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The Heartbreak
Kid
Starring: Ben Stiller, Michelle
Monaghan, Malin Akerman, Carlos Mencia
Directed by: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly
Produced
by:
Ted Field, Bradley Thomas
Written
by: Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly, Scott Armstrong, Kevin Barnett,
Leslie Dixon
Distributor: Paramount Pictures |
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For as long as I have been a
critic, I have supported the careers of Bobby and Peter Farrelly
through thick and thin. In fact, watching their near-masterpiece
of physical comedy, Shallow Hal, was one of the
theatrical experiences that inspired me to write reviews in the
first place. After Shallow Hal, the Farrellys went onto
make Stuck on You and Fever Pitch, both of which I
have come to ardently defend over the years. Despite inviting
misunderstanding interpretations, these works function as rather
substantial comedies, establishing at the very least that the
two minds behind them are talented (if not evil geniuses).
Alas, when bad reviews for the
Farrelly Brothers’ latest effort, The Heartbreak Kid,
began to stack up in the days before its release, I didn’t think
much of it. Despite being admired in circles, the ingenious
writer/directors have never really been universally lauded. I
figured that The Heartbreak Kid would simply be another
occasion on which the Farrellys’ creativity was underappreciated
by critics.
Unfortunately, the aforementioned
assumption proved completely wrong. The Heartbreak Kid,
while not as irritatingly obnoxious as Dumb & Dumber (the
only film I regard as “awful” on the Farrellys’ resume), is
downright mediocre. Everything about the movie seems plain and
obvious. The Farrellys noticeably try hard to make it as
over-the-top and zany as their previous efforts, but are
entirely unsuccessful in doing so. Devious and boisterous as the
humor in the film is, it lacks the appreciable edge that
characterizes the majority of the pair’s work. Even the
usually-riotous Ben Stiller is unable to conjure up a sense of
hilarity in the lead role.
Better luck next time, Bobby and
Peter. Despite the unfortunate fact that The Heartbreak Kid
is totally uninspired, I still love your body of work on the
whole.
-Danny Baldwin, Bucket Reviews
Review Published on: 10.6.2007
Screened on: 10.8.07
at the UltraStar Del Mar Highlands 8 in Del Mar, CA.
The Heartbreak Kid is rated R and runs 115 minutes.
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