Film

The In-Laws

Name: The In-Laws
Genre: Comedy, Adventure
Released: 1979
Cast: Peter Falk, Alan Arkin, Richard Libertini, Nancy Dussault, Penny Peyser

Other titles called The In-Laws: the 2003 film.

Comedy
Car-chase action
Light-hearted
Relentless

A dentist's world implodes when he discovers his future son-in-law's father is a CIA operative with a taste for chaos. Peter Falk and Alan Arkin create comic magic as two men from utterly incompatible universes collide, dragging each other through scrapes and schemes with escalating absurdity. It's a buddy comedy before the genre fully existed, relying on personality and timing rather than plot sense.

TMDb rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you love a buddy comedy built on two mismatched men talking over each other, where the jokes come from character friction and escalating absurdity rather than gags alone.

Skip it if you want a tightly plotted caper with a steady, sensible pace; this one is looser, louder and happy to wander off on tangents for the sake of a bit.

What it asks of you: Around ninety minutes of brisk, scrappy momentum, asking you to go along with a frantic premise and not much else; it rewards a relaxed evening more than close attention.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

Midnight Run1988

Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin replicate the Falk-Arkin formula: polar opposites forced into proximity, bickering and bonding across a cross-country journey. The chemistry is instant and the comedy flows from character rather than gags.

But The plot is fairly thin and the pacing drags in the middle act. Some of the 1980s action beats feel dated in a way that doesn't serve the comedy.

Trading Places1983

Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd inhabit the same spirit of controlled chaos—a story that keeps flipping its premise and tone. The script is tighter, but the joy of watching smart people adapt to absurd situations is identical.

But It's more cynical and sexually crude than The In-Laws. If you're looking for warmth under the chaos, this one leans harder into the con.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles1987

Steve Martin and John Candy echo Falk and Arkin's tonal balance: comedy that never undercuts affection, two men fundamentally different learning to value each other. The road trip structure and escalating disasters are pure kinship.

But The emotional payoff is deliberate and sincere in ways the comedy sometimes obscures. Some viewers find the pivot to sentiment manipulative rather than earned.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The In-Laws

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Slap Shot1977

Both are 1970s comedies where plot takes a back seat to character chemistry and the film's willingness to let chaos reign without apologizing for it. Both trust their leads entirely.

Paul Newman in a hockey comedy where the irreverence and improvisation feel like a spiritual cousin to The In-Laws—a film about men behaving badly and getting away with it, shot with a documentary's eye for reality. It's loose, funny, and surprisingly moving.

But The language is harsh and the violence (on ice) is real. It's a sports film first, so if hockey doesn't interest you, the plot won't carry it. The tone is grittier than The In-Laws' adventure.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid1969

Paul Newman and Robert Redford invented the buddy comedy format with this film: two charismatic men riffing off each other while disaster closes in, moving seamlessly between laughs and genuine stakes. The banter is effortless.

But It's a Western first and a comedy second. If you want character interplay to drive the whole engine, the plot occasionally gets in the way.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid poster

48 Hrs.1982

Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte are oil and water in the best way—a cop and a convict forced into partnership. The chemistry crackles, the action is real, and the comedy comes from genuine personality friction, not setups.

But It takes itself more seriously than The In-Laws, and some of the language and violence might feel excessive if you're after pure fun. It's grittier than charming.

The Odd Couple1968

Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau defined the form: two men with incompatible temperaments sharing space, creating friction that becomes affection. The script is tighter than The In-Laws but the DNA is identical.

But It's slow-paced and relies on dialogue rather than action. Modern audiences sometimes find it static compared to films that came after.

Coming to America1988

Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall's chemistry, the screwball energy, the willingness to be silly without apology—this captures the anarchic spirit of The In-Laws in a different setting. It's joyful chaos.

But The humor is broad and sometimes lands on crude stereotypes. The plot meanders considerably, and repetition wears some jokes thin.

National Lampoon's Vacation1983

Chevy Chase and the ensemble cast create comedy through the accumulation of disasters and character reactions. There's the same tone of escalating absurdity where the characters never quite realize how dire things have become.

But Chase's character is aggressively unlikeable in ways that undercut sympathy. The humor is often mean-spirited rather than warm.

Ghostbusters1984

Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, and Harold Ramis bounce off each other with the same casual brilliance of Falk and Arkin. The film trusts its cast to make dialogue sing while fantastic things happen around them.

But It's become so iconic that watching it fresh is nearly impossible. The special effects look dated, and that can undercut the supernatural stakes.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang2005

Both make chemistry the entire point. The plot exists to justify keeping two incompatible people in proximity. Both films are really about watching smart people riff off each other.

Robert Downey Jr. and Val Kilmer recreate the Falk-Arkin dynamic—mismatched personalities, constant bickering, genuine warmth underneath. It's a modern film noir comedy where the dialogue is sharp and the interplay never stops delighting.

But It's cynical and violent in ways The In-Laws never is. The plot is deliberately convoluted, and Downey's character is a hapless jerk rather than sympathetic. It's for people who like their comedies dark.