The Out of Towners (1999 film)

Plot

Henry (Martin) and Nancy Clark (Hawn) are a couple living in a quiet Ohio town. Married for 27 years, their last child has left home and Nancy is suffering from empty nest syndrome. Unbeknownst to her, Henry has lost his job due to corporate downsizing and has an interview in New York. Nancy sneaks on the plane with him and they begin a disastrous series of misadventures. Their plane is rerouted to Boston, their luggage is lost, they are mugged at gunpoint and their daughter has used their credit card to the point where it has reached its limit. They are thrown out of their hotel by a pompous manager (John Cleese) who also indulges in cross dressing. Forced to live by their wits on the street, the couple find themselves caught up in a robbery, chased by the police through Central Park and also finding renewed love between them. In the end, Henry aces his job interview and the two begin a new life together in "The Big Apple".

Cast

Reception

The movie was a disappointment critically and commercially. It has a 23% rating on the Rotten Tomatoes website, with Roger Ebert commenting that the movie "was not a proud moment in the often-inspired careers of Martin and Hawn." Most of the negative reviews point to Cleese as the only redeeming factor of the film.