Splitting Heirs (1993) {Retro VHS Blu-ray Review}

Reviewed By Jason Lockard

In the 1980s and 90s Rick Moranis was a hot commodity in comedy films finding work in Ghostbusters 1 and 2, Little shop of horrors, Spaceballs, Honey I shrunk the kids and it's sequels, Little Giants, My Blue Heaven and The Flintstones. 

Than in 1997 after the tragic death of his wife he found himself a single parent and left the spotlight behind to raise his kids. Truly a selfless acting that should be applauded. I have been adding Rick Moranis films to the library for years and one I have been looking for is 1993's Splitting Heirs.

Now the great folks at Mill Creek Entertainment have added Splitting Heirs to their amazing Retro VHS Style Blu-ray selection. This line-up of releases is a collection I enjoy so much. So to get to collect this film and to have it in retro VHS style, I am through the roof. 

The film follows two children who were are switched at birth.Henry Bullock (Rick Moranis) grows up as a pampered British Duke, while the true heir Tommy Patel (Eric Idel) is raised by a humble Pakistani family. When Tommy realizes that he is the rightful heir to the Duke of Bournemouth, he is determined to claim his inheritance, he finds that the title and the woman of his dreams have already been taken by his American cousin Henry.

Splitting Heirs was written by Eric Idel and has a real Monty Python feel to it. Now with a cast like Rick Moranis, Eric Idle, Barbara Hershey, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and John Cleese. You would expect one of the most hilarious films of all time, and Splitting Heirs has some very funny moments, but at least for me some of the gags seemed not as funny as I had hoped for.

As for the casting I'm not sure if Eric Idel was involved with the casting or not, but I think he would have been better cast as Henry and Rick playing Tommy. Other than that I liked all the other casting choices.

Now I don't want to seem like I am disparaging this film, because I'm not. It is considered by many a cult classic and I can understand that. It is just this film is not for everyone. My feeling is this is more for fans of Monty Python's Flying Circus. So audiences should beware there is a good amount of adult content in this film.

Mill Creek Entertainment have transferred this film in 1080p in 1.85:1 aspect ratio and with DTS-HD Master Audio. They also add the option for English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. I must say that the film looks crisp with vibrant colors and sound clear on this Blu-ray release. They also added the theatrical trailer to this disc always a nice bonus.

Now as awesome as this film looks on Blu-ray what makes this film 100% better this the retro VHS style slipcover. It looks just like something you would come across with perusing the video store back in the day. To me that is what makes this release so cool!

Watch The Trailer Below:


If you are a fan of Monty Python or Rick Moranis your are going to want Splitting Heirs on Blu-ray and this Retro VHS Style Blu-ray slipcover edition is a great way to enjoy it. Head over to Amazon.com and get your copy today.

Out of 4 Film Reels (4 Being the Best) Mill Creek Entertainment's Retro VHS Style Blu-ray of Splitting Heirs receives...