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5 Responses to “The Heartbreak Kid”

1. M. Joseph Says:
   October 5th, 2009 at 4:36 am

   Ok, so my party of 15 (my terrier, monkey, and caterpillar-science project (Fluffy), and selected friends) rented this CRAP LOAD for a night’s viewing. Um…well…little did we know that this movie was freaking PORN! Do not show this to anyone! Do not watch this! It is sinful! YOU ARE SINFUL for considering buying this movie! I AM SINFUL for watching this! [but i went to confession...which reminds me the WORLD is SINFUL...cause not many people go to that anymore]

   Anyway, BEN STILLER is UGGGGLLLLLLAAAAYYYY (hideous, mr. boombastic, mr. not-fantastic)

   This just makes me want to go WATSCH! WATSCH! WATSCH! to the director, actors, actresses, and anyone associated to the film’s conception!

   So to do something better with your time and to distract you from this atrocity and save your precious time (FYI…we don’t live forever), watch the DARK KNIGHT or listen to a LEONA LEWIS CD [aka...spirit] or a leona lewis song [aka...BLEEDING LOVE...aka...song of the year [2008])

   <3 Mrs. Priestly
   Rating: 1 / 5

2. Danielle Turchiano Says:
   October 5th, 2009 at 6:58 am

   When the lonely Eddie (Ben Stiller) meets the perky, young, blonde woman of his dreams, Lila (Malin Akerman), in Paramount’s The Heartbreak Kid, the audience immediately expects something to be wrong with her because she seems to genuinely laugh at his bumbling, neurotic behavior. Somehow, even after forty-plus years of chronic bachelor behavior, he is convinced she is the one for him–despite not really knowing anything about her– and they marry. Of course minutes after the fact, though, when they embark on a road trip on their honeymoon, he begins to see her in a new light and progressively regrets his decision–mostly do to the fact that he meets another woman, Miranda (Michelle Monaghan), and becomes convinced she is “the one,” despite not knowing her at all either. Directed by the Farrelly brothers, The Heartbreak Kid is indecisive not only in the individual characters’ decisions but on the whole in the tone of the film itself. It rides the line between bittersweet comedy and painfully awkward profanity, all things Stiller and both Farrellys are known for taking on (and doing so successfully) in the past. Unfortunately here, that tired, old formula is just plain painful.

   When Lila’s “quirks,” shall we say, first start coming to light, you can’t help but wonder why Eddie isn’t just blinded by the love he supposedly had for her only seconds before on-screen. Instead, though, he is utterly annoyed and horrified, and completely writes her off, even though–while exaggerated–those little bits of character, such as singing along to every little thing on the radio, are ultimately harmless. He even leaves her nursing a sunburn to drink and flirt with Miranda at the hotel bar; he is the epitome of the anti-hero, and he is completely dislikeable as a lead. The Farrelly’s The Heartbreak Kid is a poor attempt at remaking the 1970s version starring Charles Grodin and Cybil Shepard. In fact, it is still unclear why one would need a new version of an unflashy, morally objective film in the first place. There are no CGI additions, and the star power of Stiller alone is not nearly enough to save this less-than-mediocre attempt.

   The Heartbreak Kid is full of tantrum-throwing caricatures, with the sole exception of Monaghan’s Miranda, who is not really developed enough to form a knowledgeable opinion. Therefore, the special features on the DVD must be relied upon to offer insight into the direction of said characters. Unfortunately, though, all the audio commentary showcases is that the stereotypical portrayal, mostly on Stiller’s part, was not so much direction as a lack thereof. Nepotism runs rampant in Hollywood, but working with your friends time and again has become a worse syndrome, and the Farrellys prove that in the commentary, sharing stories how about how utterly fun it was to be in Stiller’s presence on-set everyday. They may have shared some laughs in rehearsals and at lunch, but that humor certainly didn’t translate to the scenes as scripted.

   The “Farrelly Brothers in the French Tradition” is a talking-heads documentary in the directors’ own words about how they got started in the film industry and worked their way up from indie comedies. Of course there are also six deleted scenes and what the DVD calls a gag reel but is really more of a musical montage of the cast laughing and mumbling when they didn’t seem to realize the camera was already rolling. The few tidbits from Jerry Stiller actually elicit chuckling, though, and to expand on the humor he offers, “Ben & Jerry” is a five-minute featurette about what it was like for the two generations of Stillers to together for the umpteenth time but finally play father and son on-screen.

   “Heartbreak Halloween” is a quick but comical behind-the-scenes look at production on Halloween, when the entire crew came dressed in costumes. “The Egg Toss” is another behind-the-scenes look at the cast and crew, this time featuring a weekly egg toss competition in the downtime on-set. The addition of these two features on the DVD seems like yet another desperate attempt to show that the crew had fun making the movie… maybe so you should feel like you have to have fun while watching it? If more features such as these are what the audience can expect as the Youtube generation gradually takes over, it would be greatly advised to salvage a few minutes of your life and just skip them.

   To top off this oddly somber viewing experience, the DVD also features previews for some similar comedies, some of which have not yet been released (Drillbit Taylor), some that are also now available on DVD (Hot Rod), and one that is just a shameless plug for one of the film’s stars other projects (Mind of Mencia: Season 3 Uncensored). None of these sound particularly groundbreaking, and yet after The Heartbreak Kid, it has to be assumed that any one of them is funnier than the film featured on this disc.
   Rating: 2 / 5

3. N. Veran Says:
   October 5th, 2009 at 9:39 am

   What happened to the farrely brothers??? they probably lost their talent in cabo while filming…
   
   Anyway, to be short, i’m a huge fan of stiller, the farrely’s…but this movie is only worth a watch on tv. No laugh around and certainly nothing close to there’s somethiong about mary…
   
   HD DVD is of excelent quality, sound and picture are crystal clear…but that’s the least they could be on such a media.

   Too bad

   Rating: 2 / 5

4. akento Says:
   October 5th, 2009 at 11:05 am

   While the 2007 production of the Heartbreak Kid had the makings of a holiday film event, this misdirected, ingenuine script manages to bring the romantic comedy genre to a new low. Heartless and awkward, Ben Stiller is as confused about his sexual preferences here as we are with his lack of sincerity or sense of relationship. An afront to thinking men, women and children this venture finds no value in Mexican culture nor the animal world (in a graphic scene of bestiality). Unfortunately, better cast members than BS are taken down with this sticky man of war and will no doubt regret all but the great Mexican beach location. As for my family holiday movie wish list, I wish I had left this stinker on the shelf.
   Rating: 1 / 5

5. stature Says:
   October 5th, 2009 at 1:02 pm

   Thanks to other reviewers for the warnings. I rented this on an unbox sale and used the fast forward button to skip through Jerry Stiller’s foul mouth lines, and the fornication scenes. There was still too much foul language for no reason though even with editing it. What was left after the fast forwards to get rid of the worst garbage was an unsatisfying story with little comedy and a blah ending.
   Rating: 1 / 5