Well, I thoroughly enjoyed the updated version, just as I expected.  It is silly and charming and funny.  Since I felt obligated to see the original before commenting on this viewing, I set off in search of a rentable copy...hmm...not as easy as it seemed (hence the lateness of this posting).  Having finally located a copy in Santa Monica, my husband and I sat to watch it and both struggled to stay awake, as it was not nearly as charming and funny as the remake.

In today's version, Michael Douglas as Steve Tobias was more believable as CIA than Peter Falk as Vincent J. Ricardo, who looked like a thief pretending to be a CIA agent. However, it mattered not whether Albert Brooks (Defending Your Life, The Muse) as Jerry Peyser was a podiatrist or Alan Arkin as Sheldon S. Kornpett, is a dentist.  In both versions the premise is simple: A young woman is set to marry a young man, but the woman's parents have never met her soon-to-be in-laws and refuse to bless this union until they do.  In 2003, unlike 1979, the groom's parents are divorced and so the reunion has its own issues besides meeting the pending in-laws.

Throughout this introductory dinner and into the ceremony itself, Jerry gets unconsciously caught up in Steve's mission, lending innocent humor at each juncture and ending in a sweet surprise.

Kudos to Andrew Bergman for writing a thoroughly enjoyable update to his original script; skip the original and enjoy an evening with Michael Douglas!

Sharyn Yuloff is an entertainment industry escapee.