Splitting Heirs

I like it when former Monty Python members team up and work together again. One of those great collaborations was with Eric Idle and John Cleese in 1993's sadly overlooked comedy Splitting Heirs.

The film begins in the 60's when a hippy Duke and Duchess, Idle and Barbara Hershey, forget their baby in a restaurant. When they go back to get him, he has disappeared. Thirty years later, Tommy, also Idle, who has been raised by an Indian family, discovers that he was that baby. Before he can claim his title, his new friend Henry, Rick Moranis, thinks that he is the Duke and claims the it. To make matters worse, Henry has proposed to Tommy's dream girl Kitty, Catherine Zeta Jones.

Tommy turns to a lawyer, Raoul Shadgrind, Cleese, to see what his options are. Shadgrind puts the idea in his head that he should murder him, making it look like an accident. This turns out to be tougher than he thought, especially with Shadgrind also gunning for the new Duke.

This is a very funny film. Cleese seems to be having a field day in his role. And it's always fun to see Idle and Cleese working together. Moranis is also a lot of fun in this too. Idle performs the theme song, which is very catchy and Rutles esque.

I think that this is one of the better post Python films.

It's available on dvd.