The In-Laws (2003)

35% of critics liked it
(127 reviews)
42% of users liked it
(15,286 ratings)

Lots of people have misgiving about their in-laws, but in this offbeat comedy, a man discovers that his new son-in-law's father is significantly stranger than he's able to deal with. Jerry Peyser (Albert Brooks) is a well-meaning but slightly anal-retentive podiatrist who doesn't much care for… More Lots of people have misgiving about their in-laws, but in this offbeat comedy, a man discovers that his new son-in-law's father is significantly stranger than he's able to deal with. Jerry Peyser (Albert Brooks) is a well-meaning but slightly anal-retentive podiatrist who doesn't much care for surprises in his life. When his daughter Melissa (Lindsay Sloane) announces she's going to marry her boyfriend, Mark Tobias (Ryan Reynolds), Jerry figures that helping his wife plan the wedding and getting through the ceremony is as much excitement as he needs or wants. However, when Jerry and his wife, Katherine (Maria Ricossa), meet Mark's father for the first time, Steve Tobias (Michael Douglas) ends up taking Jerry on the ride of his life. Both Mark and Steve's ex-wife, Judy (Candice Bergen), seem to have a decidedly ambivalent attitude about Steve, and Jerry finds out why -- Steve is actually an undercover agent for the CIA. In the guise of doing Steve a favor, Jerry gets dragged into a strange and dangerous episode involving international arms dealers, French super-villains, heavily armed men's room attendants, and a stolen private jet belonging to Barbra Streisand, as well as several less-than-pleasant encounters with Angela (Robin Tunney), Steve's colleague in espionage who doesn't trust Jerry. The In-Laws was adapted from the memorable 1979 comedy of the same name, in which Alan Arkin and Peter Falk played the mismatched fathers. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Andrew Fleming
Written By: Nat Mauldin, Ed Solomon
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Comedy

In Theaters: May 23, 2003 Wide
On DVD: Oct 7, 2003
Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures

Critic Reviews

Rex Reed, New York Observer
Humdrum direction fails to elevate an already bankrupt idea from its relentless doldrums.
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
Amazingly, the two versions have hit the casting bull's-eye twice in 24 years to provide superior entertainment.
Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
One of the problems with The In-Laws is that it spends as much time with the uninteresting and unfunny wedding story as it does with the spy stuff.
Charles Taylor, Salon.com
This In-Laws isn't a disaster, it's just not very good.
Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post
Funny, if a bit broad.
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post
Its laughs are sweet-natured, and Heaven knows the lead players earn every one.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
This movie has more misfires than hits.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
Medíocre se analisada isoladamente, esta refilmagem se torna ainda mais constrangedora quando comparada ao divertido original.
Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)
A sloppy excuse for 95 minutes of celluloid . . . Andrew Fleming's film should be outlawed for its sheer laziness alone.
Terri Clark, Apollo Guide
Like most weddings, it's more tedious than terrific. The humour is one note, with the same jokes being told and retold throughout the film.
Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com
If nothing else is on cable, you'd be okay sitting through this.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...you may not particularly want these in-laws in your DVD family.
John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis
...a tepid remake at best and a dreary exercise in wastefulness at worst.
Prairie Miller, Long Island Press
The kind of sequel-and-remake overkill that turns Hollywood on-and on and on.

Read all 14 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

Matt G

Saw this a very long time ago. I remember I loved it, primarily because of Michael Doublas' hilarious performance. Grade: C+
Dead A

Oh man! I watched this because of Ryan Reynolds. But he was sorta like a special guest in it. It wasn't funny though. Don't waste your time on it.
Wahida K

This Movie caused me a Headache.
Lady D

Albert Brooks is by far the funniest thing about this film, it?s an easy watching film, but very much a no brainer.
Lanning :

I must make sure to add the original to my Netflix queue -- now closiing in on 400 movies! I would love to see what Alan Arkin and Peter Falk made of this idea. I have to admit that I was very skeptical of the pairing of Albert Brooks and Michael Douglas -- two of my other… More
I must make sure to add the original to my Netflix queue -- now closiing in on 400 movies! I would love to see what Alan Arkin and Peter Falk made of this idea. I have to admit that I was very skeptical of the pairing of Albert Brooks and Michael Douglas -- two of my other favorites. No worry, shrimp curry, they did very well playing off of each other. If this plot seems a little bit far-fetched to you, rest assured that I felt the same way. It is unbelievable, but it was also easy to let a willing suspension of disbelief kick it. This one is, however, worth a viewing. Douglas and Brooks make some very real music together. I feel for the other actors here, especially David Suchet and Candice Bergen. There is very little room to shine in this rather claustrophobic(?) -- narrowly focused(?) -- script for anyone besides Brooks and Douglas. Everything else is window dressing, really. I guess I'd call this a road/buddy flick in the end. It's truly very funny at times, but with a lot of so-so stretches as well. Still, I must reaffirm, flixster friends, that this is worth at least one watch, especially if you've ever believed in Brooks and Douglas. If I run across it again, I will happily give it another go, I think.
Dean M

This remake film is definitely funny than the original one.
Steven V

This movie has a lot of good laughs in it and some fine comic performances. In his TCM tribute to his father Michael Douglas says that when he was starting out in the picture business he avoided taking roles as action heroes because he did not want comparison with… More
This movie has a lot of good laughs in it and some fine comic performances. In his TCM tribute to his father Michael Douglas says that when he was starting out in the picture business he avoided taking roles as action heroes because he did not want comparison with his father. At this point though he's definitely not worried about that. The part that Michael Douglas plays, the CIA agent whose life prevents him from having any kind of home life that was done by Peter Falk in the original, I could easily see being done by Kirk Douglas in the 1940s or 1950s. The In-Laws has some very nice moments and the stars work well together. But the best performances are from David Suchet as the international arms trafficker who's gay and who Michael Douglas convinces that Albert Brooks is a regular Dirk Diggler. And the other great performance is from Candice Bergen who is Michael Douglas' estranged wife and Ryan Reynolds mother. As she says she's the only one who really has her husband's number, but she's still crazy about him in certain ways. This version of The In-Laws is an amusing comedy, a worthy next century successor to the original.
Deb S

THE IN-LAWS ** Michael Douglas, Albert Brooks, Ryan Reynolds, Lindsay Sloane, Maria Ricossa, Candice Bergen, Robin Tunney, David Suchet. CIA operative Michael Douglas and an obsessive and phobic Chicago podiatrist Albert Brooks meet when their children are about to be married. Brooks… More
THE IN-LAWS ** Michael Douglas, Albert Brooks, Ryan Reynolds, Lindsay Sloane, Maria Ricossa, Candice Bergen, Robin Tunney, David Suchet. CIA operative Michael Douglas and an obsessive and phobic Chicago podiatrist Albert Brooks meet when their children are about to be married. Brooks knows immediately that there is something not quite right with Douglas and Douglas tries to downplay his life, but soon they both find themselves involved in international smuggling and very dangerous situations with shady super-criminal figures. I like Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks; they make an appealing team and were great in this film with Brooks banging out hilarious one-liners left and right ("I think my food is still eating" and "I'm sorry I called you the worst father in the world. I'm sure there's at least two or three guys who are worse.") The soundtrack is filled with cool songs like "Live and Let Die," "Get Down Tonight," "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" etc. David Suchet plays Tibideaux, the sexually-confused French smuggler, who adds just the right touch of humor and malice and manages to steal every scene he is a part of. Even Candace Bergen has a funny little supporting role. This is a fast paced, funny movie so if you're in the mood to laugh, laugh and laugh some more-- GO RENT IT NOW!!!
Remi L

I only wanted to watch this movie because Ryan Reynolds was in it, but he ended up just being a bonus. The synopsis reads: "Right before his daughter's wedding, a mild-mannered foot doctor discovers that his new in-laws are international smugglers." Albert Brooks is… More
I only wanted to watch this movie because Ryan Reynolds was in it, but he ended up just being a bonus. The synopsis reads: "Right before his daughter's wedding, a mild-mannered foot doctor discovers that his new in-laws are international smugglers." Albert Brooks is hilarious as said podiatrist. He was just so awkward and neurotic and a control freak and it was a great combination with Michael Douglas' too-cool, funny smuggler. Even though Ryan Reynolds only had a small part in the film, he managed to make the tiniest moments hilarious. Candice Bergen too, who I loved in Boston Legal, had small parts, but made the most of them. I was thoroughly entertained.
alan j

An adequate remake...Douglas shines but Brooks is outplayed by the original actor, Alan Arkin in the dentist role...mildy entertaining shtick
Andrew P

A small yet funny film which like everything nowadays is a re-used storyline. Fun film to watch

Read all 11 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Michael Douglas as Steve Tobias

            Albert Brooks as Jerry Peyser

            Robin Tunney as Angela

            Ryan Reynolds as Mark Tobias

            Candice Bergen as Judy

            David Suchet as Jean-Pierre Thibodoux

            Lindsay Sloane as Melissa Peyser

            Maria Ricossa as Katherine Peyser

            Russell Andrews as Agent Will Hutchins

            KC and the Sunshine Band as Himself

            Matt Birman as Agent at Restaurant

            Ric Waugh as Agent Thorn

            Kenner Ames as Janitor

            Eric Fink as Uncle Ben

            Tamara Gorski as Yadira

            Emmy Laybourne as Gloria Rudnick

            Boyd Banks as Patient

            Chang Tseng as Quan Lee

            Miranda Black as Bridesmaid #4

            Jeanie Calleja as Bridesmaid #3

            Novie Edwards as Bridesmaid #1

            Jack Duffy as Other Uncle

            Sergio Di Zio as Lecture Room Subject

            Billy Khoury as Thibodoux Guard #6

            Drew Lee as Buddhist Monk

            Perry Perlmutar as Frat Brother #3

            Cara Pifko as Female Rabbi

            Tamara Levitt as Bridesmaid #2

            Paul Robbins as Thief at Thibodoux's

            David Christo as Frat Brother #1

            Aaron Abrams as Student

            Susan Aceron as Nurse

            Aaron Alexander as Frat Brother #2

            Mike Beaver as Rude Floral Consultant

            Michael Bodnar as Cherkasov's Bodyguard

            Peter Brewer as Sunshine Band Member

            Marcel Brouillet as Thibodoux Guard #3

            Michel Brouillet as Thibodoux Guard #4

            Jason Frost as Sunshine Band Member

            Ralph Hunter as Sunshine Band Member

            Matthew Lantz as Dishwasher at the Marriott

            Stephen Lashley as Sunshine Band Member

            Charlotte McKinnon as KC Background Singer

            Jeremy Mosier as Thibodoux Guard #2

            Adjety Osekre as Sunshine Band Member

            Vladimir Radian as Cherkasov

            Stefano Rocchetti as Thibodoux Guard #5

            Gregory Vitale as Thibodoux Guard #1

            Luke Vitale as Thibodoux Guard #7

            Maria Elide De Crescenzo as KC Background Singer
See full cast

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