Review: The Heartbreak Kid (2007)
d...@dca.net
A film review by David N. Butterworth
Copyright 2007 David N. Butterworth
**1/2 (out of ****)
There're some things about Lila (Malin Akerman) that Eddie Cantrow
(Ben Stiller) wished he'd known a lot sooner.
Like her deviated septum, which causes apple juice, fajitas, and
other foreign objects to spontaneously spew forth from her nostrils
during mealtimes. Or the fact that her environmental research position
doesn't exactly pay (not all that well but period!). Or maybe it's
simply her singing, a one-woman bad karaoke act on the *entire* drive
down to Mexico (where Lila and Eddie are headed for their honeymoon
following a whirlwind San Francisco romance).
But one thing Eddie does know is that he's made a mistake. A big
one--Lila is a living nightmare. So partly as an escape he strikes up a
flirtation with the shapely, single Miranda ("Mission: Impossible III"'s
Michelle Monaghan), a lacrosse coach from Oxford, Mississippi who's
vacationing with her oddball relatives.
Manic misunderstandings mainly materialize.
"The Heartbreak Kid" is the Farrelly Brothers' redo of the hit 1972
Neil Simon comedy that starred Charles Grodin and Cybill Shepherd.
Since Bobby and Peter Farrelly are involved you can expect quite a bit
more bodily orifice humor than in Elaine May's original film--the
creators of "Dumb & Dumber," "Kingpin," and "There's Something About
Mary" seem to have settled on the nose as the orifice of choice this
time around (Eddie gets a jalapeño stuffed up his later in the film,
although the topper sight gag would appear to involve a jellyfish and
the call of nature--no noses there).
Like most Farrelly flicks, "The Heartbreak Kid" is a hit and miss
affair, pretty darned hilarious at times, crass and offensive most other
times (and to mix things up a bit sporadically amusing in its
vulgarity). What makes this "'Kid" work, largely, is its casting.
Nobody plays put upon quite as convincingly as Ben Stiller and boy is he
put upon here, from being harassed by his Dad (Jerry Stiller, looking a
little the worst for wear), nagged at by his best friend Mac (Rob
Corrdry), who plants the initial seed that Eddie might not want to wait
forever to get hitched, and constantly reminded by Lila that he's in
this for 40, 50 years (Eddie's response to her scary "I love you" is
classic Stiller).
As Lila, the game Akerman gives it her all; she's not afraid to
embarrass herself into the process. Pratfalls, rough sex, blistering
sunburn--Akerman takes it on the chin and then some. Some of the film's
funniest scenes are a direct result of Stiller's character learning some
new gem about his loco lover.
Carlos Mencia (concierge Uncle Tito), Danny R. McBride (playing
Miranda's edgy cousin Martin), and Michael and Nicholas Kromka (as a
pair of obnoxious twins) augment the film's fine supporting cast but
it's Stiller and Akerman's show pretty much all the way (Monaghan has
little more to do than play cute).
Sweeter than "Me, Myself & Irene" yet cruder than "Fever Pitch,"
"The Heartbreak Kid" is middle ground Farrelly Bros. And that's not
necessarily a bad thing.
--
David N. Butterworth
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Homer Yen
by Homer Yen
(c) 2007
What happens when you rush into partnership too
blindingly fast and approach your commitment with
half-hearted seriousness? Well, that's the story
of Eddie Cantrow (Ben Stiller) who gets more than
he bargained for when he marries an unbearable
woman named Lila (Malin Akerman). Well, during
their initial whirlwind romance, you couldn't
tell that Lila would turn out to be such a
monster. You couldn't even tell that Eddie was
the marrying type.
The premise of the film seems like a sure thing.
There is always laughter to be found in
situations where someone isn't quite prepared for
the consequences of a long-term commitment. And,
Ben Stiller's insouciance is always welcome. But
the film is much too rough around the edges and
instead of being a romantic comedy, it's more
like mean-spirited bullying.
The big problem is that there isn't much to like
about either of the two main characters. Eddie
is a shallow-minded bachelor type. He's a
selfish slacker that makes you wonder why any
girl would want to devote their life to him. The
amount of weight that he associates with the
exchanging of vows is right in line with - oh, I
dunno - which degree of spiciness he would like
applied to his Hooters wings. Lila seems nice
enough at first, but then after the wedding,
morphs into something that can only be described
as obnoxious and predatory. She is the marrying
man's worst nightmare. This is not to say that
Malin Akerman, the actress, is a bad actress. If
anything, she plays the part beautifully. It's
just that her character is nothing to be proud
of.
Anyway, while on their honeymoon in Mexico, Lila
comes down with a bad case of sunburn and is
unable to leave her room. This gives Eddie a
chance to explore, and he meets up with the
comely and easy-going Miranda (Michelle
Monaghan). They fall for each other, and Eddie,
who is never the eloquent one or the proper
planner, fails to mention that he's married.
Hey, love is sweet, and again, this could be very
funny watching Eddie trying to live out two
separate lives in uncomfortable proximity of the
two women. They are all at the same hotel, so
there should be lots of funny moments as Eddie
tries to juggle. This setup was done hilariously
in a film like "Mrs. Doubtfire" (woah, way back
in 1993) with Robin Williams. And, it probably
could've worked better here if the film wanted to
be a family comedy. But, this is a project by
the Farrelly Brothers who strive to do things
dumb and dumber. And the bad language and the
nudity and the bathroom humor destroy its
wholesome fun.
How did I feel after I watched this insipid
comedy? Well, it's oddly over-the-top in the
categories of sex, language, and violence. And,
it all seemed needlessly so. It was just
discomforting overkill. I think that Ben Stiller
uttered my feelings correctly with his last two
spoken words at the end of the film.
Grade: C-
S: 3 out of 3
L: 3 out of 3
V: 2 out of 3
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