Envy DVD > Reviews > Sh*t Doesn't Just Disappear!

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Disliked it
Story	Very weak
Characters / Performances	Unmemorable
Special Effects	Unmemorable
How does it compare to similar films?	Weak

Advantages:	Christopher Walken, Rachel Weisz
Disadvantages:	A script with wider holes in it than the Thames

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

When it comes to comedy actors two of the best in my opinion are Ben Stiller and Jack Black, so when the two of them are put into one film it's got to work hasn't it? Add to that the presence of director Barry Levinson, who brought us the delights of Toys and Good Morning Vietnam; it seems like a decent film in the making. Somewhere along the line it fell apart totally and the end result sees the co stars being funnier than the main big name stars. It seems that someone forgot to mention to writer Steve Adams that for a comedy to be successful it needs to be well funny for a start.

Ben Stiller stars as Tim Dingman a man who is happy with every aspect of his life. He has a loving wife and has just been promoted to the head of the sandpaper division at work. When his best friend, Nick Vanderpark (Jack Black), comes up with a fantastic new invention things start to fall apart for Tim when he decides not to invest 2 thousand dollars in Nick's idea. As he lets envy get the better of him his wife leaves him and he gets fired, while Nick carries on getting richer and richer. His only help comes in the form of an aging Hippy (Christopher Walken) who seems to think he can answer all of Tim's problems, but are they really the answers he's looking for.

There was part of me that from the start wanted to love this film. The cast was really quite impressive and promised so much but the story was the biggest let down of the lot. No matter how much I tried to like it I just couldn't see the point in the script and more importantly there was no obvious reason why it was classed as a comedy.

The direction is quite simple and seemingly just lets the film flow. Whether this is down to Levinson seeing where the actors will take the film or simply not knowing what to do with the script we will never know. I personally believe it's a little from column A and a little from B. He has had talented actors to work with but I also get the feeling he was a little lost in parts with the storyline, or perhaps the lack of one. A film that started out with a reasonable idea soon becomes a bit of a disaster, despite the attempts to save it with a few funnier moments.

There are limited special effects used to create the Vanderpark estate but other than that the film relies on good old fashioned camera work. This is done quite well and the film looks pretty good, not over the top in the budget stakes. The lightings just right and from a technical point of view the film is done in a very good way. Similarly the soundtrack is quite appropriate and even provides one of the funnier moments in the film with Ben Stiller and Christopher Walken.

On the whole though despite my admiration for Black and Stiller as comedians for some reason this film just didn't work. The show was well and truly stolen by Rachel Weisz, playing Stiller's wife and the superbly funny Christopher Walken. The partnership of Stiller and Black just never seemed to hit it off in this one. I thought that Black's personality would have been perfect to play Vanderpark, while Stiller's role was similar to his role in Meet The Parent's. Neither though seemed to be comfortable in the role and that seemed to be down to the gapping holes in the script.

In stark contrast Walken and Weisz seemed to be able to make the most of a bad script. Walken in particular was perfect as the strange old bum in the bar. He even looked and sounded the part and for the most parts was one of the only bright spots of the film. Similarly Weisz seemed to make her character her own and after a relatively slow start she really came alive in the second half of the film. For the most part not even the casting could have made things any better, although had Walken not been involved it could have been a total disaster rather than a partial one.

Overall despite looking promising this film failed to deliver on any level. It was poorly written and at times it seemed that the director's heart just wasn't in it. It included two of the best comedy actors in Hollywood and even they seemed to be missing in action. The one plus point was obviously Walken's performance mixed in with the soundtrack. Usually I find it's Jack Black that saves films like this but even he couldn't make the best of a terrible character. If you want a funny film that will keep you laughing then avoid this, it doesn't deliver in the slightest and although it boasts the vital ingredients for a successful film, seemingly this time it was destined to fail.

Amazon.co.uk: £19.99