The Heartbreak Kid
Rated: R
Runtime: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Directed by: The Farrelly Brothers
Starring:
Ben Stiller - Eddie Cantrow
Michelle Monaghan - Miranda
Jerry Stiller - Doc
Malin Akerman - Lila
Carlos Mencia - Uncle Tito
Rob Corddry - Mac
Danny R. McBride - Martin
It's hard to believe that the fantastic team-up who brought us the brilliant comedy of There's Something About Mary are the same guys who made the painfully unfunny remake of Neil Simon's The Heartbreak Kid. But Ben Stiller and The Farrelly Brothers are no longer the comic geniuses of 1998. They are the men behind one of the worst "comedies" of the year.
The weak-willed Stiller plays his familiar dickless wonder as he's pressured into marrying a girl (Malin Akerman) he barely knows and then finds out on their honeymoon that not only is she insane, but that the woman he truly loves (Michelle Monaghan) is at the same resort and now he wants to ditch his crazy new wife and shack up with the hot new love of his life. I see the potential for comedy and with this remake I see that potential completely destroyed.
Let's start with the increasingly insufferable Stiller who used to be a comic genius and still has his moments (I like Dodgeball) but the big difference between his role here and Mary is that in Mary he was a hapless victim of circumstance where in this case, he's the maker of his own demise and rom-com-Stiller carries too much insecurity and wimpy demeanor to charm us with his morally dubious actions. Vince Vaughn could do it in his sleep. Was he busy and they just decided to go with the exact opposite? Or did the Farrelly's just constantly fuck up their movie. I think it's the latter.
How did the guys who came up with putting cum in a pretty lady's hair come up with such a weak comedy? There's one solid gross-out gag in the film and plenty of missed opportunities. The crazy newlywed sex between Stiller and Akerman? She says "cock me," and wants him to hit her. Wow. That's some perverse shit right there. I think that's about as insane as sex gets. Truly, you boys have raised the bar, yet again.
The only comedy to be found in Heartbreak are some fun jabs by Rod Corddry as Stiller's best friend and Danny McBride as Monaghan's cousin. Unfortunately, this is all undone by the black hole of comedy known as Carlos Mencia who actually destroys laughter where ever he goes. Like the specter of death, he tenderly takes Stiller and the Farrellys by the hand, and brings them to the land where humor comes to die.
Words by
Matt Goldberg
10.2.07