being the most famous) in this consistently unpredictable film that makes it such a great comedy.

I'm going to need a list of certified crazy person's comedies. Or maybe I should make one.