Dunston Checks In (1996)

7% of critics liked it
(15 reviews)
40% of users liked it
(45,373 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

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Rating, Runtime: PG, 1 hr. 28 min.
Directed By: Ken Kwapis
Genres: Comedy, Kids & Family

In Theaters: Jan 12, 1996 Wide
On DVD: May 28, 2002
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Leonard Klady, Variety
It's a first-class, stylish farce with a brisk pace and cool wit.
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.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
Dumb chimp-gorilla-orangutan genre laughs, and forgettable.
Derek Adams, Time Out
An unruly orangutan plus an opulent hotel setting equals a natural disaster, or in this case a kids' movie.
Staci Layne Wilson, StaciWilson.com
I'm checking out.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
Depends on your orangutan tolerance.
Scott Weinberg, Apollo Guide
Monkeys: they make any movie funnier just by being included.
Walter Chaw, Film Freak Central
Its value is ultimately just as a way to keep your children quiet and pliant for ninety minutes.
Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews
Dunston Checks In -- Wish I hadn't.

Read all 9 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

Did the world really need another kids movie with an animal? No, but at least the movie isn't terrible. It's got a couple of funny scenes.
Tim S

Loses my interest about five minutes in.
Jason O

You might expect "Dunston Checks In" to be a kiddy or cutesy show, and in a way it is, but it can also be a good family movie for anybody who likes comedies. A manager of a 5-star hotel in New York, Mr. Grant (Jason Alexander), has a great job, but he has to watch every step… More
You might expect "Dunston Checks In" to be a kiddy or cutesy show, and in a way it is, but it can also be a good family movie for anybody who likes comedies. A manager of a 5-star hotel in New York, Mr. Grant (Jason Alexander), has a great job, but he has to watch every step he takes because if he makes one mistake in the eyes of the owner, Mrs. Dubrow (Faye Dunaway), he could lose his high paying job and go from living in a 5-star hotel to something not so nice. Mr. Grant has two kids to raise, but things just might go haywire when an orangutan starts hanging out at the hotel. But not to fret, not only is the orangutan named Dunston real smart, he can also make simple things hilarious. "Dunston Checks In" isn't a groundbreaking comedy and it's not that original, but it is fun to watch, and it can be funny. I recommend anybody who likes comedies that feature an animal as the main star to at least rent "Dunston Checks In," if not buying it. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2001. Something about this movie I always loved and have watched it several times. It's not Jason Alexander, the orangutan, or anything, just the culmination of it as a whole somehow works to a charm.
Dean M

A cute small orangutan makes me laugh heaps while befriends a mischievous teen at the four-star hotel they are plundering, and turns a huge formal ball into chaos.
Daniel H

Pretty much the standard-bearer of the always rare but overly obnoxious "monkey-doing-people-things" genre. You know the producers knew that monkey hijinks pretty much overshadow any poor qualities in the film. Also, it acutely limits the film to a 3-star-maximum, in the… More
Pretty much the standard-bearer of the always rare but overly obnoxious "monkey-doing-people-things" genre. You know the producers knew that monkey hijinks pretty much overshadow any poor qualities in the film. Also, it acutely limits the film to a 3-star-maximum, in the same way that one must limit "Weekend At Bernies." Monkeys and Dead People are comedies two great equalizers.
Drew S

Saw this in theaters, can't remember a single thing about it.
Naughtia N

This is a great childrens movie I used to watch as a kid. This movie is about this orangutan which moves in to this fancy New York hotel and causes all kinds of trouble. I thought it was cute and very relaxing to watch. The monkey is very cute and well trained. If you're on the… More
This is a great childrens movie I used to watch as a kid. This movie is about this orangutan which moves in to this fancy New York hotel and causes all kinds of trouble. I thought it was cute and very relaxing to watch. The monkey is very cute and well trained. If you're on the look for a good movie to watch with your children this one would be a very good choice.
Yinalí R

Loved it since childhood.
Sunil J

I thought it was kind of fun. SO rediculous but I watched it many times on VHS. Is Faye Dunaway ashamed that she was tackled by a monkey into a gigantic cake?...I wonder.
Sarah B

Does anyone remember the slew of supposedly funny animal films?

Read all 10 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Jason Alexander as Robert Grant

            Faye Dunaway as Mrs. Dubrow

            Eric Lloyd as Kyle Grant

            Rupert Everett as Lord Rutledge

            Graham Sack as Brian Grant

            Paul Reubens as Buck La Farge

            Jennifer Bassey as Mrs. Dellacroce

            Natalie Core as Mrs. Feldman

            Nathan Davis as Victor

            Lois De Banzie as Mrs. Winthrop

            Marceline Hugot as Mrs. Harrison

            Frank Kopyc as Night Doorman

            Cynthia Martells as Ms. Pink

            Karen Maruyama as Telephone Operator

            Neriah Napaul as Ferrari Girl

            Ernest Perry Jr. as Doorman

            Judith Scott as Nancy

            Glenn Shadix as Lionel Spalding

            Peter Siragusa as Maintenance Man

            Lynne Marie Stewart as Cucumber Woman

            Michael McCarty as Tex

            Frank Welker as Special Vocal Effects

            Bruce Beatty as Murray

            Steven Gilborn as Artie

            Ray Chang as Bellman #1

            Jim Ishida as Bali Majestic Guest
See full cast

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