Son in Law (1993) User Reviews (66)

"Cheek chillers. You likes?"

[john-mitchell77 · 7/10 · 12 December 2006]

Despite myself, I really kinda like this movie. Pauley Shore is invariably laugh-out-loud funny, and here is no exception. He is just excellent at playing the weirdo with a heart of gold.

His performance in this, although nothing out of the ordinary for him, is so good, it seems to lift other cast members' performances. Perhaps this is because he's the kind of guy it's easy to bounce off of.

The clichés about country life in this movie are hilarious and the way Shore's "city boy", Crawl is so at odds with the way of life, is funny too, but it's not only he who's a fish out of water; comedy also comes from the fact, that to any "ordinary" person or people, Crawl is a freakish nightmare of a person. That's why this movie works in such a great way: we love Crawl, he's a breath of fresh air, but we can also sympathise with the Warners. He is one hell of a culture shock.

Although this movie is classic Pauley Shore, so there's no great brain power needed to enjoy the movie, enjoy it you do, and there's even a "never judge a book by it's cover" type moral here somewhere. Not bad, not bad at all.

Pauly Shore deserved an Oscar

[Agent10 · 7/10 · 9 July 2002]

Along with In the Army!, this ranks as one of Pauly Shore's best movies, if there is such a thing. While the whole West Coast-meets- Midwest-culture-clash isn't anything new, this film proves to make the story a little more entertaining with the wild and unpredictable antics of a then fresh Shore. While the change in values probably would have gone in the other direction, the whole concept was rather entertaining. Not only was Shore's interaction with the family hilarious, it also had Carla Gugino and Tiffani- Amber Theissen (she'll always have the Amber in my book) in two ravishing and early roles. One of those films I have no problem watching when it is on TV.

Pauly Shore fun

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 2 February 2016]

Country girl Rebecca Warner (Carla Gugino) from South Dakota starts college in Los Angeles. Her parents (Lane Smith, Cindy Pickett) are shocked by the wild liberal atmosphere. Her father is especially concerned about the resident adviser Crawl (Pauly Shore) living across the hall. Crawl takes care of homesick Becca and they become best friends. Another shock for the family happens when Becca returns home for the Thanksgiving break with Crawl and a whole new look. Her boyfriend Travis tries to propose. She pushes Crawl to help but he comes up with a bad lie that they're already engaged.

Pauly Shore can either be fun or be very annoying. He certainly has many detractors. I think he's fun in this one more than anything annoying. He's very good at being a fish out of water. Most importantly, he's not a simple slacker. He tries to fit in which is endearing. The story is fine. Overall, there is more good than bad as long as one is not an automatic Pauly Shore hater.

Green Acres Goes Grunge

[vertigo_14 · 31 December 2003]

People rag on Pauley Shore for being a bad actor. On the contrary, he wasn't an actor at all, but a swell entertainer. You could stick him in a dumb situation and he could just jump in, act naturally, and have a whole lot of fun doing lots of stupid things. That's what makes his movies so damned funny.

The story isn't anything new. A city boy is planted in a rural South Dakota farm town. He's an outcast at first (and likewise they're alien to him), but eventually they mesh and he rubs off a bit on them and vice versa. But, here, Pauley (as Crawl) follows his college friend to her home in the boonies for Thanksgiving break. Trying to avoid her boyfriend who just insists on getting married, she comes up with some story that they're actually engaged. Her parents are blown away by it because obviously they'd rather see her settle down with the townie than with the very strange Crawl. In the end, everything works out fine, obviously.

The actors are swell. I particularly enjoyed Patrick Renna as the once-obnoxious little brother with a rad sense of humor. And of course, Pauley Shore was good at what he does: making people laugh.

Thumbs up.

cute, fun movie

[siler · 7/10 · 16 January 2001]

I didn't expect much when I decided to watch this movie, so I was surprised to find myself thoroughly enjoying it. A couple of scenes had me laughing almost uncontrollably. The characters were engaging (no pun intended); however, the story is predictable. The fun of it comes from watching Crawl (Shore's character), a ditzy-yet-wise California dude a country college girl brings home for Thanksgiving, trying in his awkward (yet endearing) way to fit in to their lifestyle. I was also surprised that in all this there was a message. If you have a chance, see this movie!

Unbelievably Bad. This deserves a big Bronx Cheer!

[pluto-11 · 3/10 · 22 December 2002]

It amazes me that anyone would find Pauly Shore entertaining: he is basically one joke that gets stale *real* fast. He has his little "California" jerk vocabulary and a basic stock of lame jokes. Mainly, he is just obnoxious.

That said, I watched this movie because I was up sick and there was literally nothing else on but infomercials, otherwise I would have turned it off after 30 minutes. Anyway, the film could have been OK if Pauly could have just turned off his spiel and just played it as a comic actor instead of, well, Pauly.

Anyway, I'm sure Pauly fans will like it anyway - but if you are not a Pauly fan, stay away from this crock of manure.

I had to leave this comment after seeing that another user actually gave this film a 10/10! (Maybe it was Pauly!!) Personally, I gave it a 3/10 because they didn't have any mike-in-frame shots, didn't drop the camera, and the supporting cast was pretty good.

Always Made Me Laugh

[dallasryan · 7/10 · 20 June 2018]

Regardless of what you think of Pauly Shore, he always made me laugh in Son in Law. This film was always a feel good movie which I could watch over and over again, smiling every time. Nothing too deep, just mindless fun, which we all need sometimes.

Carla Gugino also shows how likable she can be and she has an infectious laugh in this film which I've never heard her do in any of her other films.

A fun comedy which will leave you smiling every time. Definitely recommend

It Has Its Moments

[socrates4 · 5/10 · 15 April 2019]

This movie is not great by any standard. It's a pretty forgettable nineties comedy. But there are admittedly a few good laughs. The one thing of note is the presence of Pauly Shore. I don't know why we didn't see him in more films. It's not that he was particularly good in this, but he was far better and at lease more likeable than a lot of the other actors you see making the same movie over and over again. I guess this will have to do for him. That's fine I guess.

After I watched it I didn't exactly feel disappointed or as if I'd wasted my time. But I didn't get much out of it either. I'll probably never watch it again. It wasn't my type of movie, although it's better than most of the stuff on TV. Maybe young folks will enjoy it, but it's nothing special. Do not recommend.

Destined to be a cult classic!

[Apostle · 8/10 · 20 May 2000]

Son In Law didn't do so hot in the box office, but that only means the masses were wrong. This movie is one of the few movies that Pauly Shore really excels in, with some of the funniest lines I've ever heard. Although the ending is sub-par, the antics of Shore carries the movie.

Description of Actress

[clintos · 7/10 · 9 December 1998]

This movie is extremely funny and it also contains the best looking girl, this young man has ever seen. Tiffani-Amber Thiessan is a great actress and she has the looks that stop traffic. Tiffani completes this movie, which contains funny scenes put on by Shore.

Can I get some butter please....

[FlashCallahan · 5/10 · 11 August 2014]

Country girl Rebecca begins college in Los Angeles.

There she meets Crawl, a student who is crazy, unpredictable and wild. During the holidays she brings him with her home, as she feels sorry for him.

Her parents have never seen anything like him and are shocked when Rebecca tells them that they are engaged to be married.

It was the beginning of Pauly Shores short run trying to make it big, and obviously some studio thought California/Encino man was a good showcase for him, and so gave him a contract. This was the first movie, and much like Adam Sandler, you really have to like the man to like the movies.

The film consists of people you recognise from other things, Carla Gugino looking really young, and Shore doing his stoner shtick that he did for the next three cinematic releases.

As a standalone vehicle, a fish out of water comedy isn't a bad choice, and having a city boy come to the farm should spell hilarity, but it just spells out mild chuckling every now and again.

It's the formula for easy nineties comedy, ninety minutes long, three perfunctory acts, something bad happens to out hero just before the middle of the third act, and there is a Scooby Doo ending.

It's pretty clunky, dumb stuff, but its kind of sadistic fun to see a studios gamble failing with every film that was made.

Brendan Fraser even makes a cameo, just to let people know Shore was in at least one good film....

It will keep you laughing!

[deidrevest · 10/10 · 4 September 2005]

One of our all time family favorites. When we need a laugh...we just put this one in and laugh all way thru like it is the first time we've seen it. This film has good, clean family humor. Pauly Shore is brilliant! With no plans for the thanksgiving holiday, Crawl (Shore) is invited to spend the holiday with a conservative coed, Becca. Crawl, being a big city boy, must adjust to the farm life if he is to fall in love with Becca. But, Crawl isn't the only one who is learning new things. Crawl teaches Becca and her parents how to be more open about their feelings and accepting others. This is fun for viewers of all ages.

Home for the Holidays

[Uriah43 · 4/10 · 2 December 2016]

"Rebecca Warner" (Carla Gugino) is a farm girl who has just graduated from her high school in South Dakota and has chosen to attend a university in California. When her parents drive her there they are shocked to see some of the students she will have to live with in her co-ed dormitory with a resident adviser by the name of "Crawl" (Pauly Shore) being the worst of them. However, they have faith in their daughter's decision making ability and although they are sad to leave her there they console themselves with the fact that they will see her again in a few months when she comes home for Thanksgiving. But what they don't count on is the influence that Crawl manages to exert upon her which causes her to dramatically change her outlook on life. To top it all off, when she comes back to her home in South Dakota she brings Crawl with her-and once again her family goes into a deep shock. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this film had some pretty good humor here and there. Unfortunately, it also had some scenes that fell rather flat along with a rather erratic performance by Pauly Shore as well. Not only that, but I wasn't exactly over-whelmed by the performances of either Tiffani-Amber Thiessen (as "Tracy") or the aforementioned Carla Gugion either. That being the case I have rated this movie accordingly. Slightly below average.

Funny, offbeat movie with a real message, 7 of 10.

[TxMike · 17 July 2000]

Before I saw "Son In Law" I only had a vague idea who Pauly Shore was. Now I know. He is a superb comedic actor. In this movie he plays "Crawl", an upperclassman dorm counselor, who is a bit eccentric. He meets freshman "Becka" from South Dakota and they become fast friends. He helps her break out of her small town mold. In a Thanksgiving visit to her parents' home, he pretends to be her fiancee to save her embarassment of a sort with an old boyfriend.

I loved two things about this movie. Pauly Shore and the comedic situations are the first. The second is the message. How generations of "men" had perpetrated the same offenses against each other, and "Crawl" helps them see a better way to treat each other. He gets Becka's mom also to feel "alive" again, and rekindles romance between the parents.

The whole movie is a fresh approach to comedy, is a joy to watch. I rate it a strong 7 of 10.

Not Terrible

[frink-3 · 7/10 · 13 July 1999]

This is the only Pauly Shore movie you should ever see. O.K., it's the only one I've ever seen, and I think I've made good choices. I normally find Shore's shtick kind of tired, but he is very funny in this movie. Actually, the script is pretty funny, and Shore doesn't overwhelm the other actors with his ... what do you call it? Tomfoolery? Anyway, this is a funny, if ultimately forgettable film. --Frink-3

This Movie A Good Example Of Why Shore's Career Went Downhill

[ccthemovieman-1 · 2/10 · 30 July 2008]

Here's another of these modern-day ultra-sleaze comedies in which dysfunctional families are supposedly hilarious. Know wonder people once asked, "What ever happened to Pauly Shore?" Well, Shore didn't disappear, but his career took a nose-dive, that's for sure. Movies like this one, didn't help.

In "Son-In-Law," Shore plays an incredibly-obnoxious character called "Crawl," and yet he's the most likable of the family! His father is a profane idiot; his mother is totally incompetent, his young brother is a sex maniac and his college-age sister is a real snot.

Watching an hour and a half of totally-unlikeable people was tough to do. I certainly wouldn't watch this again, or recommend it to anyone but die-hard Shore fans. Adam Sandler took Pauley's shtick and went a lot further with it.

The following is an excerpt from the IMDb title page here under "biography" and it explains why I am not the only one who was disgusted with this movie.

"........but his lunacy was dismissed as crude, dumb and, for the most part, unfunny. His film career quickly tanked. This downhill spiral was not helped by the failure of his failed Fox sitcom "Pauly" (1997) in 1997. Lambasted unmercifully by both critics and media alike, he was soon becoming a running joke and forced to lie low and ride out the storm...."

It's bad.

[SilentJerry · 1/10 · 22 December 2002]

This movie is one of the worse movies of all time. I'm kind of upset this movie isn't on the bottom 100; it deserves a spot at least number 60 or 70 on that list. This isn't just a film I think is bad in a campy-fun sort of MST3K way; it's just bad. This is one of the few films that I really, really HATE. Freddy Got Fingered is in the same category of bad.

So the story in this one goes that the daughter (Gugino) goes to California to go to school and comes back with Crawl (Shore) and he tries to learn to be a farmer. Then the boyfriend tries to set Shore up so that the girl will leave Crawl and go back to him. It ends and what's left of the audience can leave.

The main purpose of this movie is for Pauly Shore to mug for the camera and try to be funny; but I'd say about 100% of the time he fails at that. Their horrible inaccurate and out of date view of farms and farming is offensive and there's nothing in this movie worth seeing. If you think of seeing it: don't. The one time I saw the movie it felt like I was watching it for 5 or 6 hours. If you've already seen it; you have my sympathy.

I loved it! Pauly Shore is hilarious!

[lavender8787 · 8/10 · 27 February 2005]

I love it! I love Pauly Shore. It seems some people don't agree. It's humor, and he's not like everyone else. The movie is great. I love the story line and most of the people in the movie. It's funny from the first time she meets him at school. I like the fact that she chooses him over the guy back home. I like that Tiffani Theissan isn't a bad girl in the end. All the secrets are let out. Only the people you want to see are left in the end. (except for those of you who don't like Pauly Shore.) Even if you don't like him, there are funny parts, and her family tortures him through most of the movie. She's country girl gone wild and needs to be heard. She finally makes it. It's got just the right amount of love and romance. I give it an 8 out of 10.

Thoughts on the Acting Performances

[clintos · 7/10 · 10 December 1998]

The cast was well picked. Pauly Shore is hilarious and does a good job of bringing the plot of the movie together. However, Tiffani Amber Thiessan is who really makes this movie special. Her talented acting combined with her great looks makes this movie a definite see.

Pauly's comedy just isn't funny

[davispittman · 4/10 · 7 April 2016]

Pauly Shore and his comedy style just doesn't work for me personally. The movie in of itself isn't awful, it's just not very good haha. I did like Carla though, she was really good in her role, she was very likable and sweet. Pauly is likable at times, but he was annoying at other times. The comedic material in this movie just doesn't work, it's got some sweet likable characters but the comedy does not work at all. I really didn't chuckle or laugh once. Travis was played well, the typical hot dopey jerkish college jock. Sure, he is hot as all here, but his character is s**t. But he plays it off well. And the parents are played well by the actors. The script and dialogue between the characters is pretty lackluster, nothing all too special, less then mediocre. But the occasional sweet moments bump up the score on my scale. 4/10 for Son-In-Law.

One of my new favourite Rom Coms

[AngelsAngel · 8/10 · 2 June 2018]

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.

The Best of the Best

[Sintelin · 6/10 · 22 March 2003]

I have to say this movie puts Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and even the Godfather movies to shame, this is one of the best movies ever, and I am astonished that Pauly did not receive at least an Oscar nomination. This was a well-written movie, with great performances(especially Patrick Renna, who was outstanding in his role as Zack). I highly suggest people to watch this movie. Thank you Steve Rash and the whole crew who made this movie possible.

I believe that it was from this movie that Patrick Renna's career took off. His acting performance was incredible in the recent Sobe commercials, and I think he got the part because of this movie.

So I definetely recommend this movie to everyone who wants to see a ground-breaking movement in the movie business.

Downright predictable fish out of water ...........

[merklekranz · 4/10 · 6 November 2009]

Frantic, somewhat mean spirited, infantile humor abounds in this city boy turned wannabe farmer tale. It is not outrageous enough to appeal to the Will Ferrell crowd, and not interesting enough to carry the feature length. The most I can praise "Son In Law" would be to say that for the most part it avoids toilet humor. The main problem is that all of the characters lack warmth, and Pauly Shore is so abrasive that he is a most unlikable hero. There are a few amusing bits involving farm animals, and that's about it. The story, what there is, is so simplistic and predictable, it makes "Jury Duty" seem like "Gone with the Wind". - MERK

shore's best

[jaws! · 6 October 1999]

this is pauly shore's best,and funniest movie. it has some funny jokes,but the movie is more entertaining than it is funny. pauly shore is funny,but not real,real funny. as long as the movie is entertaining,pauly shore doesn't have to be real funny. i give son in law *** out of ****

This is How I Torture Myself

[gavin6942 · 6/10 · 14 November 2016]

Having gotten a taste of college life, a drastically changed farm girl returns home for Thanksgiving break with her best friend, a flamboyant party animal who is clearly a fish out of water in a small farm town.

Pauly Shore movies are a strange lot. They aren't good, they aren't bad. They can often be annoying, especially as the Shore shtick does not age well as time passes. You get some good supporting cast like Tiffani Thiessen and Lane Smith, which helps, but doesn't completely fix the problem.

And yet, like a car crash, somehow I am drawn to watch. I saw most of Shore's work in the 1990s, and for some reason am watching them again now (2016). They haven't gotten any better, but do sort of capture an aspect of the 90s -- particularly the "MTV 90s" -- that few other films completely attempt.