Ne tirez pas sur le dentiste

I wasn't expecting much when I went to this movie. The plot is silly and outrageous. What makes it, however, are the performances of Peter Falk and Alan Arkin. Fall is a person's worst nightmare. Totally sure that no matter how crazy things get, you will always land on your feet. Arkin is the opposite, scared of his own shadow and wanting to avoid any sort of strain or physician exertion. As soon as they meet, everything goes a hundred miles an hour. Arkin ends up in a confrontation with some Latin American soldier who talks to his own hand and is absolutely unbalanced. The result is slapstick and funny. The soldier is so wacko that Arkin is absolutely done in.

This truly hilarious comedy is one of the funniest movies of the period. No one does the sort of deadpan face that says "I can't believe what I'm hearing and seeing" like Alan Arkin. Peter Falk's comic abilities match his skill in heavier roles. The interplay between them is marvelous, matching that of Lemmon & Matthau (one wishes they had made more films together). Many side-splitting moments, and some superbly comic dialogue. Not to be missed.

Serpentine, Shel, serpentine!!!

When I was 10 years old, my family and I went to see "The In-Laws" in Florida, and we all had so much fun laughing and howling. Peter Falk and Alan Arkin are such a perfect pair in this classic comedy and they are just so inimitable. Falk is the crazed CIA agent, Arkin is the meek dentist, together, when their children plan to marry, Arkin gets involved in Falk's espionage adventures south of the border. Character actor Richard Libertini, a familiar face to many comedies with his bald pate, thick beard, and zany accents, adds to the fun as the Latin dictator who makes hand gestures with eyemakeup and lipstick drawn to his hand to the two guys in one hilarious scene. The best line of the movie is "Serpentine!" Recently, I found on the internet that Michael Douglas and Albert Brooks are going to mimic these greats in an upcoming remake with the same title as the original. Many people posted messages that they were outraged that the regularly dramatic Douglas and the dryly funny Brooks are not only reprising their roles, but also poorly copying them. Audiences at previews were equally angry and predict that the remake will fall flat on its face and there just will never, ever be another Falk and Arkin. Every actor has his/her own persona, and it is highly forced and unnatural when one actor tries to duplicate another actor's persona.

This is one of the funniest and most underrated movies ever made. Just when you think it's about to slow down and become a normal movie, it veers in a whole other, even crazier (and arguably funnier) direction than you could have ever hoped for. With brilliant performances by Peter Falk, Alan Arkin, and Richard Libertini (who has one of the film's best lines: "These are the best security men in the world. They used to work for J.C. Penney"), this is a must see for any fan of true film comedy.

Alan Arkin and Peter Falk made a great comic duo in this classic comedy. Each one bounces off the other in excellently timed humor.

The story is wild and off the wall. Peter Falk's secret agent guy is too, and he has you and co-star Alan Arkin guessing whether he is a legitimate government agent, or some kind of schizophrenic maniac. The two are the respective dads of two soon to be wed kids, and their shenanigans take precedence over their offspring and the upcoming nuptials. Arkin's straight-laced everyman who rapidly waxes panicky, then neurotic due to being suddenly cast in the bizarre world of Falk makes for brilliantly hilarious contrast between the two.

Needless to say, Falk is on a case and gets Arkin inexorably caught up in the situation, which soon degenerates into a wild romp with loud explosions, shootings, and other confusion. The "Serpentine!" routine is a classic of riotous buffoonery.

Falk and Arkin understand comedy, and manipulate it well. Their comic chemistry is worthy of comparison to some of the classic duos over the years, as they ping-pong the lunacy back and forth with expert timing and delivery. This original is far better than its recent remake, and is recommended.