Brad and I had our long awaited date night last night. We went out to one of our favorite sushi restaurants and then we saw "The Heartbreak Kid" with Ben Stiller. The movie got terrible reviews, but we decided to go anyway because the Farrelly Brothers always make us laugh. (Their other films include, There's Something About Mary; Dumb and Dumber; Kingpin; Me, Myself and Irene; and Shallow Hal).
As you probably know, this film is a remake of the 1972 movie directed by Elaine May. The Farrelly Brother's take on the story is nowhere near as good as the original, but it is funny. (If you like frat boy humor.) Jerry Stiller (Ben's real life Dad) plays his 77 year old horny, foul mouthed father in the movie. He alone is worth the price of admission. Some of his lines had me chuckling to myself later that night as I went to sleep. 
If you haven't seen the original Heartbreak Kid with Charles Grodin and Cybill Shepherd, rent it. Here's a snippet from Amazon.com:
It's still one of the most accomplished--but least recognized--comedies of the 1970s. Charles Grodin landed one of his best roles as Lenny, a newlywed husband who meets a gorgeous blonde (Cybill Shepherd) while on his honeymoon, and finds his new bride, Lila (played by May's daughter, Jeannie Berlin), unappealing by comparison. When Lila is forced to rest with a severe case of sunburn, Lenny's free to pursue his new interest, oblivious to the manipulative games that he'll soon be subjected to. May and screenwriter Simon draw plenty of pain, awkwardness, and embarrassment from hilarious situations, giving this comedy a perceptive awareness of human foibles and unchecked desires. It's a newlywed's worst nightmare come true, made enjoyable because we're watching it happen to someone else. Grodin's a prime choice of casting for expressing the movie's lusty anxiety--he's a schmuck, but you can still sympathize with the anguish he's brought on himself.
If you and your husband are up for a night of brainless, immature humor, this is the flick for you!
3 comments:
The trailer looks hilarious, but you're right, I read where it got pretty bad reviews, and didn't do all that well at the box office this weekend. But on the other hand, some of my favorite movies got terrible reviews!
We saw the preview of this movie when we went to see "Good Luck Chuck". Chuck was light, mildly amsuing and FULL of nudity. I was mortified at the end when I looked around at all the teeny boppers. I'm such a prude!
I just love Jerry Stiller - he cracks me right up but I might have to reserve that movie for Netflix. Ben cracks me up too but I am really a fan of the dad.
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