Absolutely Fantastic

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

This movie was actually incredibly enjoyable to me. It was actually funny and not in an immature or inappropriate humour kind of way, in a just right kind of way. Pauly Shore's character Crawl is extremely endearing. He's quirky, he's fun, he's wild, but he's also an all around nice guy that you are totally rooting for the whole time and who is easy to empathize with. This movie made me laugh and smile, and even at times, wish that I had a guy like Crawl by my side too. It's no film masterpiece and is probably not going to stick with me forever, but it was good entertainment for the night, and I'd watch it again.

This comedy will go down as a classic, just like Caddyshack, Meatball's and, UncleBuck to name a few. The first time I saw this movie I rented it. I thought well this looks like a winner and it was. Today it is hard to find a comedy that will make you laugh just like the one's from the 1970' and 1980's. It came out in 1993 and I can relate to this movie because that was the time I was in college too. It begin's with Becka going off to college, in California. Enven though her father Walter, played by Lane Smith, tries his best to change her mind and go to college in South Dakota. She goes to California where it's kinda a culture shock for her; and she hates it at first wanting to come home home. The RA played by Pauly Shore talks her out of it and she has made her 1st friend and saved herself from a mistake.The movie then gets close to Thanksgiving and the coming home to see her family and face the fact that her boyfriend from home might propose to her. She finds out that Crawl, Pauly Shore, will be staying on campus through the holiday. She kinda feels sorry for him; asks him to come home with her. She feels this is a way to get to know her family and also to get out of saying I do when she doesn't.When arriving home her family R shocked by her and Crawl. She's changed her appearance and feels relieved. The family freaks out by what she's done and at first can't stand Crawl, especially Walter. It takes awhile for the family to accept what she's done and it takes them longer to accept Crawl as a friend and supposedly a family member. When they go to dinner at a party of some kind her boyfriend tries to propose and Crawl gets in the way. He claims that he already asked her to marry him.Both he and Becka play along and as the movie goes along the Walter starts to warm up to Crawl, especially after the square dancing party. The next day Crawl goes fishing with Walter Sr. and Walter Jr., Lane Smith. They start to bond by talking about Walter's relationship with his father. The next thing they are talking when granddad appears to be having a heart attack. They, Crawl and Walter run to his aid. While Walter runs to get his father's pills, Crawl begins to attempt CPR on Walts dad thinking he needed it. When he begins to give him mouth-to mouth they both scare the s**t out of each other,"This was one of the funniest parts of the movie" When Walter asked his what happened, Crawl explains, he was trying to give his dad CPR, because he majored in it for a semester, he knew what he was doing. When they got home Crawl knew they both bonded and realized he needed to tell the truth but how.When Crawl goes th his bachelor party it gets worse. He gets drugged by the farm hand Theo and Becka's boyfriend. The next morning he wakes up in the barn with Beck's school chum. Beck'a finds them both and freaks, and tells her parents what happened. We come to fiend out this was a ploy for Becka's boyfriend to win he back and it eventually fails. The truth comes out in the end with an awesome ending.This movie is a great movie for the whole family. Pauly Shore and Lane Smith, winning pair. I believe this was one of Lane Smith's best movies and he is Hilario's too. Today he is missed but he will never be forgotten. The whole cast was great, but Lane Smith was tops, he kept me laughing to the end. This is a great comedy with a great ending you will not be disappointed :). Kris L. CocKayne :)

When it comes to Son in Law, it's a mixed bag. Its premise is cute, but its delivery is a little strange. It's a comedy with Pauly Shore, so you're not going to get very clever humor. You're going to get below the belt jokes a lot of the time which is perfectly acceptable. As long as you know what you're getting into, you have no right to complain about the jokes.Now do the jokes work? Most of them do, but most don't come from the lead actor/actress. The most jokes come from the girl's brother played by Patrick Renna, famous from The Sandlot. Such a weird little thing to say that the character in the movie who isn't on the cover or mentioned anywhere on the back is the funniest character in the film. And, at the time, he was only known for his role in The Sandlot and I doubt many kids who took the time to see that film did the same for this one.The film is about a farm girl named Rebecca Warner (Guigino) leaving her South Dakota farm to go to College in California. Her parents, mainly her father (Smith), are skeptical about this College and worry that is may tamper with her original roots. She meets Crawl (Shore) who is the residential adviser of her dorm. Crawl is an off the wall kind of friend, and Rebecca thinks it's brilliant to bring him home to her strict family.In California, Crawl fits right in. In South Dakota, Crawl is a fish out of water. The rest of the movie is compiled of Crawl's misadventures to try to impress the family of Rebecca. One scene includes him of stealing one of the families machines and taking it for a joy ride throughout their field with John Denver's Thank God I'm a Country Boy playing in the background. I'm not proud to say it, but that scene was hilarious.There is also a strange, not very well put together love subplot with Rebecca and her boyfriend. There is nothing to even show that Rebecca even loves or cares about her boyfriend. Most of the movie is her blowing him off on various occasions. Also, we are lead to believe that Rebecca is in love with Crawl. Honestly, that isn't too believable because there is nothing about Crawl's appearance or personality that could make him attract a girl like Rebecca. We are constantly told she is a smart and potential-filled girl who wants to be a journalist, but somehow, she falls for someone with no hopes, dreams, other than getting through to the next day.Son in Law doesn't have the humor or chemistry Bio-Dome or Encino Man did, but it's better than Jury Duty and a little better than In the Army Now. The one satisfying aspect of this is you can see Link (Fraser), the caveman from Encino Man (done two years prior to this), in a cameo role. That and the fact this is Shore's "Weasel" personality at full force. That can be a pro or a con. I, for one, had no problem with it.Starring: Pauly Shore, Carla Gugino, Lane Smith, Cindy Pickett, Tiffani Thiessen, Dan Gauthier, Patrick Renna, Dennis Burkley, and Brendan Fraser. Directed by: Steve Rash.

Perfect double bill for the horribly corny "Beverly Hillbillies" is this equally atrocious, lame brained 'comedy', "Son in Law". Country girl Rebecca goes to wild California to attend college, only to be assaulted by the lifestyle. 'Resident Adviser' "Crawl" helps her settle in, and soon the two are good friends. Bec decides to bring the wacky "Crawl" home for Thanksgiving, with obvious "fish out of water" results.The only other comic angle Steve Rash (aptly named ) achieves here is a sexual one. This he bludgeons us with, but to no avail. Both comic aspects fail dismally, and you know the film is groping when "Crawl" hijacks the combine harvester and writes his name in the corn field.Dramatically the movie falls short too, with several attempts at family and personal counselling from "Crawl" misfiring. Between them Pauly Shore and Carla Gugino manage to raise a couple of smiles, but little else, while the rest of the cast are mere fodder. The problem is it's nearly impossible to actually like "Crawl", and you'll find yourself spending the whole flick wondering why Rebecca would want to spend a moment with him. However, if you're a fan of unintelligent comedy, "Son in Law" is right on the mark.Sunday, November 10, 1996 - T.V.