“The Heartbreak Kid” (Paramount Pictures)
The Heartbreak Belongs To The Audience
In 1972 Neil Simon wrote the screenplay for a Bruce Jay Friedman story titled “The Heartbreak Kid.” The movie was directed by Elaine May and starred her daughter Jeannie Berlin, Charles Grodin and Cybill Shepherd. It was fairly successful but not a blockbuster. Skip forward thirty-five years and now we have the Farrelly Brothers remaking the movie with Ben Stiller, Michelle Monaghan and Malin Akerman. They have spiced it up with a lot of adult humor. Bad idea and as a result a bad movie!
The heartbreak for the audience is that this new version just isn’t funny. There is not a lot of humor to be found in the story of a man who gets married, goes on his honeymoon and then finds the love of his life. Hey buddy, you’re married. Get over it! At least give your marriage a chance.
Stiller is loveable as the love doomed Eddie. The audience is with him for most of the movie but then the Farrelly’s pull a “comic switcheroo” at the end that turns the audience off from the movie and from Stiller’s character. Another problem is that Akerman’s Lila is not that bad. She has a few quirks to be sure but overall she is far from the monster she is supposed to be.
Monaghan is adorable as Miranda, the girl Eddie meets in Cabo while on his honeymoon. She is so down to earth and so honest that you can’t understand why she would be drawn to Eddie. Still her actions and reactions are some of the most believable in the film.
The original movie was rated PG for some profanity and adult situations. The Farrelly Brothers had to make this on R in hopes of bringing back the audience who so enjoyed “There’s Something About Mary.” But where that movie had “something” sweet and appealing about it, this one is full of crude humor and graphic nudity. It is presented so badly it is more of a turn off than turn on and audiences will be repulsed rather than attracted.
There have been a lot of movies this year that have included very mature content in their storylines. We have had an abundance of crude jokes and vulgar sight gags. This movie somehow seems to the worst of them all.
Ben Stiller is a talented actor but in this movie his performance is covered by a bucket of slime. Hearing his real life father, Jerry Stiller, talking sex with him in the movie is gross beyond words. It is an embarrassment for the actors and an even bigger one for the audience.
“The Heartbreak Kid” is one of those movies that should have been left to “rest in peace.” Resurrecting it for this gross-out marathon was a bad idea from start to finish. Keep your heart intact and stay away from this so-called comedy. There is nothing about Eddie and company that is worth your time or your money.
I scored “The Heartbreak Kid” a cracked 3 out of 10.
