The Farrelly Brothers remake the Elaine May directed classic and raunch it up. I recall the original as being hilarious and this one does have some funny moments, but the underlying sense of cruelty makes this one a lesser version.
Eddie Cantrow (Ben Stiller) is a forty-year-old bloke who is told by his pal Mac (Rob Corddry) and his lascivious dad Doc (Jerry Stiller) that he should just find a nice girl and settle down (well dad is more of the opinion that Eddie should be crushing p*ssy).
Eddie really isn’t ready to settle down but when he stupidly attends the wedding of his ex-girlfriend he begins to think that they’re right. He’s walking down the street feeling lonely when he sees a girl named Lila (Malin Akerman) get her purse snatched. He helps her out and she eventually shows up at his store and they start dating. Their whirlwind courtship results in Eddie proposing to what he considers the perfect mate.
However, on their drive down to Cabo for their honeymoon Eddie starts to see the annoyances that he didn’t pick up on in the courtship (not to mention that she’s a bit of a freak in the sack). They get to the Oceanside resort and are shown to their room by the lecherous Uncle Tito (Carlos Mencia).
Lila goes out to the beach and doesn’t listen to her new “soul mate” and doesn’t apply any sunscreen and gets a hideous sunburn that confines her to their room. Eddie finds Miranda (Michelle Monaghan) who is also at the resort and he thinks that she may really be the woman of his dreams and he starts to spend time with her.
The original Heartbreak Kid was a classic of sorts and directed in hilarious fashion by comedienne Elaine May. Sadly, it’s out of print on DVD so you may be stuck with having to rent it. The Farrelly Brothers take her gentle comedy and add a bunch of cruel, yet often hilarious, bits and emphasize the “cringe comedy.”
Ben Stiller seems game and really isn’t playing too far from his usual. I’ll admit that some of the comedy is really quite funny and had me guffawing, however in comparison to the original it seems rather strained.
Although these sorts of situations are what you’d expect for a movie by the Farrelly Brothers. I guess what turned me off by the end of the film is that there was an undercurrent of meanness that wasn’t present in the original.
I bet that fans of the Brothers that are used to their comedy will not have the original film to compare to and may well think that this is hilarious. I will admit that certain situations and bits were so, but I still had to return to the original. Oddly, this version says that it has been “edited for content.”
Not having seen this version in theaters I cannot tell what might’ve been removed but am nonetheless curious as to what that statement applies to.
The Heartbreak Kid (which made $110 million worldwide) is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. A fullscreen version is available separately (and I assume is also “edited for content”). Special features include a commentary by the Farrelly Brothers.
The 16 minute “The Farrelly Brothers in the French Tradition” is about how the brothers came to work together and how they do it. The 5-minute “Ben and Jerry” is about how the Stillers enjoy working together. The 3-minute “Heartbreak Halloween” is about a Halloween party that was thrown on the set.
The 8-minute “Egg Toss” is also about a contest that was formed on set to relieve the tension. Next is a 4-minute gag reel and 7 minute of deleted scenes. Finally there are previews for other DreamWorks DVDs.
Film fans may well want to see out the original Heartbreak Kid, but fans of the Farrelly Brothers will find them doing more of the same. I’d have to say that I fall somewhere in between since the gross out gags made me laugh, but the meanness of the film as compared to the original made me want to watch the original again.
The Heartbreak Kid is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a Feb. 4th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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