Dunston Checks In
| 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 |
| Edited by | Jon Poll |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
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Release date
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Running time
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88 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $16 million |
| Box office | $9,871,065 |
Dunston Checks In is a 1996 American family comedy film starring Eric Lloyd, Graham Sack, Jason Alexander, Faye Dunaway, Rupert Everett, Paul Reubens, Glenn Shadix, and introducing Sam the Orangutan as Dunston. It was written by John Hopkins and Bruce Graham and directed by Ken Kwapis.
The story begins on Wednesday March 22, 1995. Lionel Spalding (Glenn Shadix) arrives at the 5-Star Majestic Hotel where he is accidentally drenched by an overflowing fountain due to a prank by Kyle (Eric Lloyd) and Brian (Graham Sack), much to the stress and frustration of the hotel manager and the boys' father Robert Grant (Jason Alexander). He is disappointed with the boys but they are guaranteed a vacation afterwards, only to be forced to delay the trip for a third time by the ruthless hotel owner, Elena Dubrow (Faye Dunaway), 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 (who is thought to be the critic by Mrs. Dubrow), 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. Now Dunston has been wanting to escape from Rutledge's poor treatment and life of crime ever since.
Meanwhile, Dunston flees from Rutledge and is later found by Kyle, who befriends the poor orangutan and promises to keep him safe. After realizing Dunston's presence, Robert calls for an animal control specialist named Buck LaFarge (Paul Reubens) to extract Dunston from the hotel. Rutledge searches the hotel for Dunston, and after locating him, ties Kyle up. 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. Robert eventually manages to stand up to Mrs. Dubrow, but is fired in the process. However, it turns out that Lionel Spalding, who had been humiliated and injured by Dunston's antics, was the critic all along. As a result, he immediately reduces the Majestic to a 1-star hotel. Rutledge is arrested and LaFarge apologizes to Dunston, who then punches him.
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