The Heartbreak Kid
Thursday, January 24, 2008
1 GOOMBAS
I don’t think anyone out there would contest the awfulness of a marriage gone wrong, but I also know that Americans are always criticized for having a 50% divorce rate. Yet in the Philippines (where divorce is pretty much illegal), unhappy couples stay married but live in separate rooms or homes. 50% is just a statistic, and it can’t really be used to judge the happiness of marriages if other countries don’t allow divorces in the first place. But unfortunately for Americans, it doesn’t help that our media commercializes marriage through shows like The Bachelor or The Newlyweds, thus making a serious lifetime commitment seem trivial. The Heartbreak Kid is one such media profit maker that is an embarrassment to American culture.
The Farrelly Brothers direct this comedy starring Ben Stiller as Eddie, a lonely sports shop owner who finds the perfect girl. Partially because he’s in love with her, and partially to prevent her from moving to the other side of the world, he jumps into marital bliss head first, but on their honeymoon, he unfortunately sees a very different side of his sweet new bride. Lucky for him, and sadly for her, Eddie meets Miranda, his perfect girl #2, and on their honeymoon he decides to try and win Miranda and dump his new wife.
Already sounds terrible, huh? No, what’s even more terrible is this is a remake of a Jane Fonda movie, also titled The Heartbreak Kid. I haven’t actually watched the original, but I plan to this weekend and will let you know if it’s a flop or on top. I digress.
This movie has absolutely no class. It’s cheap, unfunny, and a rude excuse for even a popcorn movie. Eddie was purposefully pursuing Miranda while on his honeymoon. In what universe is that okay? As moronic as his new bride is, there is nothing funny about this situation. Plus, what makes Miranda different from Lila? How do we know she won’t be a psychopath too? Yes, we agree that Eddie jumped into marriage a little too quickly, but what does that say about his 2 day relationship with Miranda? This movie is horrific and is all the way in bad taste.
Keep your heart intact. Don’t bother watching it.