Dunston Checks In facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Dunston Checks In |
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Promotional poster
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| Directed by | Ken Kwapis |
| Produced by | Todd Black Joe Wizan |
| Screenplay by | John Hopkins Bruce Graham |
| Story by | John Hopkins |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Miles Goodman |
| Cinematography | Peter Lyons Collister |
| Editing by | Jon Poll |
| Studio | Fox Family Films |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | January 12, 1996 |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Canada United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $16 million |
| Money made | $9.9 million |
Dunston Checks In is a 1996 Canadian/American family comedy film starring Eric Lloyd, Graham Sack, Jason Alexander, Faye Dunaway, Rupert Everett, Paul Reubens, Glenn Shadix, and Sam the Orangutan as Dunston. It was written by John Hopkins and Bruce Graham and directed by Ken Kwapis. The film received negative reviews and was a box office bomb, only grossing $10 million against a budget of $16 million.
Plot
Lionel Spalding (Glenn Shadix) and his dog Neil arrive at the prestigious, five-star Majestic Hotel where due to a prank by Kyle Grant (Eric Lloyd) and his older brother Brian (Graham Sack), an overflowing fountain accidentally drenches him, greatly frustrating the hotel manager and the boys' widowed father Robert (Jason Alexander). He is disappointed with the boys but they are guaranteed a vacation in Barbados afterwards, only for the ruthless, haughty hotel owner, Elena Dubrow (Faye Dunaway), to force them to cancel the trip for a third time, due to the upcoming Crystal Ball where one of the guests is revealed to be a critic from the Le Monde Traveller Organization who they hope will reward the Majestic with a sixth star.
At that moment, "Lord" Rutledge (Rupert Everett), a jewel thief whom Mrs. Dubrow believes is the critic, arrives with an orangutan named Dunston, intending to steal the guests' jewelry. Dunston and his deceased brother Samson were both trained in thievery their entire lives, and Dunston has been wanting to escape from Rutledge's poor treatment and life of crime ever since.
Meanwhile, Rutledge distracts and causes Kyle to accidentally set a sterling rope mini-pulley free from his hand where Brian falls down and out from a laundry chute. Dunston flees from Rutledge and is later found by Kyle, who befriends the poor orangutan and promises to keep him safe. However Dunston soon begins causing disruption in the hotel such as ruining Spalding's workout and interfering with Mrs. Angela Dellacroce's massage. After realizing Dunston's presence, Robert calls for an animal control specialist named Buck LaFarge (Paul Reubens) to remove Dunston from the hotel. Rutledge searches the hotel for Dunston, and after locating him, ties Kyle up and gags him. Dunston and Kyle escape to the ballroom where the Crystal Ball is taking place, obtaining a picture of Rutledge, Dunston, and Samson from Rutledge's room. Kyle and Brian show the picture to their dad, and Robert is infuriated when Kyle says Rutledge tied him up. Brian and Kyle search for Dunston, avoiding LaFarge and Mrs. Dubrow, while Robert and Rutledge fight in the kitchen. Mrs. Dubrow eventually corners Kyle, but Dunston hanging from a chandalier pushes her into the giant party cake. Robert eventually stands up to Mrs. Dubrow, but is fired in the process. However, it turns out that Spalding, who had been humiliated, injured and inconvenienced by Dunston's antics, was the critic all along. As a result, Spalding declares Mrs. Dubrow managed to go from a five-star hotel to a one-star hotel before passing out from LaFarge's tranquilizer dart. Rutledge is arrested and LaFarge apologizes to Dunston, who then punches him.
In the end, thanks to the more kind-hearted Mr. Victor Dubrow (Nathan Davis), Robert, Kyle and Brian relocate to Bali, to manage a Majestic hotel there and have even managed to keep Dunston as a pet. They invite Spalding over with a complementary room and meals to make up for all the trouble he experienced and assure him that nothing will go wrong this time. However, in the last scene, Dunston causes further trouble by dropping a large coconut which lands on Spalding's head.
Cast
- Sam the Orangutan as Dunston
- Jason Alexander as Robert Grant
- Eric Lloyd as Kyle Grant
- Graham Sack as Brian Grant
- Faye Dunaway as Elena Dubrow
- Rupert Everett as Lord Rutledge
- Paul Reubens as Buck LaFarge
- Glenn Shadix as Lionel Spalding
- Nathan Davis as Victor Dubrow
- Jennifer Bassey as Angela Dellacroce
- Steven Gilborn as Artie
- Bob Bergen as Dunston (voice)
- Frank Welker as Neil (voice)
- Bree Turner as French girl
See also
In Spanish: Dunston Checks In para niños
