Plot: What’s it about?
When Ben Stiller’s name is mentioned in the same sentence as the Farrelley Brothers, most will think of the surprise box-office success of “There’s Something About Mary.” The movie took audiences by storm and really made Ben Stiller and Cameron Diaz into the Hollywood stars they are now. True, Stiller already had a decent career before this, but this role set him up for even more blockbusters to come like “Meet the Parents.” For the uninitiated, the Farrelley Brothers specialize in gross out comedy and first really made their mark on Hollywood with 1994’s “Dumb and Dumber” which gave Jim Carrey his first real taste of success. They followed with some other movies: “Kingpin”, “Me, Myself and Irene” and later on “Shallow Hal.” However, by their own admission, it’d been about seven years since the success of “Mary” and the brothers took to the paper and wrote and directed this re-make of the Charles Grodin comedy, “The Heartbreak Kid.”
Ben Stiller plays Eddie Cantrow, an owner of a sporting goods store in San Francisco. He’s single, had a girlfriend for five years but wasn’t smart enough to pop the question. He’s lonely and wants to meet the right woman and pressure from his father (real-life father, Jerry Stiller) doesn’t help matters. By coincidence he meets Lila (Malin Akerman), a very attractive blonde who seems interested in him. The two hit it off and all seems well, until Lila announces that her job is taking her overseas. Eddie doesn’t want to tempt fate and the two get married almost immediately. However on the honeymoon, Eddie starts to see a different side of Lila and this concerns him. As his honeymoon is rapidly becoming the worst time of his life, he meets Miranda (Michelle Monaghan) and the two of them hit it off. After bonding with Miranda and her colorful family, Eddie faces a dilemma and therein lies the focal point of the movie.
I have to admit that I had no preconceived notions about this movie at all. I pretty much watch everything that shows up in HD and this was a pretty mindless comedy (like most of the Farrelly’s movies) and I’m going to have to say that I enjoyed it more than “There’s Something About Mary.” I didn’t like or agree with the ending, but that’s a personal preference on my part. Stiller is starting to show his age a bit, but he’s still one of the few actors that can consistently make me chuckle. While not as gross as some of the Farrelly’s other films, this does have some pretty rough sex scenes and a few other choice scenes that children shouldn’t peek at. This is their first “R” rated comedy since “Mary” and with good reason. Fans of Ben Stiller will no doubt enjoy more of the same humor from one of the most consistently funny actors today.
Video: How does it look?
The 2.40:1 HD AVC transfer didn’t leave a lot to the imagination. I found the image to be very colorful and vibrant. A majority of the movie takes place in Cabo San Lucas in Mexico and there are plenty of beautiful shots of the beach and ocean that look positively fantastic on HD. Flesh tones seem very natural and though Lila’s character spends a majority of the movie sunburned, we don’t get that halo effect that the color red can often induce. The movie is new to the format and I’d be surprised if the transfer was lacking in the least this isn’t.
Audio: How does it sound?
I was surprised that Paramount included a Dolby TrueHD soundtrack, but I’m always glad when a true uncompressed track is available. Granted, this is a comedy and as such we can’t expect a whole lot on the audio front, but I found a few scenes a bit memorable. Dialogue is very strong and well-proportioned and though the surrounds aren’t too prevalent they do make their presence known. For the most part, this soundtrack takes place in the front stage and I have to admit that as far as comedies go, this probably sounds about on par with the rest. There’s nothing really too memorable here, as per usual the Farrelly’s have loaded the soundtrack with some great songs, lots of David Bowie (which plays a part in the movie as well) and they sound great here.
Supplements: What are the extras?
There aren’t a lot of supplements of note, but we do get a pretty diverse sampling here. We start off with a commentary track by Peter and Bobby Farrelly as the two talk of the challenges of writing the script and directing their first movie in several years. They’re very candid and actually make for a decent track. There are several deleted scenes as well as a gag reel. A few featurettes don’t really add a lot of substance to the disc as we get a segment on “Ben & Jerry” focuses on the Stiller duo working together as father and son. “Heartbreak Halloween” is nothing more than some footage of a cast and crew Halloween party and we also get a piece on “The Egg Toss” which was evidently used to increase the morale of the crew during filming.
