DUNSTON CHECKS IN
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 4.5 Alternative Scale: ** out of ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: 1/12/96 (wide) Running Length: 1:28 MPAA Classification: PG (Mild language, implied animal cruelty) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Jason Alexander, Faye Dunaway, Eric Lloyd, Rupert Everett, Paul Reubens, Graham Sack, Sam Director: Ken Kwapis Producers: Todd Black and Joe Wizan Screenplay: John Hopkins and Bruce Graham Cinematography: Peter Collister Music: Miles Goodman U.S. Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Perhaps with eleven more orangutans, DUNSTON CHECKS IN might have come up to the quality level of TWELVE MONKEYS. As it is, however, this movie is like a bad episode of FAWLTY TOWERS -- minus Basil Fawlty. Everything here will be familiar to fans of the '70s British comedy: boorish, insulting hotel guests; strange goings-on behind closed doors; the dominating wife of the hotel owner making life miserable for the employees; and a mysterious hotel inspector hanging around incognito. Yet without the antics of John Cleese to lend a manic edge to the proceedings, the humor level is way down.
There isn't much of a story. The minimal plot exists exclusively to get the orangutan Dunston (played by "Sam") into as many odd, potentially-comic circumstances as possible. Sometimes, these generate laughs (although not full-bellied ones); more often, they're greeted stone-faced by the audience. I suspect younger viewers will find DUNSTON CHECKS IN a great deal funnier than older ones, but that's not surprising when you consider that the script seems to have been written with seven-year olds in mind.
The Majestic Hotel, overseen by the pushy Mrs. Dubrow (Faye Dunaway), the owner's wife, is one of Manhattan's five-star venues. When word gets out that a hotel guide is about to create a "six-star" category, and that an inspector may soon be coming to the Majestic, the manager (Jason Alexander) has to be on the constant lookout. But that's not all he has to worry about. His youngest son, Kyle (Eric Lloyd), claims that there's a monkey loose in the hotel. The animal controller (Paul Reubens) brought in to solve the problem turns out to be gun- crazy. Room 812 is burgled. And one incredibly obnoxious guest (Rupert Everett) is doing his best to make life hell for everyone working at the Majestic.
The best parts of this film are, by far, the ones that feature Sam, who easily outacts the human cast. The orangutan is fun to watch in the way most screen animals are (remember Clyde in Clint Eastwood's EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE and ANY WHICH WAY YOU CAN?), but such limited amusement value doesn't justify a feature film. If nothing else, however, director Ken Kwapis shows that he knows how to focus on the orangutan (although it is pretty obvious when animatronics are used). Actors Jason Alexander (from TV's SEINFELD) and Faye Dunaway appear to be going through the motions. Paul Reubens (once known as Pee Wee Herman) and Rupert Everett have a scene or two worth a chuckle, but that's hardly a reasonable payoff for going so far over-the-top.
DUNSTON CHECKS IN is marginal entertainment (at best) for the under-12 crowd. More mature viewers will find the lame plot and dumb jokes increasingly irritating as the film plods onward. Considering this movie alongside FOUR ROOMS, it's looking like a bad time for the motion picture hotel business.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: jberardinell@delphi.com, berardin@bc.cybernex.net web: http://www2.cybernex.net/~berardin
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