The Heartbreak Kid
April 12th 2008 06:48
What annoys me the most about previews is the ones that lie and give you the completely wrong idea of what to expect from a movie. The Heartbreak Kid is the most recent example of this - the previews when this did the theatre run showcased a typical teen flick of a woman acting like a complete klutz and how funny this wasn't. So it was with much hesitation that I watched this on DVD, expecting the absolute worst.
A couple of surprises came my way. FIrstly - I had no idea the Farrelly Bros. helmed this flick (I hadn't bothered researching because I figured it would be a waste of time) so my general annoyance for this movie was now calmed in the hope it could actually turn out to be decent despite the previews. Secondly - The preview, as detailed above, was a complete lie and the film is not about a woman acting like a mental retard (it consumes a small portion of screen time). Thirdly - I actually enjoyed The Heartbreak Kid.
This all comes from someone who for the most part finds Ben Stiller annoying. Yes, he had his moments in Dodgeball but I just wanted to ice-pick the television when I watched him in Starsky and Hutch and Along Came Polly. However I found him somewhat enjoyable in his portrayal of Eddie Cantrow, an elder 30-something statesman who is yet to find his true love. He meets Lila after much berating by his father to get laid and they hit it off almost too well. It is after the wedding that he realises that perhaps he has made a huge mistake. Lila (Malin Akerman) shows her true self to him, warts and all, and it is not the girl he fell in love with all those weeks ago.
On their honeymoon Eddie meets up with the effervescent and very attractive Miranda (Michelle Monaghan) and they hit it off incredibly well and he realises that he has married the wrong girl. Monaghan has never had an opportunity to really portray her true acting abilities and in this it is no different, playing the forbidden love interest. Akerman as Lila is given the opportunity to mix it up but when she is revealing her true self it became too annoying and I just wished she would drown in the hotel's pool for being such a bitch.
The script has its moments but overall very banal which does generate some laughs. The supporting cast of Miranda's family and the hotel owner are quite funny but overall the film falls flat, a disappointing effort for the Farrelly Bros. who are capable of so much more. Predictable but it has its moments. Something to watch on a lazy Sunday night when you don't want to think about anything.
6/10.
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