SON-IN-LAW
A film review by Ken Johnson
Copyright 1993 Ken Johnson
1:36, Comedy, 1993 MPAA rating: PG-13 (explicit language, adult situations, adult humor, violence) Rating: five (on a scale of zero to five) Director: Steve Rash Cast: Pauly Shore, Carla Gugino, Lane Smith, Cindy Pickett, Mason Adams, Dan Gauthier, Tiffani-Amber Thiessen, Dennis Burkley, Patrick Renna, Brenden Frasier
Carla Gugino graduates from high school and instead of staying in her small farming town, she goes to college in California. There she meets the residential advisor Pauly Shore, who is a city boy. When Gugino goes back home for Thanksgiving, she brings Shore with her, and her parents (Lane Smith and Cindy Pickett) are less than thrilled. Dan Gauthier, Gugino's boyfriend from high school, proposes to Gugino. Gugino isn't ready for anything like this so she makes up the story that she is engaged to Shore. She and Shore have to make it look like they are engaged while her parents try to make it end.
Forget JURASSIC PARK, CLIFFHANGER, THE FIRM and LAST ACTION HERO, SON-IN-LAW is the film to see this summer. SON-IN-LAW is a great romantic comedy that should please the viewers, especially fans of the Wiez. When SON-IN-LAW is long gone and forgotten, the blockbuster summer films will still be playing and you will have a chance to see them then. This film could also make great video fare for those that are leery of spending seven dollars on it. Nothing will be lost by watching it on a television screen.
Although the basic story line has been done many, many times before, the film is still fun to watch. The laughs are plentiful, especially when the Wiez is around. The way some of the jokes are done are new, even though some of the jokes are old. There are also several new jokes that, at least, I haven't seen before. Still, when presented right, even old material can be funny still. This film is just basically a light comedy that is great to see if you are in the right mood that doesn't contain much violence or any nudity that is definitely worth full ticket price.
The cast for this film does an excellent job. Pauly Shore (ENCINO MAN) is the star attraction of this film. He is great, and knows how to entertain the audience. Pauly Shore just seems to take over the entire screen when he is on with expressions and comments that are hilarious. This film would definitely not have been as good with anyone else in this role. Carla Gugino does a very good job as the farm girl gone city girl. She makes her character believable, on some levels, yet interesting at the same time. The person who played the grandfather (Mason Adams, I believe) also does a great job. The way he delivered his lines kept me laughing throughout the time that he was on the screen. Patrick Renna, who played Gugino's little brother, was a little annoying, but no where as near as Macaulay Culkin, and for only part of the time, so I can forgive him. Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (A KILLER AMONG FRIENDS, "Saved by the Bell") does a reasonably good job for the time that she is on screen. She shows that she may have a potential in movies if she can get out of the corny young adults programming on television. She wasn't given overly much to do in the film, but what she had, she does a good job with.
-------- Ken Johnson blj@mithrandir.cs.unh.edu
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