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BaftaBaby 
"Always entranced by cinema."
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 Posted - 10/10/2007 : 09:52:06
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The Heartbreak Kid
Aw, come on, Ben ... you're breaking my heart with such sub-standard stuff.
On paper it must have looked so tempting:
Starring in a remake of original very funny Neil Simon film which had been directed by his one-time comedy double act partner Elaine May.
A juicy slightly-more than cameo role for your very funny ex-stand-up dad [Jerry Stiller], who's lost none of his comic timing and contrives to raise a chuckle even from dull dialog.
Not one but two hot-looking co-stars [Malin Akerman and Michelle Monaghan] both of whom can act.
All under the direction of your old buddies the Farrellys.
What could possibly go wrong?
Welp, despite the story having great comic potential, the script is tired and badly paced, leaving the F. brothers floundering.
And, even though I KNOW you can be funny Ben because I've seen evidence, in this film you are coasting, buddy ... and you ain't coasting into comedy. That's partly the fault of a screenplay that breaks the number one rule of romantic comedy: we have to keep wanting the couple to get together because we like them - even if they're flawed - and because we care about them.
And, frankly, Ben - I didn't give a feather off a goony bird what happened to you in this movie. Nor could I understand what those women saw in you.
Yup, you've broken my heart, Ben, and I really don't know if I can go through all this with you again. So don't even bother to phone or write or eMail, 'cause I probably won't reply.
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ChocolateLady 
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 10/10/2007 : 10:11:58
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Just as I suspected. I totally adored the original, with Charles Grodin and Cybill Shepherd. Plus, Elaine May's daughter Jeannie Berlin playing the burnt-to-a-crisp wife was completely hysterical (who, as I recall, sounded much like Fran Drescher did in "The Nanny", with a touch of Lisa Edelstein from her part in "Keeping the Faith" to keep it real). Marvelous!
Which makes me think... if Stiller is 'young' enough to play this part, why didn't they take Edelstein to play his wife - she would have been wonderful, and might have brought some credibility to this remake. (Okay, so she's busy on "House, MD", but still...)
And as for Ben... compared to Grodin, Stiller's got all the comic subtleties of a train wreck!
Again, why on earth does Hollywood think it is worth remaking a really wonderful film like this one?
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BaftaBaby
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 10/10/2007 : 10:31:23
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quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
And as for Ben... compared to Grodin, Stiller's got all the comic subtleties of a train wreck!
According to the imdb, "Jason Bateman and Amy Poehler were originally cast as the leads, when James Bobin was signed on to direct the film, replacing Barry Sonnenfeld."
LOL!
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 10/10/2007 : 10:43:36
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Hm... Jason Bateman and Amy Poehler, eh? Bateman might have been good. Poehler as the wife would have worked as well.
Still, with what you said about the script, I doubt that anyone could have saved this film. You really should put your posting as a review up on IMDb (if it isn't going into the paper, that is), and give it an honest rating there.
I'll never forget the scene in the original in front of the fireplace where she suggests they strip and play a game - to see how long they can go without touching. Then they inch closer and closer to each other and suddenly, Shepherd gives off this giggle and without a word, you know that Grodin just lost the game! Then the look on his face - prime!
Oh, and Eddie Albert as Kelly's father - so perfect! You know, it truly was Elaine May's best movie, from start to finish, and with a Neil Simon script... sigh!
(All this remembering made me want the original movie on DVD - unfortunately, it isn't available. Darn!)
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Edited by - ChocolateLady on 10/10/2007 10:51:41 |
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BaftaBaby
"Always entranced by cinema."
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Posted - 10/10/2007 : 14:20:31
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quote:
Originally posted by ChocolateLady
You really should put your posting as a review up on IMDb (if it isn't going into the paper, that is), and give it an honest rating there.
Aha - so you think this is a dishonest rating 
Actually, I never post reviews on imdb, though I do post all my reviews on the BBC film archive site.
I'm told my next M* piece will be online tonight or tomorrow. It's the spinoff one from Manufacturing Dissent - so you've already seen it. My Ratatouille review is supposed to be going in soon - but with their editorial all in chaos due to some staff vacations - I'm not holding my breath. Now if I were running Communism they wouldn't get away with that !!!!
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MisterBadIdea 
"PLZ GET MILK, KTHXBYE"
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Posted - 10/10/2007 : 15:18:28
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Coasting is right. Stiller has made this movie I think seven times in the past decade. Whatever, I'm sick of bad things happening to Ben Stiller. Why can't good things happen to Ben Stiller?
I think this is an especially awkward movie for the Farrellys as it's the first movie where I think you're actually supposed to hate the main character. The Farrellys aren't good at misanthropy, despite their constant vulgarity. I was literally watching the movie from the exit. |
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Demisemicenturian
"Four ever European"
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Posted - 10/10/2007 : 22:50:30
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I thought the first and especially the second third had some funny moments, but when it should have been gearing up it instead seemed to almost fall asleep - as did I. As I was in Screen 2 of Shaftesbury Avenue Cineworld (I wondered what film was in there this week - it hadn't occurred to me that it would be this), at least I had my rat friends to entertain me. 
Stiller has been great from time to time, but I do find him slightly pointless without at least a cameo from Owen Wilson.
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ChocolateLady
"500 Chocolate Delights"
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Posted - 10/11/2007 : 08:16:39
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quote:
Originally posted by SalopianStiller has been great from time to time, but I do find him slightly pointless without at least a cameo from Owen Wilson.
Actually, I disagree with this. I'm afraid I'm finding Owen Wilson more and more tedious as he makes more movies. Personally, I think Stiller at his very best in Keeping the Faith, and part of the credit for that goes to Edward Norton, who kept him from falling inordinatly into the "feel sorry for me" mode. That, coupled with a far more intelligent script than Stiller usually seems to work with made that movie, what I believe, to be his best so far. Until he starts getting more scripts like that, and is kept in check by his directors, he's going to continue making crap films.
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The Heartbreak Kid
