Dunston Checks In (1996)

Searching round on Amazon UK for a good,live-action family film to watch during the holiday season,I was surprise to discover a family movie from the mid 90's,that starred Faye Dunaway and Jason "George from Seinfeld" Alexander!.Which led to me deciding,that for this season,I would go and cheek in with Dunston.The plot:Being told by the owner of The Majestic hotel,that he has to make sure the quality at the hotel is absolutely perfect,due to the hotel epecting an impestctor to secretly pay them a visit,and hopefully give them a 6th star.Taking hotel owner Mrs Dubrow's words to heart,hotel manager Robert Grant begins to solely focus on making the hotel's upcoming ball the best that it has ever heldAs Robert begins to focus less on the current hotel guest,and more on arranging the ball,Grant's son Kyle,begins to suspect that one of the suitcases recently brought in by a new guest (called Lord Rustledge) actually contains something "secret",that will cause The Majestic Hotel a huge amount of trouble.View on the film:Whilst the screenplay by John Hopkins and Bruce Graham does rely on typical clichés, (such as having Rupert Everett play an English,upper class twit) and also some pretty big plot holes. (where did the diamonds go?) The writer's smartly use the film's brisk 88 minute running time to smoothly cover most of the flaws,by having most of the film shown from Kyle's (played by a good Eric Lloyd) point of view,that helps it to go from a wonderfully slap-stick diamond heist adventure,into being a little bit more dramatic,as Kyle attempts to save his new friend from being hurt.Backed by delightful supporting performances from a boo-hiss Faye Dunaway and a bumbling,but well meaning Jason Alexander,director Ken Kwapis (who has since gone on to direct some brilliant episodes of the US Office) smartly makes Sam's (who sadly died of a heart attack in 2010) performance as Dunston the centre of the movie.For being his debut,Sam gives a wonderful performance that most humans can only dream of!,which goes from some genuinely hilarious moments,as Dunston is forced to do Lord Rustledge bidding,to giving the movie a huge dollop of charm in the scenes showing the growing friendship between Dunston and Kyle,which leads to this being a terrific legacy,that Sam should be proud to have left behind.

I don't know about being better than Monkey Trouble, however it is UP THERE. "DCI" better known as Dunston Checks In, is by far one of the best movies ever. We all know monkeys have a special place in our hearts but Dunston manages to steal EVERYONES hearts, criminals and mean people alike. He gets in this silliest predicaments and can make a mess of anything! (But hey that's what monkeys do, right?) Anyways, at the movie-renting place (am I allowed to type Blockbuster?) tonight I was very tempted to rent this film, however, I had to stick with Baby's Day Out. But DCI has my vote for sure next movie night.To sum it up, if monkeys could speak, they'd be hollering "DCI!" for years to come.

I have seen this movie it was a great movie. Sam as Dunston the orangutan was very cute. Jason Alexander as Robert Grant was very good at this film. Eric Loyd as Kyle Grant was very nice in this film. Paul Rebuns (pee wee) as Buck LaFarge was funny. Faye Dunaway as Mrs, Dubrow was very beautiful. Whats sad that Dunston has a piece of glass on his hand. Dunston was scared about his hand. Whats terrible that Dunston does not have Samson anymore. Jennifer Bassey as Mrs. Dellacroce was very nice. Glenn Shadix as Lionel Spalding is funny. Rupert Everett as Lord Rutledge was very interesting That movie is funny, cute, and great you will like this movie so does Dunston the orangutan.

I give this movie a seven because I think kids would really like it. When I first saw it in theaters, at the age of nine, I loved it, as did my younger brother.I haven't seen it in years, but I do remember some great moments. The best one is Paul Reubens as an animal control official, who chases Dunston the Orangutan into a greenhouse. He fires his gun off and startles two old ladies sitting in an office, who then see him out a window looking into the greenhouse. For a few seconds the two ladies stare at him and he stares back. It's funny. The one kids will remember most will probably be Dunston jumping on Faye Dunaway and she falls backwards into a giant cake. Paul Reubens is definitely a highlight in this movie.Like I said, I haven't seen the movie in years, and I imagine I would feel differently about it now. When I was a kid I didn't know that Faye Dunaway was a movie legend. Now that I've seen Bonnie and Clyde, Chinatown, and Network, it might be a little weird seeing her in this role.So I feel that the kids and the kid-like will enjoy this movie. The older people, probably not so much.