The Farrelly brothers’ newest comedy “The Heartbreak Kid has hit the local cinemas, but that doesn’t mean you should. The movie sports their signature over-the-top garish sense of humor, Ben Stiller, and a lanky blonde babe. All the right ingredients for a blockbuster comedy but save for a few chuckles, falls short.
Stiller stars as Eddie Cantrow who bumps into Lila (Malin Ackerman) – an environmental researcher – moments after attending his ex-fiancée’s wedding. Only six weeks of courtship later – which seems limited to lengthy make out sessions and very little else – Lila announces that she’s being transferred to Holland. Pressured by his father and best friend, he decides to take the plunge and propose.
If she seems too good to be true, she most probably is. And as soon as they hit the road to Cabo, Mexico on their honeymoon, Lila soon begins to grate on Eddie’s nerves. And the audiences’ as well.
Egged on by Bobby and Peter Farrelly, Lila becomes unbearably irritating. Only one day into the honeymoon Eddie discovers that she’s a former drug addict, heavily in debt, a volunteer at the environmental agency and a monster in bed. I suppose the moral is that you should do a little more talking and a little less kissing when you’re getting to know someone.
Eddie, in great part to Stiller’s déjà vu acting skills, is equally irritating. Even when he meets the woman of his dreams at the resort, Miranda, it’s hard to muster any sympathy for his whining, complaining and self-centeredness. Miranda is sweet, funny, and gorgeous. Everything a man dreams of and a woman dreams to be.
Miranda is the only character that comes across as sympathetic. While Eddie is trying to find ways to break off his marriage to Lila, you just want to yell at the screen, warning her: “You can do better.
In true Farrelly style, the comedy is vulgar and at times obscene. The local censorship board had their work cut out for them, and in turn snipped away several scenes of the film. Thankfully, the storyline is predictable so their editing has a minimal impact on the flow of the story.
The movie is a remake of Elain May’s interpretation of the 1972 comedy written by Neil Simon. It starred Charles Gordin as a social climber married to Jeannie Berlin. He meets Cybill Shepherd as the WASP goddess on a Florida beach three days into his honeymoon and realizes he has made a mistake. Lisa Nesselson of Variety writes: “Original pic’s subtext about ethnic assimilation and class differences has given way to a sort of vulgarity-with-heart, with pic’s R-rated antics a feast for grown-up eyes and funny bones.
Neil Simon’s subtle wit is lost in the Farrelly’s adaptation. The groom’s dilemma is overshadowed by lewd jokes, and crude supporting characters. Uncle Tito (Carlos Mencia), the hotel employee who skipped all his training on political correctness, is exceptionally vulgar, and his sexual assault of Lila is less than hilarious, and Eddie’s reaction to it is less than chivalrous. Eddie’s father (also played by Stiller’s father, Jerry Stiller) is garish – something happens while he’s partying in a Las Vegas hot tub, but it didn’t survive the censors’ scissors.
Admittedly, there are brief moments of humor. But rather than heading to the cinema, this movie is one you should save for a movie night at home with a group of friends. There’s nothing that the big screen adds (except perhaps to make Lila’s legs longer). Wait for the uncensored version to hit the small screen; it’s possible that the censors cut down the level of comedy in their recklessness. Hey, anything’s possible.
