Men, naturally, are always trying to one-up each other for reasons only known to themselves (while the women are arguing about wedding shoes, they are getting shot at). The two patriarchs of the Kornpett and Ricardo families come together on the eve of the joining of hands in marriage, and sense the opportunity to gain an upper hand. Arkin and Falk are natural showmen, and Hiller plays their performances against a plot that never seems to force its hand but inexplicably drives them towards bigger and more ridiculous circumstances. But first, the in-laws are visiting for dinner. It is not a situation that calls for flamboyance, so the two men have to settle, quite humorously, for a battle of who is the more humble. Vincent gives his toast, and before they can even finish drinking Sheldon is up and giving his own. Vincent, not wanting to miss a beat, is already sobbing liberally into his handkerchief. It's a tactical cry, and because men seldom pull this trick out, we stare rather incredulously. The In-Laws places a comedic duo within a larger crime story and then lets them fend for themselves. Arkin is a splendid straight man; never has dentistry been less thrilling, and never has such an incompetent every-man lasted so long in a plot that would normally squash him flat in the opening scene. He has an ever growing incredulity about his face, as if he has wandered in from another slower, gentler movie and been asked to play a role that goes against every fibre of his body. It would not so unusual if he was to glance at the camera every now and again with a disbelief etched on his face, as if to ask the audience "Can you believe this?" But he is also a wonderful participant. He feigns indignation at times, but is one of those types that can be easily guilted and coerced if only because of his weak will and good nature. Arkin adds an extra layer of exasperation that has long passed the point of asking for explanation - just see the look on his face as he pays for the paint-job that has left his car looking like a hot-wheels toy, complete with dancing flames to match his brown suit.And then there is Falk's Vincent, who at times seems almost as loony as the mastermind General Garcia. Falk tiptoes the line between absurdity and seriousness. The easiest example is his early recount of his days in Guatemala, and how the aura of the dinner table suddenly shifts in line with his tone, and he takes on a persona that is akin to something of a war veteran mumbling on about the unspeakable terrors abroad. Falk's sincerity is matched by only his ability to keep a straight face, and add layer after layer of fabrication to his story and monstrous appendage after monstrous appendage to these 'flies'. The scene is so side-splittingly hilarious because we get the sense that Vincent is merely making it up as he goes along, and no one but Sheldon notices. What are the chances that he popped into the local nachos place for a side of guacamole that very afternoon? A strong possibility, if you ask me. Arkin takes on the common sense reaction, while the rest of the table is transfixed by the power of his tale, and the rest of the film goes along with this very notion. Because Arkin only seems unflappable and is easily pushed into escalating the situation again and again, they find themselves in foreign and precarious scenarios that James Bond would not feel out of place in. Hiller affords the pair an invincibility that enables their partnership's natural humour to shine even in the most unlikely of circumstances; see Vince's last minute absurd appeal to the General to spare their lives, but if not both of them, at least Sheldon's because of his excellent dental care, and how Sheldon explodes at this pathetic appeal. But then watch Arkin's perfect reaction to being accosted by two thugs armed with guns, and see if Vince's pleas are not wrong. He cries "He's my in-law", clutches the black bag of mystery in one hand, and with the other, flings his business card like a boomerang designed to doubly further his business and to enable a quick getaway. Arkin's eyes flash death and anger sometimes, but deep down he enjoys playing this little game.

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.

Long before "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" exposed the embarrassing clash of family styles, "The In-Laws" took that premiss and created a story that you just couldn't make up, unless you are the un-phased Vince Ricardo (Peter Falk). Vince is ridiculously inane while dentist Sheldon Kornpett (Alan Arkin) tries to politely question his future in-law, quickly getting caught up in the caper of a lifetime. The dead pan serious claims out of Falk's' mouth and the various reactions from Arkin are comic genius. We enjoy Sheldon's plight and to see him warm up to Vince and his antics is priceless! The plot keeps you guessing, the script is so hysterically quotable, and the two actors are a lot of fun in this adventure together! After 30 viewings I'm still ready to declare that Arkin and Falk are the greatest comic duo ever to appear on the big screen. Arkins' classic, "Oh God please don't let me die on 31st street!" is only topped by Falks' deadpan calmness in the face of adversity.

25 years before Robert DeNiro terrorized Ben Stiller in "Meet the Parents" and its two sequels, it was the bride's father terrorized here, ironically by the groom's papa, and he loves it! At first bride papa Alan Arkin thinks groom papa Peter Falk is a lunatic, but the adventure Arkin ends up on wakes him up and brings out his adventurous side, having lacked it in his life as a Manhattan dentist. Falk is involved in a bizarre plot involving the American treasury and a few South American countries, one of them who has a truly wacky dictator (Richard Libertini). From a shoot-out in mid-day midtown Manhattan to a sudden trip to Libertini's country, Arkin and Falk not only risk missing the wedding but their lives as well, desperate to get back in time to give the bride and groom a wedding day that they will never forget.Fast-moving, funny, adventurous, and a definite crowd pleaser, this variation of the "Silver Streak" theme (two opposites paired together in some bizarre caper) is perfectly cast with the dead-pan Arkin not quite so staid but in need of some zest in his life, and Falk a fun-loving lunatic with bizarre qualities of his own who brings Arkin out of his shell. Libertini, the dictator with a "Senor Wences" like hand puppet, has his Spanish speaking army singing American ditties while having a business lunch. TV and Broadway favorite Nancy Dussault ("Too Close For Comfort") has some nice moments as Arkin's suburban wife.A chase through Manhattan is worth seeing just for visions of how the city has (and has not) changed over the past 30 years. Having seen this in the theatre back in 1979, I had remembered the chemistry between Falk and Arkin, which hasn't depleted, and its bouncy musical theme, one which out of nowhere would pop into my head over the years even though I hadn't seen it since then.