Though it shares its name and premise with the 1979 buddy movie starring Alan Arkin and Peter Falk, The In-Laws is more reminiscent of a dimmer-witted Meet the Parents. Here's another comedy in which a neurotic schmuck is imperilled and injured in a series of encounters with his new in-laws. Unfortunately, this time round the laughs are scarcer than yarmulkes at a Baptist wedding.

Instead of Ben Stiller's male nurse, we get a very tired-looking Albert Brooks as Jerry Peyser, an uptight, fanny pack-wearing Chicago podiatrist who is anxious enough about his daughter's wedding without having to contend with the father of the groom. Michael Douglas is Steve Tobias, a mysterious man of action who may or may not be a deep-cover CIA agent. In any case, he soon gets Jerry mixed up in some nefarious business involving a missing submarine and an effeminate French arms dealer named Jean-Pierre (David Suchet). Instead of fussing over wedding details with the caterer, Jerry must contend with Jean-Pierre's lascivious advances, Steve's ill-fated attempts to put things right and, most perilous of all, a cameo by K.C. and the Sunshine Band.

While Douglas tackles the material with as much gusto as he can muster, and Candice Bergen is terrific as Steve's hostile ex-wife, Brooks clearly senses that defeat is inevitable. The two most memorable gags indicate the level of desperation in The In-Laws: after Steve tells Jerry that he's slipped him a roofie, Jerry murmurs feebly, "Don't rape me," before passing out; later, we're treated to the sight of Brooks' rear in a red thong as he exits a hot tub. Throughout the film, the actors are saddled with sub-Farrelly Brothers schtick when what they need is Billy Wilder. Even Jay Roach and a lie detector would do.

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