... Then he meets Lila, who is gorgeous, fun and great to be with. Eddie's friends tell him how lucky he is that someone so perfect should fall for him. So when it looks like Lila is going to leave the country for good, Eddie takes the plunge and marries her. Then he discovers that she isn't quite ... Read review
Ben Stiller stars as Eddie, the 40 year-old confirmed bachelor who finally says I Do to ... more
the beautiful and sexy Lil (Malin Akerman). But during their honeymoon in Mexico, the woman of his dreams turns out to be a total nightmare and the guy who could never pull the trigger realises he's jumped the gun. Take home the Farrelly Brothers' hysterical twist on boy-meets-girl, The Heartbreak Kid, and prepare to have a blast!
Ben Stiller stars as Eddie, the 40-year-old confirmed bachelor who finally says I do to ... more
the beautiful and sexy Lila (Malin Akerman). But during their honeymoon in Mexico, the woman of his dreams turns out to be a total nightmare, and the guy who could never pull the trigger realises he's jumped the gun. Take home the Farrelly Brothers' hysterical twist on boy-meets-girl, The Heartbreak Kid, and prepare to have a blast!
Masters of gross-out, the Farrelly Brothers, re-team with funnyman Ben Stiller (THERE'S ... more
SOMETHING ABOUT MARY) for this comedy of marital misfortune. Commitmentphobe Eddie Cantrow (Stiller) learns that there's no such thing as the perfect woman when he finally decides to take the plunge and marries too-good-to-be-true Lila (Malin Akerman). It's not until after the wedding that her true colours start to show through... and they couldn't be uglier! While on their honeymoon, Eddie meets another woman, Miranda (Michelle Monaghan), who seems right for him in every way that Lila is wrong.
Comedy - Director: Richard Boden, Mandie Fletcher, Martin Shardlow - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Hugh Laurie, Miranda Richardson, Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Tim McInnerny, Tony Robinson, Rowan Atkinson
Comedy - Director: Gareth Carrivick - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Kathryn Drysdale, Sheridan Smith, Natalie Casey, Will Mellor, Ralf Little
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Advantages: Danny McBride isn't bad. Disadvantages: The woeful direction, writing, acting and attempts at humour.
Eddie is the only one of his friends that isn't married yet and is getting a reputation as being shy of commitment. Then he meets Lila, who is gorgeous, fun and great to be with. Eddie's friends tell him how lucky he is that someone so perfect should fall for him. So when it looks like Lila is going to leave the country for good, Eddie takes the plunge and marries her. Then he discovers that she isn't quite as perfect as she first appeared. She is ... ...responsible for killing it off. The problems with the movie are manifold; the casting doesn't work, the editing is sloppy so the gags lack sparkle, it's way too long, it's far too mean and most damningly of all it just isn't funny. The Farrellys have been known for pushing the boundaries of taste in their previous films, but here they just go too far. Sex jokes fall apart because the accompanying scenes are too explicit, the slapstick violence is ... more
Eddie is the only one of his friends that isn't married yet and is getting a reputation as being shy of commitment. Then he meets Lila, who is gorgeous, fun and great to be with. Eddie's friends tell him how lucky he is that someone so perfect should fall for him. So when it looks like Lila is going to leave the country for good, Eddie takes the plunge and marries her. Then he discovers that she isn't quite as perfect as she first appeared. She is a Spice Girl-singing, prank-playing harridan from hell. While Lila is recovering from sunburn on their honeymoon, Eddie meets Miranda and falls head-over-heels in love with her. But how is he going to tell his wife?
Bobby and Peter Farrelly can claim to have created an entire genre thanks to their success with gross-out comedy, which took off with "There's Something About Mary". But if this dreadful attempt at humour is anything to go by, they could also be responsible for killing it off. The problems with the movie are manifold; the casting doesn't work, the editing is sloppy so the gags lack sparkle, it's way too long, it's far too mean and most damningly of all it just isn't funny. The Farrellys have been known for pushing the boundaries of taste in their previous films, but here they just go too far. Sex jokes fall apart because the accompanying scenes are too explicit, the slapstick violence is poorly timed and because most of the characters' and the directors' bile is aimed at Lila, the film feels misogynistic. Pot shots are taken at people from the Southern States and immigration in the US, but the gags feel harsh rather than funny. The big issue is one of timing; jokes go on too long (as with Lila's singing in the car on the way to Mexico) and there are too many jokes thrown in just for the sake of it, which don't work because they don't fit the story. Most of the time the directors just go too far, like when Eddie is stung by a jellyfish and Lila pees on him, displaying an intimate piercing.
Not enough time is spent establishing Stiller's romantic relationships, both are covered in montages that lack any emotional depth. So you don't care about any of the characters, making them feel like props to the questionable humour. The film is overlong because there are three different storylines which are never consolidated into a single narrative, so there are clunking gear shifts between them. There also isn't enough story to warrant a hundred-and-sixteen-minute running time. The film runs out of steam well before the hour-and-a-half mark so you'll have given up caring before the film ends.
The screenplay shows the pitfalls of writing by committee. No less than five writers worked on the script and perhaps that goes some way to explaining why the film just doesn't work. For one thing, it's episodic. Basically it is three different movies one, dealing with a man afraid of commitment, a man in a loveless marriage and a bizarre third one that shows the lengths a man will go to in order to be reunited with his one true love.
The Farrellys don't seem to care about their characters as much as they did in previous films. You may have laughed at others' misfortunes before, but you were always on the main protagonist's side. Here it feels like Eddie is an unwitting stooge to their comedic whims. Lila is set up as a harridan and though she may be bi-polar, other reasons we are given to hate her include the fact that her mother is fat and that when she is ill, snot oozes out of her nose in spectacular fashion. Meanwhile we are supposed to sympathise with Eddie despite the fact that he's running around behind his wife's back with another woman and he's constantly lying to both of them. Then he turns stalker and we're supposed to clap and cheer. His true love Miranda on the other hand is a bland girl-next-door archetype with a violent "comedy" brother, Eddie's father is a dirty old man and his best friend spends all his time talking about how much he hates his wife. Added to that, all the Mexican characters are moustachioed stereotypes. The dialogue is most often coarse and crude, particularly when dealing with sex. The script lacks imagination and any quotable lines.
As Eddie, Ben Stiller wheels out his patented angry man shtick once more, having initially established the character as another anonymous nice guy. The thing is that we've seen it all before, so you expect him to get more and more wound up before becoming apoplectic with rage. Therefore it blunts the comic potential of the role. He doesn't have enough chemistry with either of his love interests to sell the romances to the audience, either.
Malin Akerman, who plays Lila certainly looks the part; a picture perfect, cutesy, leggy blonde. She's also willing to throw herself into the slapstick comedy and stamp around like a miniature Godzilla. But there wasn't quite enough to her interpretation to sell the character in comedy terms. She just isn't human enough for you to fall for her before she's turned into the villain. Meanwhile Michelle Monaghan plays Miranda as a rather bland, earnest girl-next-door that I could take or leave.
The supporting cast includes Rob Corddry being overly harsh as Eddie's henpecked best friend Mac, though his timing is good. Stiller's real-life father Jerry is coarse as his on-screen dad Doc and the only surprising thing about him is the shock of carroty hair he has. Danny McBride's take on Miranda's violent redneck brother Martin is stereotypical, but he plays the part with enough energy to carry the part of the mistrustful, uptight, aggressive guy.
The original music by Bill and Brendan Ryan mainly relies on guitar arrangements of varying styles. Eddie's first encounter with Lila comes against a backdrop of twanging acoustic guitar and their marriage to Hawaiian-flavoured guitar. But the opening wedding is accompanied by cheesy lounge piano and when Eddie goes in search of Miranda, his exploits are under-laid by Hammond organ and warm brass that would suit a 60s spy film. The score doesn't really stand out amongst the other soundtrack choices that include over-literal uses of "Gypsy Woman" and Queen's "Under Pressure" and tracks by Hootie and the Blowfish and David Bowie. However, like the rest of the movie the music tends to be underwhelming.
"The Heartbreak Kid" is a critical misfire from the Farrelly brothers that hits wide of the mark on all fronts. Its biggest failing is that it simply isn't funny. The script is seriously misjudged; the characterisation poor, the situations ill-chosen and the attempts at humour go too far into bad taste to be funny. The direction is limp, dragging out the dodgy jokes beyond endurance and failing even in the most basic aspects of filmmaking such as continuity. The acting showcases a series of generic performances tempered by the impression that everyone is just going through the motions. Unless this is on TV and you're absolutely desperate for something to watch and there isn't even crown green bowling on the other side, I'd avoid this like the plague.
Advantages: Some really funny points Disadvantages: The movie is just too long
The Farrelly Brothers have only really felt true recognition off the back of There's Something About Mary; it had the right blend of good humour and sickness to wow a mass audience, but most importantly it ended well. Since then their movies have included split personalities, conjoined twins, and incest; all failing to get the praise they might have achieved had There's Something About Mary never existed. Luckily a re-partnering we Mary's lead actor ... ...The Heartbreak Kid to be the funniest offering from the brothers in a good few years.
Eddie Cantrow (Ben Stiller) is a lonely man, now in his 40's he realises that he wants to be part of a relationship more than anything. His father (Jerry Stiller) encourages him to get out and find someone as does his best friend; but shadows from the past and ridiculous bungling mistakes prevent him from moving forward. After attending a legendarily bad wedding ...
sghawken 24.12.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Heartbreak Kid (DVD)
...another review, and this time, the title did take a while to make sense, but I guess it does. I had just been out for lunch with my best friend on New Year's Eve, and as I had to start preparing for our mini party at our house, I had only a couple of hours left to spend with her. Perfect for a DVD! My best friend has hundreds of DVDs and I am terribly indecisive as it is (I actually only OWN about 7 DVDs so most of the ones I have reviewed were rented ... ...the mood for a comedy" I stared blankly at her collection until finally she gave up and took this off the shelf. She said it's pretty funny, and since I like most of Ben Stiller's stuff, I agreed. Story With this film, it is more about all the things that happen along the way, rather than the final outcome, and those are the films I love most. Ben Stiller plays Eddie, a commitment-phobic who attends the wedding of his ex-fiancée, only to be hit square ...
Ayesha- 21.01.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Heartbreak Kid (DVD)
Advantages: Comedy that will not let you on your seat Disadvantages: nothing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
...to be reviewed. Sorry.
The Tag line is: He waited all his life to get married. Too bad he didn't wait another week.
The Heartbreak Kid I really do enjoy watching this film. It says at the top: "From the guys who brought you 'There's something about Mary'", I have watched that film way too many times and as I have grown older watching it the more I understood it. I would say that this film is just as good as "There's something about Mary", as its ... ...film has most of the hilarious stuff in it. If compared to "There's something about Mary" you could say that they've brought the film into the 21st Century and made it soooooooo much better. * INFO *
Directors: Ben and Peter Farrelly (Also Known as the Farrelly Brothers)
They have directed many famous films, these include: "There's something about Mary", "Me, Myself and Irene" & "Dumb & Dumber". I feel that if they keep these sorts of comedy films ...
Jonni_boi 07.01.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Heartbreak Kid (DVD)
Advantages: Absolutely none. Disadvantages: Inane dialogue, poor character developement.
...Cantrow can't seem to find the perfect woman. His ideal woman, needless to say, would be too good for him, but this never crosses his mind. His father, a coarse and speak-your-mind type of man, is constantly harassing him with the 'M' word - marriage... and a few other words too, but CIAO wouldn't be pleased if I inserted them here!
Anyways... when Eddie meets Lila, a beautiful and sexy woman who appears to meet his woman-criteria expectations, ... ...is, in his opinion, truly the perfect woman. Unfortunately, he's now married, and this perfect woman isn't the type to be dallying with a married man. As his honeymoon progresses, going from bad to worse, Eddie conveniently forgets that he is married and goes after Miranda, his dream woman. Needless to say that his relationship with Miranda is doomed from the very beginning...
'The Heartbreak Kid' is definitely a bad movie, in fact, it's terrible ...
GoFigure 15.04.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of The Heartbreak Kid (DVD)
Advantages: some funny bits Disadvantages: the funny bits are few and far between
...He met Lila at the sports shop he owns and runs and see her as the perfect woman, sexy and intelligent. They honeymoon in Mexico after six weeks of courtship and this is when Eddie starts to see a different side to Lila. She is immature and stupid, is in loads of debt and she does not actually have a job at all, she is a volunteer worker. He also discovers at their first breakfast together that she has a deviated septum – a legacy of her ‘cocaine ... ...of time holed up in the honeymoon suite alone, leaving Eddie to enjoy the trip alone. Then he meets Miranda (Michelle Monaghan) who is holidaying with her family. They are the absolute perfect match.
You would have to watch the film to see what happens next. Does Lila find out about Miranda? Does Miranda find out at Lila? Is there a happy ever after? However, I would not recommend you bother.
This film was not a laugh a minute for me, and quite ...
theshinyone 18.07.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of The Heartbreak Kid (DVD)
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Advantages: Funny, can watch more than once, Disadvantages: none
The HeartbreakKid is a rom com film, with Ben Stiller at his finest. I'm always a fan of Ben Stiller films (he just has one of those faces) but, this is, in my opinion, one of his funniest.
Ben Stiller plays Eddie, a 40 year old singleton. He attends the wedding of his ex (cue hilarious scenes and one liners) and realises that he would really like to settle down. The realisation seems to be thrust upon him at the wedding breakfast where he finds himself sat on the 'singles' table. In reality, this proves to be the kids table and there are various laughs when these kids question why he's sat there.
He then meets, Lila (played by Malin Akerman) in the street, where he helps her after he believes that she has been mugged. In a whirlwind romance, he proposes to her, believing this to be the only way he can stop her from being ...
Advantages: A great collection of 5 star matches Disadvantages: A bit much to watch in one go
Back when I re-started watching wrestling again back in 2003, there were many guys that I was familiar with. Triple H, Mick Foley, Kevin Nash and my personal, all time favourite, Shawn Michaels.
Then, there were newer guys that caught my eye; Kurt Angle, Edge, Christian and this very man, the one of a kind, Rob Van Dam.
The reason I fell in love with Rob's wrestling so quickly was because of his agility, speed, tenacity and great technical finesse, not to mention how different his move set was. I'd never seen a heavyweight do those kind of fascinating, high risk moves before, with the exception of the HeartbreakKid.
So, would RVD's DVD add to my good impression of his work rate?
Just by looking at the cover of the set, you can tell that you are in for a treat with over 330 minutes of action, not to mention 16 matches ...
Contains very strong language and comic sex scenes
Video Category
Feature Film
Country Of Origin
United States of America
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Interactive menu
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital
Professional reviews
Review
Prepare to laugh until you beg for mercy (Daily Star, 06/02/2008)
[M]errily quintessential Farrelly....Stiller is perfect....Akerman does a fine job in this silly role, recalling a younger Cameron Diaz... (USA Today, 14/12/2007)
DVD Description
Masters of gross-out, the Farrelly Brothers, re-team with funnyman Ben Stiller (THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY) for this comedy of marital misfortune. Commitmentphobe Eddie Cantrow (Stiller) learns that there's no such thing as the perfect woman when he finally decides to take the plunge and marries too-good-to-be-true Lila (Malin Akerman). It's not until after the wedding that her true colours start to show through... and they couldn't be uglier! While on their honeymoon, Eddie meets another woman, Miranda (Michelle Monaghan), who seems right for him in every way that Lila is wrong.
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