What Do The Critics Say?

"For the Farrelly brothers, topping the slapstick and gross-out comedy of their lowbrow hits such as "Dumb & Dumber" and "There's Something About Mary" was never going to be easy. But in "The Heartbreak Kid", they have outdone themselves." Desson Thomson WASHINGTON POST "There is lots of juicy 'business' in this comedy of errors, including a sub plot with a pair of precocious 12 year old twins, the joke-loving moustachioed Mexican Uncle Tito (Carlos Mencia), Miranda's aggressive cousin (Danny R. McBride) and a mariachi band that keeps popping up at the most inopportune times. Stiller's real-life dad Jerry Stiller is a scene stealer as Eddie's lusty father Doc. I must admit I did have fun. And beyond its contagious, wacky humour, the film has a very sweet heart." Louise Keller URBAN CINEFILE "Uproarious romp, grounded in believable if gleefully implausible human behavior, is a model of comic timing. Laughs are literally non-stop as every scene amplifies the obstacles and ups the ante in Eddie’s quest to keep Lila at bay with outlandish fabulations while courting Miranda and endeavoring to charm her family. Sustains a superlative level of comic invention straight through to the final frames." Lisa Nesselson VARIETY "A knockout with wall-to-wall laughs that recalls the actor and directors in their mid-to-late 1990s primes." Phil Villarreal ARIZONA DAILY STAR "Give credit to the Farrelly brothers. They took a chance on their updating Simon’s script and that chance pays off. Adding their own twists to the story, they manage to keep the plot intact while adding some language that I’m not sure Doc Simon had ever heard before. The cast is pitch perfect, with Stiller adding another notable character to his resumé. Here their big sight gag tops anything in "Mary" or "Knocked Up". And, like other Farrelly brother films, those who sit through the end credits will be rewarded for their time." Michael A Smith NOLAN'S POP CULTURE REVIEW

"This is a Farrelly film for adults, if not the entire family, and it's a charmer, honest both to the nature of the loves we choose in haste and the fear that makes us so hasty so often." Marc Savlov AUSTIN CHRONICLE "This remake is distinctly a Farrelly brothers' flick: sentimental, rambling and raunchy. The Heartbreak Kid is a reminder that the Farrellys patented the contemporary comic formula of raunchy one-upmanship mixed with romantic innocence. There are some good laughs to be found here." Liam Lacey GLOBE & MAIL "Consistently full of laugh-out-loud moments. The sight gags are outrageous, the story is genuinely involving and the whole movie has a bit of sweetness to it." Randy Cordova ARIZONA REPUBLIC "Comedy fans should quickly fall for the comedy hit of the year. The film as a whole is just too laugh out loud funny to miss. You might be gun shy about saying 'I do' after seeing it, but at least you’ll have a blast watching all the numerous reasons why you shouldn’t be too quick to take the plunge. The film is filled with lively characters and likely to be one where everyone has their own favorite." Jeffrey Lyles MD GAZETTE "This movie is raunchy, very raunchy, but manages to at the same time to be entertaining. The comical act of Carlos Mencia, as Uncle Tito added just the right mix to make a hit comedy. Heartbreak Kid will mend your heart by the end of this film and have you breaking a stitch from continuous laughter." Vince Koehler ENTERTAINMENT SPECTRUM "An outrageously hilarious and RAUNCHY comedy that creates so many huge - and we mean humungous - laughs you will probably have to see it more than once just to catch all the dialogue." Pete Hammond MAXIM

The Inside Story Four years ago, when Peter Farrelly heard about an updated "The Heartbreak Kid" script, his initial reaction was to pass on the project. That would seem a little strange, because Farrelly admits it is one of his "all-time favorite movies." "My first instinct was 'no way'. I didn’t want to do it." But after watching the movie again, he saw how readily the story would lend itself to gags, hijinks and assorted other Farrelly-isms. The original film, made in 1972, was based on a short story by Bruce Jay Friedman adapted by Neil Simon. It starred Charles Grodin as Lenny Cantrow and, Cybill Shepherd as Kelly Corcoran. "With Scot Armstrong and Leslie Dixon’s script, the thing that fascinated us and really got our attention was that they had flipped it around. In this one, Eddie marries the beautiful Cybill Shepherd character, goes on his honeymoon and then meets a woman who’s more his speed, a more down-to-earth, girl-next-door type.That made it a more complex story, I thought." Ben Stiller, who plays the title role in the new film, is also a huge fan of the original "The Heartbreak Kid". "It’s a classic," says Stiller. "It’s just a really funny movie, and I thought we had a chance to do something a little different. There is no improving the original. This is a different movie." "The Heartbreak Kid" marks the first reunion for the Farrellys and Ben Stiller since "There’s Something About Mary" catapulted their respective careers into the stratosphere eight years ago. "We’ve thought of Ben for other roles, but every time we came up with a movie he’s either been unavailable or he didn’t like it," says Peter. "This one he really flipped for, and we were obviously thrilled to have him." "He’s the best reactor in all of Hollywood," adds Bobby. "You can do all sorts of crazy things to him and the way he takes it is just hysterical. He’s also a really thorough actor. He thinks things through and he comes with a take on how that day is going to go, which is a real plus for directors. His having such a strong point of view is a big help to us." Bradley Thomas, who has produced every film the Farrelly brothers have made, believes there’s a basic misconception about comic actors. "People think that they show up on the set and they are just funny," says Thomas. "That’s not how it really is. With a lot of the comics, they’re very, very serious. Ben is a very serious guy. He probably cares more than any actor I’ve ever worked with." Malin Akerman, who plays Lila, the spurned wife, says working with Stiller was an amazing experience. "You don’t have to act much, you just kind of react to someone who’s that good. We were able to banter back and forth and sort of go off-script. We have a similar sarcasm, so it worked out really well." Akerman is equally enthusiastic about working with the Farrellys. "I would go all the way to Egypt just to work with them again," she says. "They’re just so cool and laid-back; they’re just a couple dudes having a great time who just can’t believe they get to do this as their job. But they’re great at this kind of comedy and they know how to get it out of you. They kind of mimicked it for me and then I had to try it in a girl’s body." Without studio pressure to feature an A-list star as Lila, the Farrellys were able to cast a wide net. They tested over sixty actresses before finding Akerman. "We found the best one," says producer Bradley Thomas ("Behind Enemy Lines" & "Say It Isn't So"). "Her performance is just a tour de force. She is, I can honestly say, our greatest discovery. "Malin is a real discovery," says Bobby Farrelly. "She’s a gifted comedienne and really, really surprised us. We’ve worked with Bill Murray and Jim Carrey. You give them a role and you’re just stunned at how much better they make it than you had even hoped; they knock it out of the park. That’s what she’s done here." Akerman impressed the entire company by committing to acts that could only be conceived by the Farrellys. "I had moments when I couldn’t believe what I was doing," she says. "It’s one thing to read the script and have a good laugh, but another when you have to do that part." Michelle Monaghan plays Miranda, the 'other woman'. "She’s the voice of reason," says Bobby Farrelly. "She’s the one that all the wackiness sort of bounces off. She’s like the Mary of this movie; an ideal, beautiful woman that you wait your whole life to meet." Stiller says of his co-star: "She’s the most likable person; sweet and just genuinely fun, and that personality is what the character is in the movie. I have to fall in love with her very quickly and the audience has to believe that I would go for her and she’s the right person. She has that naturally." "She’s a great talent who is girl next door beautiful," says Peter. "She feels like an old-time movie star from the nineteen fourties, which is a dream come true for this role. She’s a movie star." Casting Eddie’s father was probably the easiest choice the filmmakers had to make. They brought in Ben’s real-life dad, veteran comedian Jerry Stiller, who had already appeared with his son in "“Zoolander" and "Heavy Weights". "It was a great honor to work with Jerry," says Bobby. "We’ve never worked with him before, and always thought the world of him." The elder Stiller was delighted to join the cast. "When I saw "There’s Something About Mary", I thought it was one of the funniest movies of all time," says Jerry Stiller. "The Farrellys know what’s funny. They think on their feet. While you’re doing your scene, they’ll give you something that will make it funnier.When I have a director who understands what’s going on inside, they can enhance what I’m doing." Bobby says that Jerry Stiller’s character, Doc, is loosely based on his and Peter’s own father. "He’s supposed to be giving us words of wisdom and all, and you know it’s in there, but the things that stick with you are the audacious things he says." Ben Stiller says his father "steals every scene, which is exactly what you want. He cracks me up all the time. He’s just funny. He’s a funny person, and he’s a lovable person. He’s just a great guy." "They’re so cute together. Jerry is the sweetest man I’ve ever met. You just want to smoosh him," says Akerma, "in the nicest way. It’s just that he’s so polite and Ben is so polite. I love seeing family together like that." The Farrellys turned to comedian Carlos Mencia for the role of 'Uncle' Tito Hernandez, a free-spirited hotel employee. "We needed a guy who sold the Mexican flavor," says Bobby. "He’s got so much energy and bravado, and he really knocked it out of the park for us." For his part, Mencia says he wasn’t sold right away. "It’s very embarrassing for me to be this person. But they liked my flavor. And once they showed me how much money I would make I said holy, I would love to be in it!" Stiller found himself calling Mencia by his character’s name, Tito, even when the cameras weren’t rolling. "He’s got this incredible wig and a huge moustache. When he puts it on I feel like he’s another person. He’ll show up to the set as Carlos Mencia, and then when he comes out to the scene, it’s like Uncle Tito’s here. Uncle Tito’s in the house." "The Hearbreak Kid" is a signature Farrelly Bros film. It won't please the lame-arsed critics, but it will please fans of their films and those who have followed Ben Stiller in the more mainstream, 'Fockers' films. Peter and Bobby Farrelly began their careers as salesmen. Peter worked for a shipping line and Bobby invented a round beach towel called 'Sun Spot' that allowed sunbathers to change position as the sun moved without repositioning their towels. (P.S.It wasn’t a big seller.) It comes as a surprise that neither brother has ever taken a class in screenwriting or directing (though Peter has an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University). Instead, the sibling' s filmmaking passion was fueled by dissatisfaction with what they were seeing in the theaters. "We used to go to the movies and we’d come out and say why didn’t they do it this way?" Bobby recalls. The major movie studios showed no interest in them until they made their first low-budget independent movie, "Dumb and Dumber". "Everyone in town had already passed on it. They said we’d never get stars to play such dumb guys," says Bobby. "Agents didn’t want to give it to their actors. But we thought, 'It’s funny and we’ll make it cheap' and we cast ourselves as directors. We didn’t know what we were doing, but we were lucky enough to get Jim Carrey interested and his career just happened to be taking off. Somewhere along the way they forgot to fire us." The comedy, which starred Carrey and Jeff Daniels as a pair of likable half-wits on a cross-country adventure, grossed more than $US 340 million worldwide and helped the filmmakers develop a loyal audience for their boyish humor, outlandish characters and sweet, but raunchy, comedy. Ben Stiller says working with the brothers is like no other experience in the movie business. "It’s like a party a lot of the time. They are very loose and they like to have a good time." But what about those rumours about their on-set no holds barred hijinks? "They like to show their private parts," says Ben. "They derive a lot of pleasure from that. Now, certain people can go to jail for that, but on a Farrelly brother's movie you really can’t not have that happen to you." And I believe they have a favourite joke they like to pull regularly? "They have this joke where they’re like, 'Do you know what time it is?' And something’s sticking out of their pants." So what can we expect this time round? "We get into some territory that we haven’t done before," says Bobby. They sure do! Synopsis

After years of bachelorhood and ample pressure from his father, Doc and best friend Mac, Eddie starts to wonder if he is being too picky about the women he meets. Invited to his last girlfriends wedding, Eddie is the butt of jokes and treated rather poorly. Then fate steps in providing a situation that leads to a chance encounter with an alluring blonde named Lila. It results in a sweet romance. Eddie, under pressure from both his dad and friend Mac, impulsively proposes. But right after the wedding, as the newlyweds get to know each other on the drive down the California coast, Eddie begins to realize he’s made a terrible mistake. Soon after reaching their exotic Mexican hideaway, he falls for the down to earth and gorgeous Miranda, who has no clue he’s on his honeymoon. Now Eddie has to find a way to extricate himself from his days-old marriage without losing the girl of his dreams.

The Verdict "This is your typical Farrelly Bros signature style comedy, amped up to the maximum. While it won't gain much favour from lame-arsed critics, fans will be in 'Farrelly heaven'. Yes it is at times very naughty, but audiences watching "The Hearbreak Kid", will I'm sure, be thinking, 'I've known someone just like these characters'. The cast headed up by Ben Stiller all do exceptionally well in their respective roles. There are many, many memorable moments, most of which are very funny or very sweet. Carlos Mencia as 'Uncle Tito' and a continually intrusive Mariachi Band are superb. While "The Heartbreak Kid" may not be everyones cup of tea, there will be plenty of cinemagoers who will be laughing their heads off at this clever romantic comedy. Warning: features some wild, raunchy, hot, sex scenes and political incorrectness. Just what you'd expect from Peter and Bobby Farrelly. Recommended. 3 1/2 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "THE HEARTBREAK KID" stars .......
American Comedy Award winner Ben Stiller ["Starsky & Hutch", "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy", "Meet The Fockers" and "Night at the Museum"]; Michelle Monaghan ["Kiss Kiss Bang Bang", "North Country" and "Mission: Impossible III"]; Malin Akerman ["The Skulls", "The Circle" and "Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle"]; Carlos Mencia ["Out of Time" and "29 Palms"] and American Comedy Award winner Jerry Stiller ["Airport 1975", "Hairspray" and "Zoolander"] as Doc.
"THE HEARTBREAK KID" was .......
directed by Bobby Farrelly ["Me, Myself & Irene", "Shallow Hal" and "Stuck on You"] and Peter Farrelly ["There's Something About Mary", "Say It Isn't So" and "The Ringer"]; set decoration by Cindy Carr ["True Lies", "Van Helsing" and "The Holiday"]; costume design by Louise Mingenbach ["K-PAX", "Starsky & Hutch" and "Superman Returns"]; edited by Alan Baumgarten ["Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story", "Meet the Fockers" and "The Perfect Catch"] and Sam Seig ["Osmosis Jones", "Farm Sluts" and "Just for Kicks"] director of photography Matthew F Leonetti ["Along Came a Spider", "Rush Hour 2", "The Perfect Catch" and "Accepted"]; production design by Sydney J Bartholomew Jr ["Dumb & Dumber", "Say It Isn't So" and "Shallow Hal"] and Arlan Jay Vetter ["Most Wanted", "There's Something About Mary" and "Osmosis Jones"]. Who's Who?

Ben Stiller Michelle Monaghan Jerry Stiller Malin Akerman Carlos Mencia Rob Corddry Stephanie Courtney Ali Hillis Kathy Lamkin Nicol Paone Joel Bryant Leslie Easterbrook Roy Jenkins Sandra Ramírez Amy Sloan

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Eddie Cantrow Miranda Doc Lila Uncle Tito Mac Gayla Jodi Lila's Mom Hostess Michael Jodi's Mom Buzz Consuela Deborah

Run Time 115 minutes Rated MA15+ [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - Paramount Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©2007 All Rights Reserved - The Movie Pages & Impact Internet Services - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.