The In-Laws Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The In-Laws Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 12, 2016

Arthur Hiller's" The In-Laws" (1979) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original theatrical trailer for the film; new video interview with Alan Arkin; new video program featuring new interviews with various cast members; and archival audio commentary with director Arthur Hiller, writer Andrew Bergman, and actors Peter Falk and Alan Arkin. The release also arrives with an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by comedy writer Stephen Winer and a 2011 recollection of the making of the film by director Arthur Hiller. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The guys

They are two middle-aged men whose lives could not be any more different. Sheldon Kornpett (Alan Arkin, The Rocketeer, Glengarry Glen Ross) is a successful dentist with a large and beautifully decorated office in the heart of Manhattan. Each day he enters it and later on leaves it at the exact same time. He parks his BMW at the same spot in front of his gorgeous suburban house and expects dinner to be served as soon as he changes clothes. Vince Ricardo (Peter Falk, Wings of Desire, TV's Columbo) is a professional chameleon. Some of the people he works with are convinced that he is a mobster with plenty of powerful friends, but some are under the impression that he is an experienced CIA agent working deep, very deep undercover. He spends endless hours making phone calls and then meeting strangers all over the city.

Sheldon and Vince have been aware of each other’s existence, but have always been too busy to meet. Now they finally have to do it because Sheldon’s daughter (Penny Peyser, The Frisco Kid) and Vince’s son (Michael Lembeck, The Boys in Company C) are getting married.

The dinner serves its purpose, but a few hours later Sheldon vows to call off the wedding. Then, before he goes to bed, he changes his mind and promises to be the kind and docile father and husband everyone expects him to be. His promise is tested a day later after Vince rushes in his office and kindly asks if he would be willing to do him a favor that would mean a lot to him. Moments after he reluctantly agrees, his life spins out of control -- first, some dangerous gangsters try to kill him on the streets of New York; then Vince tricks him and somehow they end up in Honduras negotiating a deal with a local dictator (Richard Libertini, Sharky's Machine) who has lost his mind; and when CIA agents storm the dictator’s lavish palace, they somehow walk away with a couple of million dollars that Vince insists belong to them.

There is a fairly long segment in the beginning that forces one in a guessing mode. Small signs pop up here and there suggesting that the film is about to head in an entirely different direction and adopt a very different personality, but it is not until the dinner sequence that it is finally made clear that there will be a lot of laughs and crazy moments.

The action can be quite entertaining, but Arkin and Falk’s performances essentially make the film the minor classic that it is. The two are absolutely terrific. There is natural chemistry between them that produces quite an atmosphere and gradually changes the entire complexion of the story. For example, seemingly silly episodes become show-off pieces in which the two actors literally go all out on their characters. There are also episodes with some supposedly casual improvisations that become unusually competitive and as a result absolutely fascinating to behold. Then during the final act Libertini also joins the stars and further spices up the action with an entirely different kind of humor.

The script was written by the brilliant writer Andrew Bergman, who a few years earlier had collaborated with Mel Brooks on the classic Blazing Saddles. It is loaded with excellent one-liners and witty exchanges that every great comedy needs.

Arthur Hiller shot the film with cinematographer David Walsh. The two worked together again on Romantic Comedy (1983), Teachers (1984), Outrageous Fortune (1987), Taking Care of Business (1990), and Carpool (1996).

In 2003, Andrew Fleming directed a remake with Albert Brooks, Michael Douglas, Ryan Reynolds and Vladimir Radian, but it was poorly received by the critics and fans of the original film.

The In-Laws Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Arthur Hiller's The In-Laws arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This digital transfer was created in 2K resolution on a Director film scanner from the 35mm interpositive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, scratches, splices, and warps were manually removed using MTI Film's DRS, while Digital Vision's Phoenix was used for small dirt, grain, noise management, jitter, and flicker.

Film scanning: Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging, Burbank, CA.
Colorist: Lee Kline."

Recently restored in 2K, the film looks lush and very healthy. Virtually all close-ups boast excellent depth, and when there is plenty of natural light clarity is simply exceptional (see screencapture #17). The larger panoramic shots also convey wonderful fluidity. Contrast and brightness are well balanced and remain stable throughout the entire film. Colors are vibrant and stable. Also, there is an excellent range of healthy nuances. Some small shifts can be spotted when the action moves from New York to Honduras, but they are part of the original cinematography. There are no traces of problematic degraining or sharpening adjustments. Overall image stability is excellent. There are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, stains, warped frames, or other age-related anomalies to report in our review. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The In-Laws Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 1.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

The audio has been fully remastered and it is very easy to tell. Clarity and sharpness are excellent and, more importantly, balance is excellent. During the action sequences dynamic intensity is also very good, but the limitations of the production are rather obvious. The dialog is always stable, clean, and very easy to follow. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or digital distortions to report in the review.

The In-Laws Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original theatrical trailer for The In-Laws. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080i).

• Alan Arkin - in this brand new video interview, Alan Arkin mentions some of the actors that influenced him early in his career (Charlie Chaplin, Michel Simon. Jean Gabin, Marcel Dalio, Marlon Brando, Spencer Tracey), and discusses his love for comedy, the importance of The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming within his body of work, the creative environment during the 1970s and his work as a director, Andrew Bergman's screenplay for The In-Laws, the film's constantly evolving narrative, his interactions with Peter Falk and director Arthur Hiller, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2016.In English, not subtitled. (25 min, 1080p).

• In Support of "The In-Laws" - in this brand new video program, actors Ed Begley Jr. (Barry Lutz), Nancy Dussault (Carol Kornpett), James Hong (Bing Hong), and David Paymer (the kooky cab driver) recall how they became involved with The In-Laws and discusses their contributions to the film. The new interviews that are used in the program were conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (35 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - this audio commentary also appeared on the old DVD release of The In-Laws which Warner Bros. produced in 2003. Director Arthur Hiller, writer Andrew Bergman, and actors Peter Falk and Alan Arkin discuss in great detail the production process, the excellent script for the film, the fluid nature of the narrative and how all of the scattered elements eventually come together really well, some specific lensing choices, the film's critical reception, etc.

• Booklet - an illustrated booklet featuring an essay by comedy writer Stephen Winer and a 2011 recollection of the making of the film by director Arthur Hiller.

The In-Laws Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The late Peter Falk and Alan Arkin are simply superb in this classic comedy from director Arthur Hiller. The In-Laws was remade by Andrew Fleming in 2003, but there really is a sea of difference between the original film and the remake. Criterion's upcoming Blu-ray release is sourced from a recent 2K restoration which should delight fans of the film. The supplemental features include a number of brand new interviews with various cast members. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.