Here's my pitch for a product. A spray that causes really bad movies to vaporize into air.
Envy (2004)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:111
Fresh:7
Rotten:104
Average Rating:3.1/10
Consensus: Jack Black and Ben Stiller fail to wring laughs from a script that's essentially one extended poop joke.
Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for language and sexual/crude humor
Runtime: 1 hr 40 mins
Genre: Comedies
Theatrical Release:Apr 30, 2004 Wide
Box Office: $12,181,484
Synopsis:
Tim (Ben Stiller) and Nick (Jack Black) are best friends, neighbors and co-workers, whose equal footing is suddenly tripped up when one of Nick's harebrained get-rich-quick schemes actually...
Tim (Ben Stiller) and Nick (Jack Black) are best friends, neighbors and co-workers, whose equal footing is suddenly tripped up when one of Nick's harebrained get-rich-quick schemes actually succeeds: Vapoorizer, a spray that literally makes dog poop, or any other kind for that matter, evaporate into thin air - to where exactly is anyone's guess. Tim, who had poo-pooed Nick's idea and passed on an opportunity to get in on the deal, can only watch as Nick's fortune -and Tim's own envy - grow to equally outrageous proportions. The flames of jealousy are fanned by an oddball drifter (Christopher Walken) who takes it upon himself to help fix Tim's situation, but only causes Tim's life to careen more wildly out of control ... and Nick's with it.
Starring: Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Christopher Walken, Rachel Weisz
Starring: Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Christopher Walken, Rachel Weisz, Amy Poehler, Connor Matheus
Director: Barry Levinson
Director: Barry Levinson
Screenwriter: Steve Adams
Producer: Barry Levinson, Paula Weinstein
Composer: Mark Mothersbaugh
Studio: DreamWorks Distribution LLC
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Reviews for Envy
Barry Levinson's career slump continues apace with a wannabe black comedy that's neither dark nor funny.
With so many dubious elements at play, even the half-good ideas get lost in the shuffle.
Envy crawls to its finish through a minefield of poor taste and comedic misfires.
I don't think any critic could have predicted a turkey like this based on the immense level of talent that is involved here.
A primary plot device involves the literal beating of a dead horse -- would they just like to write the reviews for us?
It is in fact consistently adequate and, in places, achieves nothing short of above-averageness.
Not quite as good as it should have been, despite spirited performances from Black and Stiller and Christopher Walken on top crazy bonkers mental form.
Featuring two of America's most successful comic actors, you'd think it'd be hilarious. Think again.
The differing styles of the two comedians never meld, but the script is so flabby even an industrial crane couldn't lift it.
Too broadly played and not at all funny enough, in spite of the milking of a high concept.
Levinson nunca foi um bom diretor de comédias (Bom Dia, Vietnã deve seu sucesso a Robin Williams), mas aqui ele definitivamente atinge o fundo do poço.
Obviously attempting to poach on the Farrelly Brothers territory, director Barry Levinson pushes Steve Adams' feeble screenplay over the top.
Pinched, airless -- and so far away from any recognizable human behavior patterns it feels like a movie made by (and for) aliens who watched too many Seinfeld reruns.
This may be a shining example of a filmmaker who has completely lost touch with the audience.
Envy's horrid mix of poorly done black comedy and the incessant striving to be zany by Black, Stiller, and former Upright Citizens Brigade member Poehler makes Death to Smoochy look like a masterpiece of comic nuance.
Latest News for Envy
November 21, 2006:
Critical Consensus: "Halls" Spreads Little Cheer; "Déjà Vu" Intrigues; "The Fountain" Overflows; "Pick" Is Mixed
This week at the movies, we've got holiday mischief ("Deck the Halls," starring Matthew Broderick and Danny DeVito), a phenomenon known as déjà vu ("Déjà... More...
March 17, 2003:
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