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Duplex

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Duplex (2003)

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Reviews Counted:105

Fresh:39

Rotten:66

Average Rating:5/10

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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    21 - 40 (sorted by date)
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    DeVito keeps hurling handfuls of well-funded excrement on the screen and expects us to think it's funny.

    Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
    10/24/03
    Jim Shelby
    Jim Shelby
    Palo Alto Weekly

    Occasionally, if disturbingly, quite funny.

    Full Review Source: PopMatters | comment Comment
    10/17/03
    Cynthia Fuchs
    Cynthia Fuchs
    PopMatters

    The interplay between Stiller, Barrymore, and the elderly Essel is what makes Duplex hum perfectly at times.

    Full Review Source: Modamag.com | comment Comment
    10/10/03
    Brian Orndorf
    Brian Orndorf
    Modamag.com

    A controlled farce that finds its cast mining several big laughs while DeVito, the cynic, deepens the dysfunction with a final surprise twist.

    Full Review Source: Bangor Daily News (Maine) | comment Comment
    10/09/03
    Christopher Smith
    Christopher Smith
    Bangor Daily News (Maine)

    In a show that at least has its brevity going for it, Drew Barrymore and Ben Stiller are wasted in “Duplex.” Its badly constructed plot collapses after the movie goes from silly to tasteless.

    Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
    10/08/03
    Linda Cook
    Linda Cook
    Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

    ...other than a few shining moments, 'Duplex' relies entirely upon juvenile sight gags to generate jokes that really aren't all that amusing.

    Full Review Source: The Badger Herald | comment Comment
    10/04/03
    Mac Verstandig
    Mac Verstandig
    The Badger Herald

    Although I could have done with a few less gross-out jokes, the film is most definitely funny.

    Full Review Source: Internet Reviews | comment Comment
    10/03/03
    Steve Rhodes
    Steve Rhodes
    Internet Reviews

    Another DeVito black comedy in which one character tries to knock off another. Stiller and the 81-year-old Essel make worthy adversaries but there's really only one joke here.

    Full Review Source: Movie Boeuf | comment Comment
    10/02/03
    David N. Butterworth
    David N. Butterworth
    Movie Boeuf

    Duplex falls into the weaker category of DeVito’s warped wit where the intended mockery fell as flat as a tire riding over an army of thumb tacks...needs some serious renovation in its floors of so-called genuine chuckles

    Full Review Source: Movie Eye | comment Comment
    10/02/03
    Frank Ochieng
    Frank Ochieng
    Movie Eye

    Whatever can be said about the rest of the movie, Eileen Essel rates an unqualified 'wow.'

    Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
    10/01/03
    Ken Hanke
    Ken Hanke
    Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

    If you're like me, and you enjoy watching films about the dark side of humanity and still be able to enjoy the characters, this one fits the bill.

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    10/01/03
    Kevin Carr
    Kevin Carr
    Film Threat

    Call it a fixer-upper with potential.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    10/01/03
    Marrit Ingman
    Marrit Ingman
    Austin Chronicle

    The ending, forgoing morbidity for Christmas Eve morality, is a left-field letdown. It’s an upper where it doesn’t need it, but Duplex sure could use some fixing.

    Full Review Source: State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL) | comment Comment
    10/01/03
    Nick Rogers
    Nick Rogers
    State Journal-Register (Springfield, IL)

    Nothing is plausible, and no one is likable. It does not build or flow; it lurches. It isn't funny, because it isn't believable. This isn't entertainment. This is an irritant.

    Full Review Source: EricDSnider.com | comment Comment
    10/01/03
    Eric D. Snider
    Eric D. Snider
    EricDSnider.com

    ... An inspired black comedy sharing the same roof with a vile, mean-spirited revenge melodrama. Like its bewildered landlords saddled with an impossible tenant, these two unwitting roommates co-habitate uneasily at best.

    Full Review Source: Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas) | comment Comment
    09/30/03
    Jonathan R. Perry
    Jonathan R. Perry
    Tyler Morning Telegraph (Texas)

    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

    Duplex has its finger on something many of us can relate to, and it milks enough laughs of recognition to earn a moderate recommendation.

    Full Review Source: Aisle Seat | comment Comment
    09/29/03
    Mike McGranaghan
    Mike McGranaghan
    Aisle Seat

    A sadly appropriate follow-up to DeVito’s Death To Smoochy debacle, Duplex reveals not only the actors’ and filmmakers’ narcissism, but the studios’ arrogance that such a calculated combination of proven talent will necessarily result in box office glory-

    Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
    09/29/03
    Todd Gilchrist
    Todd Gilchrist
    FilmStew.com

    A sadly appropriate follow-up to DeVito’s Death To Smoochy debacle, Duplex reveals not only the actors’ and filmmakers’ narcissism, but the studios’ arrogance that such a calculated combination of proven talent will necessarily result in box office glory-

    Full Review Source: FilmStew.com | comment Comment
    09/29/03
    Todd Gilchrist
    Todd Gilchrist
    FilmStew.com

    One of the most unnerving slapstick extravaganzas I've ever seen.

    Full Review Source: Slate | comment Comment
    09/29/03
    David Edelstein
    David Edelstein
    Slate
     
     
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