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Duplex

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Duplex (2003)

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Reviews Counted:28

Fresh:9

Rotten:19

Average Rating:4.8/10

Consensus: It was funnier when it was called Throw Momma From the Train.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] for sexual content, language and some violence

Runtime: 1 hr 37 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Sep 26, 2003 Wide

Box Office: $9,652,000

Synopsis: Danny DeVito directs Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore in this devilish black comedy reminiscent of DeVito's THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN and THE WAR OF THE ROSES. Alex Rose (Stiller) and Nancy... Danny DeVito directs Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore in this devilish black comedy reminiscent of DeVito's THROW MOMMA FROM THE TRAIN and THE WAR OF THE ROSES. Alex Rose (Stiller) and Nancy Kendricks (Barrymore) are a young, professional, New York couple in search of their dream home. When they finally find the perfect Brooklyn brownstone they are giddy with anticipation. The duplex is a dream come true, complete with multiple fireplaces, except for one thing: Mrs. Connelly (Eileen Essel), the cranky old lady who lives on the rent-controlled top floor. Assuming she is elderly and ill, they take the apartment but their hopes are quickly dashed when they realize that Mrs. Connelly is an energetic senior who enjoys watching her television at top volume day in and day out and rehearsing in a brass band. A writer, Alex, is attempting to finish his novel against a looming deadline. However, each day as he begins to write, he is interrupted by Mrs. Connelly's numerous demands and requests and what begins as a nuisance quickly escalates into an all-out war. When Nancy loses her job and the pair are trapped at home together with Mrs. Connelly, their rage turns to homicidal fantasy as they plot ways to get rid of their no-good neighbor. Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore are pitch perfect as a good-natured couple who, like most DeVito characters, are driven by rage to do very bad things. [More]

Starring: Drew Barrymore, Ben Stiller, Eileen Essell, Harvey Fierstein

Starring: Drew Barrymore, Ben Stiller, Eileen Essell, Harvey Fierstein, Justin Theroux, Robert Wisdom, James Remar

Director: Danny DeVito

Director: Danny DeVito
Screenwriter: Larry Doyle, John Hamburg
Producer: Stuart Cornfeld, Nancy Juvonen, Drew Barrymore, Ben Stiller
Studio: Miramax Films

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Release:

Mar 2, 2004

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Duplex
  • Hollywood favorites Ben Stiller (MEET THE PARENTS, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS) and Drew Barrymore (CHARLIE'S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE, NEVER BEEN KISSED) lead a star-studded cast in this darkly hilarious comedy where one wrong move turns out to be a monumental mistake! Young and vibrant New Yorkers Alex (Stiller) and Nancy (Barrymore) have just found the perfect place to settle down and share a bright future. But their new home comes with a permanent fixture they didn't expect: an obnoxious elderly tenant who won't move out and refuses to die! Pushed to the edge of insanity as their dream home turns into a nightmare, it's only a matter of time before Alex and Nancy begin to entertain some truly sinister solutions to their problem! Also featuring the ever-popular Harvey Fierstein (DEATH TO SMOOTCHY, INDEPENDENCE DAY) and directed by Danny DeVito (WAR OF THE ROSES, THROW MAMA FROM THE TRAIN), DUPLEX is another laugh-packed crowd-pleaser you don't want to miss!
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for Duplex

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    This numbing barrage of demolition humor scores only a modest laugh count.

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    07/22/08
    David Rooney
    David Rooney
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Essell is brightly malevolent, and Stiller is perfect as the well-meaning homeowner.

    Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
    09/30/03
    Ed Park
    Ed Park
    Village Voice
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    If you want to see Danny DeVito do good work, see him in Anything Else right now, the Woody Allen movie.

    Full Review Source: Ebert & Roeper | comment Comment
    09/29/03
    Richard Roeper
    Richard Roeper
    Ebert & Roeper
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Duplex draws out the worst in us, making us laugh even when we know we shouldn't.

    Full Review Source: Salon.com | comment Comment
    09/28/03
    Stephanie Zacharek
    Stephanie Zacharek
    Salon.com
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It doesn't take long before you want to, well, just move out and leave these characters in their rent-controlled limbo.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    Desson Thomson
    Desson Thomson
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Duplex has its wacky, funny moments, but it misses the mark of a clever, dark comedy.

    Full Review Source: USA Today | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    Claudia Puig
    Claudia Puig
    USA Today
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    If there is one positive thing about Duplex, and saying this requires a huge amount of charity, it's the performance by little known Eileen Essel, who musters whatever grace and genuine humour this sad little picture can manage.

    Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    Peter Howell
    Peter Howell
    Toronto Star
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Funny despite rickety gags.

    Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    Carla Meyer
    Carla Meyer
    San Francisco Chronicle
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    Duplex confirms the suspicion among many of us that today's mainstream movies are simply vehicles for selling other things -- in this case, the cause of New York City landlords.

    Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    John Anderson
    John Anderson
    Newsday
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It'd make a great first-date movie for Donald Trump and Leona Helmsley. But who else would actually see this situation as comic?

    Full Review Source: Newark Star-Ledger | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    Stephen Whitty
    Stephen Whitty
    Newark Star-Ledger
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    One real-estate deal you should walk away from.

    Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    Lou Lumenick
    Lou Lumenick
    New York Post
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    Definitely better than DeVito's last movie, the disastrous Death to Smoochy. Alas, it's not nearly as good as his two films from which it takes its obvious inspiration: The War of the Roses and Throw Momma From the Train.

    Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    Elizabeth Weitzman
    Elizabeth Weitzman
    New York Daily News
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    [A] grossly funny black comedy.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    Eric Harrison
    Eric Harrison
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Though accurate to a certain kind of sandwich-generation experience, Duplex is not terribly funny.

    Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    Liam Lacey
    Liam Lacey
    Globe and Mail
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Duplex wants you to hurt when you laugh, but the pain and guilt are minor.

    Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    Terry Lawson
    Terry Lawson
    Detroit Free Press
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Too much contrivance and not enough plausibility.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A toothless real-estate farce.

    Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
    09/26/03
    Wesley Morris
    Wesley Morris
    Boston Globe
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    As predictable as it is tedious.

    Full Review Source: Philadelphia Inquirer | comment Comment
    09/25/03
    Steven Rea
    Steven Rea
    Philadelphia Inquirer
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Stiller is the only thing Duplex has going for it, but often he's enough.

    Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
    09/25/03
    Bill Muller
    Bill Muller
    Arizona Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Sometimes Mr. DeVito has gone too far, pushing black humor unnervingly close to the abyss of ultimate darkness. But the unpleasantness in Duplex is handled deftly enough to keep the audience's queasiness from turning into disgust.

    Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
    09/25/03
    A.O. Scott
    A.O. Scott
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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