Hey, everyone. ”Moriarty” here. I mean, I see Carlos Mencia in the trailers, and that’s practically a money-back guarantee that something sucks. And the original HEARTBREAK KID is such a distinct, subtle, character-driven classic that it just seems strange to me when I see the trailers for this and they’re sooooooo broad and coarse. But I’ve actually heard from several people now that there’s some real merit to this one. Can it be true? Let’s see what this spy has to say:
Hi Harry- Very long-time reader (I remember going to an early screening of the Blair Witch Project on the site's recommendation...) Anyway, I went to a screening of The Heartbreak Kid last night in San Francisco. A bit of backstory: My wife and I got married last year, and were away on our honeymoon for two weeks. When we came home, we were surprised to find that we couldn't park on our street because they were filming this new Ben Stiller movie. Fast forward a year, and the movie (about a guy finding true love on his honeymoon, just not with his wife) is finally coming out. Thankfully, my honeymoon went a great deal smoother than the one in the movie. I won't go into any details on the plot... it's relatively straightforward romantic comedy, though in this case that's not a bad thing. Boy meets girl, boy marries girl, boy discovers girl is f-ing nuts, boy meets other girl, there's a misunderstanding, some pussies are crushed, etc. etc. It's a remake, though I've never seen the original. The bottom line is that it's very, very funny without sacrificing the story or crossing over into the realm of dumb. I'd say it's the Farrelly Bros. best since Something About Mary.... Fever Pitch had more heart, but this brings a better balance, with more funny. All the typical Farrelly Brothers hallmarks are there - some gross-out humor, some unexpected over-the-top jokes, some very memorable supporting characters, a handful of stand-out set-piece jokes. There's nothing revelatory - they seem to have this down to a science by now - but it works especially well here. And if you liked Mary, you'll almost certainly like this too. Jerry Stilller (guess what... the dad) and Malin Akerman (the f-ing nuts wife) were especially good. Ben Stiller does his usual awkward-guy-with-a-heart-of-gold-and-an-occasional-spastic-temper schtick. If you hate Ben Stiller, The Heartbreak Kid will not change your mind. I went in with relatively low expectations (not a huge Ben Stiller fan) but was pleasantly surprised. Plus, my street is in it - how cool is that? Oh, and be sure to stay all the way until the lights go up. If you use this, please call me ThisYear'sBoy.
