by kellie abrahamson kabrahamson1@aol.com
C Rated R 108 min.
With the success of Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and most recently Superbad, Judd Apatow has resurrected the R-rated comedy and the Farrelly Brothers have taken notice. Their latest offering, The Heartbreak Kid, hits theaters this week, but does it live up to Apatow’s recent triumphs? Or even their own?
Eddie Cantrow (Ben Stiller) is hopelessly single and no one will let him forget it. With his best friend (Rob Corddry) and father (Jerry Stiller) both pushing him down the aisle with two hands, he finally settles on a woman to spend the rest of his life with- the beautiful, seemingly perfect Lila (Malin Akerman) who he met only a few weeks earlier. It soon becomes clear that their whirlwind romance left them little time to get to know each other’s annoying character traits and Eddie’s charming hot wife suddenly becomes a crazy shrew with a checkered past- all during the car ride to Mexico where they will be honeymooning. Three days into what should be a blissful vacation with his wife, Eddie meets Miranda (Michelle Monaghan) and is convinced he’s made a huge mistake in getting married. Miranda, he’s sure, really is the one. Now Eddie must figure out a way to dump his nightmare of a bride without losing the girl of his dreams.
The Heartbreak Kid is a remake of the 1972 Oscar-nominated film of the same name written by Neil Simon. After a string of relatively successful PG-13 films that left critics and fans divided, the Farrelly Brothers are back in their R-comedy comfort zone hoping to win back the affections of movie-goers who loved There’s Something about Mary but lost faith in them when Fever Pitch debuted.
Having never seen the original, I can’t say for certain that The Heartbreak Kid stands up to its predecessor but if the Oscar nods are any indication, the Farrellys’ interpretation has got to be several steps down. The performances aren’t bad, but they certainly aren’t worth any major awards. Stiller pulls back a bit from his angry man routine (see: every other movie he’s ever made), which is a pleasant surprise. Another shocker is Carlos Mencia, who plays the concierge at the Mexican resort where the newlyweds honeymoon. He’s also a lot less annoying than usual, providing a few decent laughs along the way. Akerman and Monaghan are both great in their own ways, with the former channeling Cameron Diaz during the first half of the film and the latter taking over during the last half.
The main problem I had with The Heartbreak Kid was that Eddie is never likable or endearing, so the audience doesn’t know if they should be rooting for his blossoming relationship with Miranda or hoping he gets busted in a big way by Lila, whose idiosyncrasies are obnoxious, but not necessarily deserving of her new husband’s scorn. It makes it even harder to take when we see her actually trying to make the relationship work and Eddie brushes her off in favor of spending more time with this new woman. There’s no doubt that Miranda would be better for our leading man, but his willingness to jump ship on his marriage so soon is disconcerting. Perhaps if Lila was more outrageously wrong for Eddie I’d be more sympathetic, but as it is, he just seems like an indecisive jerk. And maybe that’s what they were going for, but the imbalance took away from the funny and proved to be a big handicap for the film.
As with any Farrelly Bros. comedy, don’t plan on bringing your grandma or your ten-year-old. There’s plenty of raunchy humor including, but not limited to, a donkey show, two crazy sex scenes with lots of dirty talk and Jerry Stiller repeatedly coaching his son on chasing tail in far more derogatory language than I just used. This would be a great film to see with a big group of friends, but if I watched it with, for example, my mom; I’d probably be pretty uncomfortable.
It doesn’t have the feel of an instant Farrelly classic, but The Heartbreak Kid isn’t a stinker either. It’s simply another R-rated adult comedy that works on certain levels and fails on others. Don’t go out of your way to see it opening day, but be sure to check it out on DVD if it sounds like your bag.
|
EU Critic’s Choice Awards
