THE IN-LAWS [2003] Michael Douglas, Albert Brooks ; R 12A

With such blockbuster smashes like 'Meet the Parents' and 'Father of the Bride' it's no surprise that Hollywood keeps trying to exploit that inherent comedy indigenous to the world of parenting, or more specifically to the parental units themselves. 'The In-Laws' adds a new dimension to this proven formula with the addition of an almost 'True Lies' (that great James Cameron/Arnie film) type secret agent plot. Except this time, this Michael Douglas venture is much more light hearted, and less how do you say, based in reality. However this doesn't make it any the less enjoyable, ok well it does a bit, but it's hardly a stinker. Douglas and Brooks are wonderfully vibrant, as the two fathers of a soon to be married couple. The main joke revolves around Douglas being a secret 'secret agent' who accidentally lets business interfere with his son's wedding plans, by dragging the innocently unsuspecting father of the bride on a rollercoaster ride of espionage and other secret agent type stuff. The films funny, but not hilarious, it only passes it self off as a together piece of film making because it is frankly, so ludicrous. If the film had tried to take itself just a tad more seriously, it would have almost certainly fell flat on its face at the box-office. 'The In-Laws' is a nice, average piece of Friday night fodder, which hopefully should make you smile. If though, you were looking for a more engaging and intellectually challenging piece of cinema, I suggest you catch something else.

3/5