The Heartbreak Kid (2007) Paramount Pictures
1 hr. 54 mins.
Starring: Ben Stiller, Michelle Monaghan, Malin Akerman, Rob Corddry, Jerry Stiller, Carlos Mencia, Scott Wilson, Polly Holliday
Directed by: Bobby and Peter Farrelly
This film is rated: R

Rating: * 1/2 stars (out of 4 stars)

It's an automatic given that audiences won't confuse The Farrelly Brothers' updated, overwrought and pointless The Heartbreak Kid with that of the playful original helmed by comedienne/director Elaine May along with noted script writer Neil "The Odd Couple" Simon. Also, the wry subtlety of 70's Kid star Charles Grodin certainly puts to shame the over-indulgent slapstick clumsiness of a mugging Ben Stiller. Whatever the case, the Farrellys' The Heartbreak Kid is a seemingly sketchy and erratic farce that begs for some of the wayward cinematic siblings' trademark outlandish quirkiness.

Yes, it's evident that the filmmaking Farrellys and There's Something About Mary leading lad Stiller are reunited as they try to lend their manic mockery to this corrosive yet clueless comedy. Unfortunately for the co-directing brothers and Stiller, their feeble edition of The Heartbreak Kid strains for the effortless raunchiness that have colorfully tainted previous deranged ditties such as the aforementioned Mary and Dumb and Dumber. However, the wake up call is realized in that Kid is futilely overreaching for its anemic, air-headed chuckles. Unfortunately, it's more of the same for the wacky Farrelly funnybone as well as Stiller's exasperated goofball.

The problem with The Heartbreak Kid is that it yearns to be overly funny but there are more misses than hits where Stiller's nutty physicality wears thin in the meandering material. The Farrellys' Stuck On You, for instance, was more of a heartwarming romp as opposed to being the madcap staple that the moviemaking sibs were known for at that point. Now it appears that Farrellys are trying to ignite the naughty frivolity with Kid but they have noticeably lost a step in this lame laugher that treads on pseudo-sentimentality.

San Francisco sporting goods shop owner Eddie Cantrow (Stiller) is the proverbial loser in love. Quite simple: Eddie can't kick it with the ladies. In fact, Eddie doesn't seem to relate to ANY human being much less the desirable skirts. Being lonely and single takes a toll on the disillusioned Eddie until his Valentine rainbow shows him the pot of gold--the offbeat Lila (Malin Akerman). Lila is klutzy and cute and seems like a good match for Eddie to snap out of his affection-starved malaise. Soon, marriage would come calling.

The question remains this: did Eddie jump the gun a bit when hastily marrying the frustrating and flaky Lila? Apparently Lila is more than Eddie can handle. Her personal traits are becoming more disdaining than delightful. As the couple experiences their Mexican honeymoon, Eddie discovers a disturbing side of Lila bombarded with a dysfunctional past. How can Eddie bale out on Lila before it's too late?

Enter Miranda (Michelle Monaghan). Miranda is lovely and sensible. Eddie has an understandable fixation on Miranda given the loopy lemon that he's stuck with in Lila. Can Eddie manage to click with his preferred "soulmate" Miranda while ditching the lunatic Lila without any hostile consequences to face? Is Lila simply misunderstood in her self-prescribed craziness? Is Eddie a walking crumb for desiring another woman and not owning up to his train wreck of a quickie marriage?

The juvenile misunderstandings and dumb high jinks are at a premium high in The Heartbreak Kid. The sluggish slapstick is occasionally inspired which may invite some guilty-minded snickers at best. Rounded out for the so-called hilarity is an arsenal of recycled gay ribbing, the ever-so-popular references of bestiality, Stiller's penchant for bumping into moving and stationary objects and Akerman's continuous aimless kooky persona. Plus, who can dismiss the cliched vacation-related ribaldry where the mishaps are staged beyond the ridiculousness? Everything feels either rushed or prolonged depending on the comical circumstances that are about as appetizing as a nose job being performed in the dark. The haggard script finds cheap anecdotal ways to bring the mayhem to a half-hearted throttle where Stiller's Eddie juggles his hormones for one unattached woman while trying to make tracks from another one that's uncouth. All this is rendered painfully unfunny, unconvincing and woefully undernourished

The Farrellys tiredly stretches this movie to a pointless pulp. Showcasing shocking tidbits here and there and milking an outdated sense of irreverence doesn't compare to what today's off-kilter filmmakers (such as Judd Apatow) are doing with the genre of flagrant lowbrow cinema. Honestly, the Farrellys may very well be considered passe and it certainly shows in the chintzy and cheeky presentation of The Heartbreak Kid.

There's nothing here to promote Stiller further from his haphazard routine as evidenced in such dull droppings as Along Came Polly or Envy for that matter. Akerman's Lila is a reminiscent contrivance to former Farrelly Mary leading lass Cameron Diaz. The supporting cast does contribute to the meager madness but not by much. Rob Corddry raises the ante in his hearty bits but edgy comedian Carlos Mencia is long in the tooth with his tiresome tactics and stereotypical sass. Jerry Stiller's (late from TV's "King of Queens" and "Hairspray") turn as a crotchety father loses its significance fast. Monaghan's Miranda is acceptable as Stiller's/Eddie's object of affection but that's all she brings to the tepid table.

The forcibly rancid and unruly foundation in The Heartbreak Kid simply doesn't catch on fire in the tradition of the Farrelly Brothers' entertainingly unsettling universe. There's less to their Heartbreak-ing display than meets the unsatisfying eye.

Frank Ochieng
@ World Voice News (2007)