Crack comedy writer Andrew Bergman penned this intentionally erratic farce involving a Manhattan dentist with his future in-law, a mysterious CIA operative who took part in the rogue robbery of the U.S. Mint in order to expose an inflation conspiracy begun in Central America. Overtly nutty, high-decibel nonsense takes two potentially funny characters, played by Peter Falk and Alan Arkin, and soon has them dodging bullets and running from the law. Director Arthur Hiller keeps the mania moving briskly enough, even though the plot is superfluous and occasionally offensive--the real humor is in the character portraits. Still, a box-office hit, remade in 2003. *1/2 from ****

Considering all the rave reviews, one would think this movie was something special. I found the film typical Hollywood garbage, incredibly bad on all levels, from a preposterous script to bad casting and unbearable acting (especially by Peter Falk). There is little sense of comic timing and most of the humor attempted is typical Jewish stick, which Arkin overdoes. So why is a dentist in N>Y> living in a mansion that looks like San Simeon, why would he run off on various errands for his imbecilic future in law when he knows hes nuts, and the list goes on. Its not enough to say that this is the point of the film, or some other idiotic rationalization. A good comedy must have some sense of reality to play off, must have an intelligent script, and must have some pathos underlying the comedy. This film, in the inglorious American movie tradition of the last 40 years (with a few exceptions: My Cousin Vinny, Tootsie)is predictably stupid and unfunny unless you believe the zenith of comedy is Neil Simon or Woody Allen. I gave the film one star for some of Arkin's deadpan and another for the possibility the film got better after I turned it off.

Arthur Hiller directed this funny comedy that stars Alan Arkin as Sheldon Kornpett, a successful dentist whose daughter is about to get married. The groom's father Vince Ricardo(played by Peter Falk) is cagey about his profession, but shortly before the wedding, he comes to see Sheldon at work requesting his assistance in a job related matter that escalates into a shootout and chase, where they find themselves on the run from New York City to Central America, where they become involved with a wacky dictator(played by Richard Libertini) who wants them shot... Wild and unpredictable comedy is surprisingly good, with two memorable lead performances, and a most original script.

I do not want to be too harsh because perhaps when this movie was filmed some scenes that are too familiar in today's American movies were somehow original, but even so I believe that by 1979 it was quite common to see American movies with cars chasing each other and so on. But leaving that aside, it is quite difficult to swallow that an educated dentist would accept leaving his office in the middle of an intervention to make a favour to a guy that he hardly knew. And this is how all begins. So, the script has an original sin... Nevertheless, there are some good gags and a very good performance by Alan Arkin. And of course, the usual display of utter ignorance of Americans about the culture of the other American countries. For instance to make the Hondureans speak Spanish as if they were Mexicans.