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Movie Train - FILM REVIEWS by Morgan Bell

 
Fresh critical film reviews by young Australian journalist Morgan Bell. A bight-sized opinionated analysis of popular movies and indie/art-house feature films. Explores plot, themes, characters, performances, soundtracks and film technique. Morgan Bell assesses movies in the context of what makes a successful cinema or DVD experience.

REVIEW: The Heartbreak Kid

May 25th 2008 14:49
No not the seminal Australian teen angst student/teacher romance film from 1993, this review is about the NEW American comedy from 2007




Directed: Bobby & Peter Farrelly (Shallow Hal, Dumb & Dumber, Theres Something About Mary, King Pin)

Written: Scot Armstrong (Roadtrip, Old School, Starsky & Hutch), Leslie Dixon (Outrageous Fortune, Overboard, Mrs Doubtfire, Hairspray), Kevin Barnett, and the Farrelly Bros - from a short story by Bruce Jay Friedman (The Lonely Guy, Splash)

Starring: Ben Stiller (Zoolander, Meet The Parents, Theres Something About Mary, Starsky & Hutch), Malin Akerman (27 Dresses), Michelle Monaghan (North Country, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang), Jerry Stiller (Hairspray, Zoolander, TVs King of Queens, TVs Seinfeld), Rob Corddry (Blades of Glory, Failure To Launch)

This is the story of a middle-aged man named Eddie (Ben Stiller) who is convinced by his father (Jerry Stiller) and his pussy-whipped best mate (Corddry) that he needs to stop fearing committment and marry the next nice girl who comes along, which happens to be the bubbly blonde Lila (Akerman). Somewhere between the wedding altar and the mexican honeymoon Eddie realises he really didnt bother to get to know Lila at all . . . she has a list of annoying traits as long as your arm and a very spotted past . . . and Eddie starts to suffer from buyers remorse when it comes to the prospect of spending the rest of his life with someone has has nothing in common with . . . its not just that he doesnt love Lila, he doesnt even like her! While he is drowning his sorrows at the bar of the honeymoon resort he befriends the sporty brunette Miranda (Monaghan) who turns out to be his perfect match and from there the trouble snowballs with lies compounding more lies and some very awkward situations. This is a fairly average comedy with most of the laughs coming from Ben Stillers trademark look of astonishment when the people around him are acting insane (think Meet The Parents). It has been written more like an extended sit-com and if you look at the crew who collaborated on it and there other projects you will see why. There is a surprisingly graphic sex scene which seems really out of place at the ending made the whole film seem like a skit off Mad TV. If you like other Farrelly Bros flicks then you will probably enjoy this.

Ben Stiller and Michelle Monaghan in The Heartbreak Kid (dir: Farrelly Bros)





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3 Comments. [ Add A Comment ]

Comment by postmoderncritic

May 28th 2008 12:57
I couldn't wait for this film to be over... I like Ben Stiller but this movie wasn't funny at all. Meet The Parents was much better in every way, I think!

Comment by Morgan Bell

May 28th 2008 13:10
hi epiphanie
yes i think you are right, Meet The Parents was a far superior film . . . did you find the sex scene a bit bizarre and out of place?

Comment by postmoderncritic

May 28th 2008 13:15
I did, actually... I know it was meant to be over-the-top, but I found it uncomfortable to watch and quite jarring.

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