jadzia92 Splitting Heirs starred and written by Eric Idle and also featuring fellow Python John Cleese, it tells of a baby who was destined to become duke who got left behind in a restaurant due to the forgetfulness of his parents. Due to convenience, the parents chose another baby to be their son and he grows up to become Rick Moranis. Meanwhile the baby that his parents did not find grows up as Tommy Patel played by Eric Idle. It seemed somewhat too convenient for this movie that Tommy becomes friends with Henry played by Moranis without knowing about his real history beforehand. However once he knew that the dukedom was supposed to be his and everything with it, Tommy goes about getting it back by killing Henry. However things don't quite according to his plans which includes the attack of his conscience. It not a bad comedy film from Idle but the one thing that I did not like it about it is Catherine Zeta-Jones' character Kitty as she was rather too two-faced for my liking.

gavin6942 A member of the English upper class dies, leaving his estate and his business to an American (Rick Moranis), whom he thinks is his son who was lost as a baby and then found again.The problem with this film is that it is only three-quarters baked. Eric Idle is an excellent writer, but I feel like he did not give himself enough time between the writing and the beginning of filming. An additional joke or revision here or there might have made all the difference.Rick Moranis shines, John Cleese is excellent. Eric Idle himself is quite good. Give them a bit more to work with and this film could have been a winner. Instead, it has been largely forgotten. Even an early appearance from Catherine Zeta-Jones did not save it.

Amy Adler Tommy (Eric Idle) lives in London with his Hindi family. Although he really doesn't look Indian, he has never questioned his heritage. As some sort of official in the British embassy, Tommy's boss tells him he must greet the newest Duke in the area. That would be American Henry (Rick Moranis), a rude, obnoxious sort. As an newborn, Henry went missing for three days of his early life, when his parents left him at a bar, and was later found in a telephone booth. Hank went to live in America with his mother (Barbara Hershey) when the original Duke died. Now, he's back and Tommy is gritting his teeth. But, wait. As Tommy hangs out at the mansion, he soon discovers that HE, Tommy, looks like a lot of the family's deceased relatives, hanging in portraits, among other things. Confronting his Hindi parents, Tommy is stunned to learn that someone PAID them to adopt him, as a baby, and they have a monogrammed blanket and silver rattle that came, too. Ho ho ho, could Henry and Tommy have been switched as babies, when the infant Duke was abandoned? Maybe! So, since Henry's so insufferable, what if Tommy knocks him off and reclaims his own title? This is a funny film that should take anyone's mind off the proverbial troubles. Idle, who wrote the script, is especially mirthful and the rest of the cast, including Moranis, Hershey, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and John Cleese, is great, too. The English sets are nice, especially the Duke's castle, and the costumes, camera work and direction contribute to the film's overall success. No, its no Shakespeare, but it doesn't pretend to be so, either. If you need a quick picker-upper, funny flick style, this is one to secure.

TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews I'm probably in the minority here... but I always preferred Eric Idle of the members of the Monty Python gang. The more talented writer, both in sketch material and song lyrics(to any other Python fan who appreciates those; Yes, Idle wrote and performed the main theme), the better facial expressions and acting. Naturally, when I found out that he had written and starred in a film of his own(though John Cleese does also have a role), I had to watch it. I don't believe I ever did get to watch this more than a few times, some years back, and then I didn't really go back to it until today. As much as I like Idle, I have to admit that this isn't up to the standards of most of the Pythons' movies or Flying Circus episodes. The basic idea is fun enough; I won't reveal it here, though, since it is an important plot point(and I urge anyone reading this to not read any of the cast credits on the main page... and if you've already done so, try your best to forget what you read). The plot certainly isn't brilliant, but it's quite funny, and makes for some highly comical situations. The pacing is actually fairly solid. I can't think of any point in the film where I was genuinely bored... in spite of knowing everything that would happen. The acting is all very good. The characters are quite well-written, though I guess few of them are particularly likable. The humor is quite black, and some will definitely be offended. I'm not fond of admitting it, but Cleese actually has some of the funniest moments of the entire film. He's not very prominently featured, but he is hilarious when he is on-screen. Moranis is about as tolerable as usual... I don't feel much neither for nor against him, but if you don't care for him, you won't like him in this, either. Idle gets to both under- and overplay, and his presence was definitely the selling point of the movie for me. All in all, some very funny moments, but only just enough to make it worth watching. I recommend it to huge fans of the Monty Python crew, in particular those fond of Idle and Cleese. 6/10