Today’s Prayer Focus

The In-Laws

MPA Rating: PG-13-Rating (MPA) for suggestive humor, language, some drug references and action violence.
Moral Rating: not reviewed
Moviemaking Quality:
Primary Audience: Adults
Genre: Comedy
Length: 1 hr. 38 min.
Year of Release: 2003
USA Release:
Movie poster. Copyrighted. 'The In-Laws,' courtesy of Warner Bros.
Featuring Albert Brooks, Michael Douglas, Ryan Reynolds, Lindsay Sloane, Robin Tunney
Director Andrew Fleming
Producer Bill Todman Jr., Bill Gerber, Elie Samaha, Joel Simon
Distributor Distributor: Warner Brothers Pictures. Trademark logo.Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company

Here’s what the distributor says about their film: “Right before his daughter’s wedding, a mild-mannered foot doctor discovers that his new in-laws are international smugglers.”


Viewer CommentsSend your comments
Positive
Positive—I enjoyed the movie and thought Albert Brooks stole the show. It had many charactures that were spoofs on real life—especially the superhero who has a home life. There were many good points made in the movie about choices we must make between family and career. It ridiculed homosexuality and showed it as perverted life style. On the whole, I wouldn’t want to see it with my 13 year old son or daughter. But for two old Seniors who rarely get out to a movie anymore—we both thought it was funny and worth the $12. Would have enjoyed it just as much on DVD.
My Ratings: [Average / 3]
Guy Bee, age 58
Positive—This movie was very funny. Albert Brooks came across as a very funny neurotic man who really is only worried about his own health and career but desperately loves his daughter and wants the best for her. The fact that he gets caught up in international disaster brings the plot deeper and funnier. There is some referral to male sexuality, but if you look at it, it was as absurd as homosexuality really is.
My Ratings: [Average / 4]
Donna, age 43
Neutral
Neutral—I was holding my side throughout the first part of the movie. Albert Brooks stole the show, and I was thoroughly entertained by the way he and Douglas played off each other. But it hit its peak when Brook’s came out of the hot tub in a thong and went downhill from there. Afterwards its became a silly farce and the other characters became annoying such as the bride’s best friend, Douglas’s ex-wife, and even the bride. With the exception of the one brief f-word I’d say that this movie was morally good overal. As a final comment I have to say that I find it ironic that the guy who wrote before me said that this movie portrayed homosexuality in a negative way. I know the screenwriter and he is openly gay.
My Ratings: [Average / 3]
Wuchen Li, age n/a
Negative
Negative—This film was so stupid. The acting was horrible. But the film overall was clean. But I would never see it again do to its storyline and acting.
My Ratings: [Average / 1]
Bob Gerty, age 48
Negative—Although there were some funny spots in this movie, it wasn’t worth watching the rest of it! It’s too bad because the idea of it was interesting and it could have been a good movie if it had been done right. It was a waste of money and time, in my opinion.
My Ratings: [Very Offensive / 1]
Polly, age 48
Negative—My husband and I found this to be a very disappointing film, saturated in homosexuality, cuss words, and bad acting. Although the film did have us laughing at the dry humor… we were overall disgusted with the strong homosexual scenes were 2 men kiss in a hot tub, the main male character is seen in a speedo thong, references to his “Large Cobra” male anatomy, also discussion of premarital sex between bride and groom and bridesmaid. We know that the Bible commands us to set no vile things before us, but to fill our mind with pure and honorable to the Lord. We would recommend staying away from this movie.
My Ratings: [Very Offensive / 2]
Heather and Eli, age 21
Movie Critics
…Not only is this comedy not very funny, but the lazy scripting and severely strained logic of several key scenes late in the film torpedo what little patience the audience has left…
Bob Smithouser, Focus on the Family
Funny at times with some decent comedy performances from the leads, but suffering from a weak overriding script and unnecessarily overblown and drawn out finale, “The In-Laws” generates enough mindless laughs to compensate for and occasionally overcome its various deficiencies and problems, but not enough to make it great…
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