Main Cast: Rick Moranis, Eric Idle, Barbara Hershey, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Cleese
Release Year: 1993
Country: US/UK
Run Time: 87 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Splitting Heirs is a dull mistaken identity comedy about a British Duke (Eric Idle) who is switched at birth when his parents accidentally left him behind in a restaurant, picking up the wrong baby by mistake. Idle is raised by Pakistanis and when he discovers his true identity, he begins plotting to kill the American (Rick Moranis) who is the unwitting imposter. His plans go awry, and Idle hires a lawyer (John Cleese) to help him regain his title. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Sadie Frost - Angela; Stratford Johns - Butler; Brenda Bruce - Mrs. Bullock; William Franklyn - Andrews; Eric Sykes - Jobson the Doorman; Cameron Blakely - Hunt Saboteur; Paul Brooke - Tour Guide; Charu Bala Chokshi - Mrs. Patel; Jeremy Clyde - 14th Duke; Amanda Dickinson - Barmaid; Richard Huw - Brittle; Llewellyn Rees - Old Major; Madge Ryan - Woman with Dog; Bill Wallis - Vicar at Hunt; Keith Smith - Photographer; Paul Weston - French Driver; Bill Stewart - Adoption Agent; Chris Jenkinson - Police Constable; Michelle Guish; Cal Macaninch - CID Officer; David Ross - Sergeant Richardson
Credit
Rod McLean - Art Director, Lucy Richardson - Art Director, Penny Rose - Costume Designer, Anthony Ford - First Assistant Director, Jonathan Benson - First Assistant Director, Robert Young - Director, John Jympson - Editor, Eric Idle - Executive Producer, Michael Kamen - Composer (Music Score), Michael Kamen - Musical Direction/Supervision, Peter Glossop - Musical Direction/Supervision, Paul Engelen - Makeup, John Beard - Production Designer, Tony Pierce-Roberts - Cinematographer, Redmond Morris - Producer, Simon Bosanquet - Producer, Joanne Woollard - Set Designer, George Gibbs - Special Effects, Eric Idle - Screenwriter
The movie tells the story of a presumably cursed aristocratic family, the Bournemoths, in England. Throughout history, bad things have befallen the heirs, leading it to be believed that there is a curse on the family. The most recent heir was left in a restaurant as an infant in the 1960s, but is later found under mysterious circumstances. In the 1990s, Tommy Patel (Eric Idle) is an Englishman raised by an Indian-English family. He befriends American Henry Bournemoth (Rick Moranis), who becomes the new heir when his father succumbs to the family curse by falling from his yacht and drowning. While Tommy enjoys his friendship with Henry, he discovers evidence which he believes reveal him to be the true Bournemoth heir. Tommy enlists the help of lawyer Raoul P. Shadgrind (John Cleese), who advises him to try to obtain his rightful place in the family through nefarious means, which proves to have unintended consequences.
