Dunston Checks In (1996)
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6% of critics liked it
(16 reviews) -
39% of users liked it
(45,745 ratings)
A nervous hotel manager has all sorts of monkey business to deal with (actually orangutan business, but you get the idea) in this comedy for the family. Robert Grant (Jason Alexander) is the manager of The Majestic Hotel, a large and highly luxurious five-star facility. Grant is harried, overworked,… More A nervous hotel manager has all sorts of monkey business to deal with (actually orangutan business, but you get the idea) in this comedy for the family. Robert Grant (Jason Alexander) is the manager of The Majestic Hotel, a large and highly luxurious five-star facility. Grant is harried, overworked, and wants to take his two sons, Kyle (Eric Lloyd) and Brian (Graham Sack), on a well-deserved vacation, but when the owner of the Majestic, Mrs. Dubrow (Faye Dunnaway), hears that the hotel is being considered for the newly-minted and very prestigious six-star rating by the Le Monde Guide, it falls on Robert to make sure that everything is perfect when the guide's staff arrives. Since the inspectors will arrive unannounced, Robert has to chase after anyone who looks like they could be a VIP, so he finds himself giving the star treatment to new guest Lord Rutledge (Rupert Everett) when he spots Rutledge using a pocket camera to snap pictures in the lobby. However, Rutledge is actually a skilled jewel thief who has come to the Majestic to take advantage of its wealthy clientele, and he's arrived with his pet orangutan, Dunston, who has been trained to be Rutledge's partner in crime. Dunston gets lost in the hotel's air duct system; Kyle finds the friendly ape and discovers he makes a great playmate, which makes things all the more difficult for Robert. Paul Reubens (aka Pee Wee Herman) also appears as a trigger-happy animal control officer. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Ken Kwapis
- Genres
- Comedy, Kids & Family
PG,
- In Theaters
- Jan 12, 1996 Wide
- Studio
- Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Leonard Klady, Variety
It's a first-class, stylish farce with a brisk pace and cool wit.
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Derek Adams, Time Out
An unruly orangutan plus an opulent hotel setting equals a natural disaster, or in this case a kids' movie.
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James Berardinelli, ReelViews
There isn't much of a story. The minimal plot exists exclusively to get the orangutan Dunston (played by "Sam") into as many odd, potentially-comic circumstances as possible.
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Chase Whale, Gordon and the Whale
Dunston does not, in fact, check in.
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Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Dumb chimp-gorilla-orangutan genre laughs, and forgettable.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Jason Alexander
as Robert Grant
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Faye Dunaway
as Mrs. Dubrow
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Eric Lloyd
as Kyle Grant
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Rupert Everett
as Lord Rutledge
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Graham Sack
as Brian Grant
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Paul Reubens
as Buck La Farge
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Jennifer Bassey
as Mrs. Dellacroce
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Natalie Core
as Mrs. Feldman
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Nathan Davis
as Victor
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Lois De Banzie
as Mrs. Winthrop
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Marceline Hugot
as Mrs. Harrison
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Frank Kopyc
as Night Doorman
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Cynthia Martells
as Ms. Pink
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Karen Maruyama
as Telephone Operator
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Neriah Napaul
as Ferrari Girl
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Ernest Perry Jr.
as Doorman
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Judith Scott
as Nancy
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Glenn Shadix
as Lionel Spalding
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Peter Siragusa
as Maintenance Man
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Lynne Marie Stewart
as Cucumber Woman
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Michael McCarty
as Tex
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Frank Welker
as Special Vocal Effects
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Bruce Beatty
as Murray
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Steven Gilborn
as Artie
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Ray Chang
as Bellman #1
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Jim Ishida
as Bali Majestic Guest
