The Heartbreak Kid

The Farrelly Brothers have never really been known for being classy. But over the years, you could’ve said they have matured a little with offerings like Me, Myself and Irene and Stuck On You, which toned down the crass and exchanged it for a heartwarming tale of brotherhood. But alas, that is not the case with their latest release, a remake of the 1972 comedy. Eddie (Ben Stiller) is a 40-year-old bachelor who, at the wedding of an ex-fiance, is humiliated by the father of the bride for being a jerk. Despite the blow to his ego, the planets seem to align when he meets beautiful and sophisticated Lila (Malin Ackerman). He romances her for six weeks and thinks that she could be the one. However, when Lila announces that she has to move to Germany for work, Eddie is cornered into making a decision by his father (played by real dad, Jerry Stiller) and his best friend (who is stuck in a bad marriage) to propose. He does, and soon enough, Lila and Eddie are off to Mexico for their honeymoon. Barely over the border, the nightmare begins for Eddie. Lila becomes increasingly irritating – she sings to every song on the radio, has stuff coming out of her nose, gets severely sunburned and to top it off, is scary in bed. While Lila nurses her sunburn in the hotel room, Eddie meets Miranda (Monica Monaghan) and realises that she is his soulmate. Except, she doesn’t know that he’s married because for some reason, wedding rings have ceased to exist in this film. But that’s not the worst part of the movie. Judd Apatow’s Knocked Up introduced audiences to a film where crude humour and wit can co-exist peacefully and perhaps threatened by that, the Farrelly brothers decided to up the ante for The Heartbreak Kid. While some of the scenes are try-hard funny, it really doesn’t forgive things like urination, an unnecessary beaver shot and near-beastiality. Coming off obnoxious, misogynistic and disgusting, this flick is a waste of time. The only way Stiller can redeem himself now is a Zoolander sequel.

Cast Ben Stiller, Michelle Monaghan, Malin Akerman Director The Farrelly Brothers Runtime 115 mins Opens 6 December

Text Sarah Chan