Splitting Heirs starred and written by Eric Idle and also featuring fellow Python John Cleese, it tells of a baby who was destined to become duke who got left behind in a restaurant due to the forgetfulness of his parents. Due to convenience, the parents chose another baby to be their son and he grows up to become Rick Moranis. Meanwhile the baby that his parents did not find grows up as Tommy Patel played by Eric Idle. It seemed somewhat too convenient for this movie that Tommy becomes friends with Henry played by Moranis without knowing about his real history beforehand. However once he knew that the dukedom was supposed to be his and everything with it, Tommy goes about getting it back by killing Henry. However things don't quite according to his plans which includes the attack of his conscience. It not a bad comedy film from Idle but the one thing that I did not like it about it is Catherine Zeta-Jones' character Kitty as she was rather too two-faced for my liking.

Rick Moranis and Eric Idle star as a couple of men who as kids got lost in the Sixties. Lost in the sense of misplaced and for one of them that means a title.Coincidences are more readily accepted in comedies like Splitting Heirs and what are the chances that one of them after being lost as a baby by a titled lord and his American wife at a Sixties type love-in would be found and assume his title. Of course there is another claimant who looks like his claim is just as valid and he's actually British. That's what happens with Moranis and Idle and in fact Idle works for the noble family's brokerage business.In addition Idle has working for him a bottom feeding solicitor in fellow Monty Python alumnus John Cleese who is having a great old time with the part and stealing every scene he's in. Catherine Zeta-Jones is the girl both are pursuing and Barbara Hershey who was definitely a Sixties child plays somebody's mother.A little bit of Kind Hearts And Coronets with a dash of The Canterville Ghost is thrown in as a whole bunch of unfortunate accidents keep happening. Someone is helping a well known family curse along and I won't say who.Idle, Moranis, and Cleese keep the laughs churning in Splitting Heirs whose moral seems to be mothers keep track of your children.

Eric Idle does his typical zany stuff as an heir to a castle trying to unseat a loopy American (Rick Moranis), who has taken the position. Some of the scenes in the movie really make you think "JESUS H. Christ!!!!!! I'M REALLY WATCHING THIS!!!!!!!" Probably the aspect that catches peoples' eyes the most nowadays is the presence of a very young Catherine Zeta-Jones; when we first saw the movie, we didn't know who she was. But whether or not that's the aspect of "Splitting Heirs" that most catches your eyes shouldn't be the point. The point is that it's a really funny movie. Whether it's Rick Moranis on the roller skates, Eric Idle getting caught with more than his pants down, or something else, you won't find this movie boring. Also starring Barbara Hershey and John Cleese.

The movie reminded me of one of my favorites - Kind Hearts and Coronets - except instead of killing several relatives in the line of succession as Alec Guiness's character did, Eric Idle's character was trying several methods to kill one. Also, Eric Idle strongly resembled every ancestor in the Duke's portrait gallery much like Alec Guiness looked just like every member of his family in Kind Hearts and Coronets (since he was playing all the roles). John Cleese was so funny describing how the new Duke could meet with an accident and then listing possible accidents which included poison mixed with scotch to disguise both the taste and cause of death. Eric Idle's character was very likable, and even though he's much older than Kitty, his smile and charm made them seem like they could be a couple. The whole cast was all star - Cleese, Idle, Barbara Hershey, Catherine Zeta Jones, Rick Moranis, and like Monty Python movies, there are loads of quotable quotes.