The cake is going to hit the fan.
Doctor Jerome Peyser (Albert Brooks) is a mild-mannered podiatrist with a well-organised daily routine designed to eliminate all possible sources of stress. In his functional (if unfashionable) bum bag he keeps a sanitary drinking cup in case he needs a sip of water away from home, a couple of Lorna Doone biscuits in case his blood sugar slumps a few points between meals and a personal security alarm - just in case.
Meanwhile, daredevil CIA operative Steve Tobias (Michael Douglas) moves through life like a heat-seeking missile. His average day consists of dodging bullets, stealing private jets and negotiating with international arms smugglers. Steve's unpredictable lifestyle has already driven ex-wife Judy (Candice Bergen) to an ashram for some peace and has strained his relationship with son Mark (Ryan Reynolds) - possibly beyond repair. Now he's giving potential father-of-the-bride Jerry a serious case of pre-nuptial jitters.
Steve's dramatic entrances and exits, his cryptic references to a Russian runaway named Olga and his fight with a gunman in a restaurant washroom causes Jerry to see a vision of his daughter's (Lindsay Sloane) perfectly planned wedding blowing up in his face. As far as Jerry's concerned, letting Steve into his family takes "till death do us part" way too literally.
Before he can say the wedding is off, Jerry suddenly finds himself embroiled in the chaos that follows in Steve's wake as he is dragged kicking and screaming into a series of perilous adventures that take the mismatched in-laws-to-be halfway around the world. Adding insult to injury is Steve's partner Angela (Robin Tunney), a dedicated agent who doesn't hide her hostility toward the unco-operative doctor who is - for better or worse - along for the ride.
But when their children are in danger, Jerry and Steve will discover they can truly be an effective team - as jet pack meets fanny pack (bum bag) in this riotous remake of the 1979 comedy The in-laws.
Special Agent Matti
*
M (Low level violence, low level coarse language)
97 minutes (1:37 hours)
Film: 28 August 2003









