Ken Kwapis’ Dunston Checks In is one of my all time favorite children’s films; I remember watching again and again in my early adolescent years. Dunston (or Sam) is an incredibly well-trained orangutan who literally steals the show. He’s cute, funny and he manages to outsmart nearly every other character in the film. He, alone, was enough to make the film enjoyable, however, his interactions with Kyle (Eric Lloyd) and Lord Rutledge (Rupert Everett) made the film so much more fun. Lord Rutledge, Dunston’s owner, is not particularly nice to the ape and Dunston’s reactions to the physical and mental abuse regularly made me smile. Eric Lloyd, who most probably know from The Santa Claus (1994), is talented young actor who manages to work very well with the ape. The film’s story is obviously far-fetched, but, it is a children’s film. Nearly everything in the film appeals wonderfully to children, with the exception of Everett’s (somewhat) horrifying portrayal of Rutledge and some edgy humor. This is a great film for family night that I think the entire family will enjoy. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116151/?ref_=nv_sr_1?ref_=nv_sr_1
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