THE HEARTBREAK KID
2007

"She is a nightmare!"

Eddie Cantrow (Stiller) has always been reluctant to take the plunge when it comes to getting married. Always finding excuses to end relationships, now that he has hit forty and because of constant badgering from his father (Stiller) and his best friend Mac (Corddry), he decides to take a chance on his new girlfriend Lila (Akerman) after only seeing her for six weeks. Married and on their way to Carbo in Mexico, Eddie soon discovers that Lila is the dream woman is imaged.

The Farrelly Brothers have been looking for a box office smash since their biggest hit 'There's something about Mary' back in 1998 but can their reunion with Ben Stiller form another winning formula?

After hitting big with 'Dumb and Dumber', 'Kingpin' and then 'There's Something About Mary', the Farrelly brothers were labelled the gross out kings of the new wave of comedy in the late 90s. They followed up this success with 'Shallow Hal', 'Me, Myself and Irene', 'Stuck on You' and 'Fever Pitch' but none of these captured the same laugher levels as their first three hits. Now they have decided to follow Hollywood's current trend and remake a classic for a modern audience but should they really be remaking a Neil Simon movie?

The answer to this question is a definite no. Reuniting with Ben Stiller might have seemed like a master stroke for the comedy filmmakers struggling for a hit but unfortunately it hasn't worked out for the better and instead they have produced a comedy that is extremely unoriginal and lacking in quality laugh out loud moments. As with most comedies, the trailer is a huge spoiler but with this movie aimed at a 15 (R) rated audience you would have expected more scenes that you couldn't show in the trailer but apart from a mildly funny sex scene and some swearing, most of the best comedy moments are in the trailer.

The presence of the always likeable and entertaining Ben Stiller isn't enough to save this from been a very damp squid. While the comedic actor does do his best with the material, it is the script that lets the actor down, as it never really pushes his talents. The rest of the cast don't fair any better, with Malin Akerman coming out the best as the Lila, the wife from hell. There are also noticeable turns from Ben's father and Seinfeld legend Jerry Stiller and Michelle Monaghan makes a very nice love interest for Ben's wondering eye.

'The Heartbreak Kid' is another disappointment from the Farrelly Brothers. While there are moments that manage to raise a smile, there are not real laugh out loud moments that recapture their earlier work. Fans will leave heartbroken.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the movie is presented well.

BONUS FEATURES

The Farrelly Brothers: In the French Tradition (16.36 mins)
Writers/directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly talk about their career before movie making, writing, their favourite jokes and getting into movies.

Ben & Jerry (5.00 mins)
Co-director Bobby Farrelly and stars Ben Stiller, Jerry Stiller and Malin Akerman talk about the father and son working together as father and son for the first time on the silver screen.

Heartbreak Halloween (3.24 mins)
Writers/directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly talk about the Halloween costume contest that the crew than during production.

The Egg Toss (8.04 mins)
Writers/directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly, producer Bradley Thomas, video assistant Jim 'Sporty' Ahern and stars Michelle Monaghan and Danny McBride talk about the very competitive contest the cast and crew got involved with after shooting was complete.

Gag Reel (4.01 mins)
Watch a montage of gaffs and mistakes from the cast and crew on the set of 'The Heartbreak Kid'.

Deleted Scenes (7.28 mins)
Entitled 'On the Beach', 'Fire dimmers', 'Breakfast order', 'Skydiver', 'Pillow' and 'Driving Dad', these deleted scenes suffer from the lack of a commentary track or introduction to explain why they were cut.

Commentary by the Farrelly Brothers
In their usual, chatty, informative and funny style, the directing brothers talk about 'The Heartbreak Kid'. With loads of behind the scenes stories and gags, information about the music, working with Ben and Jerry and the concept of the film, this is a good commentary that fans of the movie and the brothers should enjoy.

Coming Soon
Previews of 'Stardust', 'Hot Rod' and 'Drillbit Taylor'

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for 'The Heartbreak Kid' is one that fans of the film and the Farrelly brothers should enjoy. The commentary track is very good and the featurettes cover the funnier aspects of the film's production making this a decent DVD package.

DVD

There's Something About Mary

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2007