Mon vrai père et moi

Well, you know what you are in for with a movie such as "Relative Strangers". And with that being said, this movie follows the how-to-make-a-comedy script-book page by page. As such, the movie is very generic and predictable.

That being said, I will say that the movie is still enjoyable for what it is. There are some fun situations here and there, and there are some nice enough laughs throughout the movie. And there is just enough awkward situations to make it enjoyable enough to sit through to the end of the movie.

What really saves the movie is the cast. Danny DeVito can be somewhat of an acquired taste, but he did pull this off well enough. Kathy Bates was very well-cast for this movie. I had some reservations about Ron Livingston and Neve Campbell, but they both genuinely surprised me in a good way.

"Relative Strangers" is the type of movie that you watch once, then bag and tag it, most likely never to watch it again. Director Greg Glienna managed to muster but a mediocre comedy here.

Here's the thing... you know where this movie is going to go. All the plot points are pretty obvious; it's never going to get ahead of you, even when the "twists" start in the back half.

But it's pretty fun to watch. DeVito and Bates are completely cartoonish and over-the-top -- and that's what makes them great together. Edward Hermann and Christine Baranski are perfectly cast, though I wish we'd seen more of them. Everybody else is fine (Bob Odenkirk is a bit wasted -- given that "anger management" is a major theme of the movie, casting a man known for his comedic anger in a role where he doesn't get angry is strange), except for Livingston.

Ron Livingston is the center of the movie, and there's a problem. He commits to playing the role a certain way, and you don't understand why, and you don't really like him. More than an hour into the movie, they reveal why he is acting the way he did, and it kind of makes sense, but he's already lost your sympathy by that point.

But if Devito and Bates as total white trash screaming at each other, lines like "If brains was chocolate, you wouldn't even have a M&M" is something you want to see in a comedy, then you should see this movie, because there will probably never be another movie where that happens. If you go with them, they keep the movie entertaining.

Stick around for the end credits, their duet is almost certainly the highlight of the film. It's in the film, but most of the lyrics are obscured by the dialogue; the song plays in all of its glory over the end credits.

Imagine the cruelty of adoptive parents to tell an unsuspecting son that he is adopted? To make matters worse, the Claytons, a rich couple, have waited a long time to spring the news to Richard, who is about to get married! This is the premise for this comedy created by Greg Glienna, who also contributed to its screen play. The film, which went directly to video, never had a chance to make it commercially, in spite of the prominent figures in the cast. In fact, the film seems to this viewer as a variation of the more successful "Meet the Parents", which employed Mr. Glienna as a writer. Not that this film is horrible, by any means, but it appears the powers that be must have had doubts about its impact and sent it to the DVD limbo.

Ron Livingston, who is seen as Richard, the man who is told he has been living a lie, is quite good and shows a flair for comedy. Neve Campbell is also effective in playing the object of Richard's love. The combination of the vulgar Meneres as played broadly by Danny Devito and Kathy Bates have some good moments. Christine Baranski and Edward Herrmann play the Claytons, the uptight adoptive parents. The one that is hardly recognizable is Beverly D'Angelo, who must have gone through a procedure to change the way we remembered her.

Ron Livingston who was wonderful in "Office Space", once again hits a home run with "Relative Strangers". What is essentially a one joke movie, comes across extremely well. Perfect casting, starting with Danny DeVito and a truly funny script. There is also a fine message that you should not be disappointed if people do not live up to your expectations. Kathy Bates and Danny DeVito as the "trailer trash" parents are so great, and Christine Baranski is the perfect foil for Beverly DeAngelo and her sequin dresses. Off the wall hilarious situations abound, and there are even some very sweet moments. Highly recommended. - MERK

Maybe it's somehow unfair that this movie was not distributed in the US (yet?). I have seen much worse movies and comedies that had less fun in them well distributed and promoted. However, I can understand the hesitations of the distributors. 'Relative Strangers' plays in a genre that has already squeezed all the juice, and makes no attempt to be something different.

Yet, the premises are good. What if you are a successful writer of self-control books and you found two weeks before your marriage with gorgeous Neve Campbell that your true parents are not the high-class couple that raised you but Danny DeVitto and Kathy Bates, a popular circus pair of failed clowns, throwing bad jokes and inheriting you nothing but a bunch of hereditary diseases?

Unfortunately, this is more or less where the fun of the movie stops. The rest is so predictable that you could have written the script yourself. Ron Linvingston is as funny as a evening news broadcaster, DeVitto and Campbell do their expected game, and only Kathy Bates is funny and looks comfortable and gorgeous (yes!) in her role, but this is not enough. Casting the stars is not enough for good comedy, you need something more in ideas and craziness which is definitely missing here.