Dunston Checks In
| Dunston Checks In | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster |
|
| Directed by | Ken Kwapis |
| Produced by | Todd Black Joe Wizan |
| Written by | John Hopkins Bruce Graham |
| Starring | Jason Alexander Eric Lloyd Faye Dunaway Rupert Everett Paul Reubens Glenn Shadix Graham Sack Sam |
| Music by | Miles Goodman |
| Cinematography | Peter Lyons Collister |
| Editing by | Jon Poll |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | January 12, 1996 |
| Running time | 88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $16 million |
| Box office | $9,871,065 |
Dunston Checks In is a 1996 American film starring Jason Alexander, Eric Lloyd, Faye Dunaway, Rupert Everett, Paul Reubens, Glenn Shadix, and introducing Sam the Orangutan as Dunston. It was written by John Hopkins and Bruce Graham and directed by Ken Kwapis.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The Majestic Hotel is a 5-star luxury establishment, and manager Robert Grant (Jason Alexander) is devoted to keeping his guests happy. He is informed by the chairman, Mrs. Dubrow (Faye Dunaway) that a sixth star could be rewarded to them if a certain representative is impressed and that this representative is posing as a guest. However, a certain guest by the name of Lord Rutledge (Rupert Everett) checks in with his orangutan Dunston who is trained to steal jewelry for Lord Rutledge. Dunston attempts to escape a life of crime with the help of Brian (Graham Sack) and Kyle (Eric Lloyd), Grant's mischievous sons, but things go more crazy when he hires Buck LaFarge (Paul Reubens) to kill Dunston.
Mrs. Dubrow notices Lord Rutledge's strange behaviour and rude criticisms of the hotel, and thinks that he may be the person that will award the six-star rating to the hotel. As such, he tells Robert to wait on his every request, so as to impress him, which means that Robert has to postpone his family vacation for the third time in a row. Unfortunately, the real person who is awarding the six-star rating, Lionel Spalding (Glenn Shadix), is ignored by Mrs. Dubrow, and is often humiliated or injured as a result of Dunston's antics.
In the meantime, the kids bond with Dunston, particularly Kyle. Dunston also has his share of fun and mischeif with the boys, and even brings good luck upon some of the staff members, namely a masseuse who Dunston unintentionally pretended to be while he was away, massaging an easily aroused woman, and upon the masseuse's return he is awarded with a big kiss (and presumably, sex) with the woman off-camera.
Rutledge however finds which room Dunston is in. He ties up Kyle and gags him with duct tape. However Dunston bites his ear and escapes, then ungags and unties Kyle. However, LaFarge ultimately catches up with Dunston and attempts to kill him but his plans are ruined by Kyle and Brian, and he, along with Rutledge, are arrested. In the end, Robert stands up to Mrs. Dubrow, which results in him getting fired, and Lionel Spalding finally confronting Mrs. Dubrow and telling him he has knocked the Majestic's rating down to one star. The Grant family moves to Bali to manage a luxury hotel there, and Dunston becomes part of the Grant family, much to Kyle's delight.
[edit] Cast
- Jason Alexander - Robert Grant
- Graham Sack - Brian Grant
- Eric Lloyd - Kyle Grant
- Faye Dunaway - Elena Dubrow
- Rupert Everett - Lord Rutledge
- Sam the Orangutan - Dunston
- Paul Reubens - Buck LaFarge
- Glenn Shadix - Lionel Spalding
- Nathan Davis - Victor Dubrow
- Jennifer Bassey - Angela Dellacroce
- Bob Bergen - Special Vocal Effects
- Frank Welker - Special Vocal Effects
[edit] Reception
The film received a negative response from critics, holding a 7% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Faye Dunaway's performance in the movie earned her a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Supporting Actress.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
|
||||||||||||||
