The Heartbreak Kid (2007) (R, 2007)

In the Farrelly brothers' remake of Elaine May's 1972 film, San Francisco sporting-goods-store owner Eddie Cantrow (Ben Stiller) is 40 and single and desperately lonely. After attending his ex-fiancée's wedding, he's goaded into throwing caution into the wind and marries Lila (Malin Akerman), a stunning environmentalist he meets while trying to stop a mugger who steals her purse. But while on their honeymoon in Mexico, Eddie realizes that Lila may not be the dream girl he envisioned her to be -- an epiphany that's made more complicated by his growing attraction to Miranda (Michelle Monaghan), a fellow vacationer who may in fact be the true woman of his dreams.

On its own merits, The Heartbreak Kid is an entertaining-enough comedy, with a decent dose of laughs. Silly/extreme sight gags are particularly plentiful. But the film can't be judged purely on its own merits, because it's a remake. While the Farrellys have changed their version enough to make it different, they chose not to change the title -- and maybe they should have, because their film just doesn't compare to the 1972 version. Whereas the original was layered, the new movie stays as close to the surface as can be, content to make viewers laugh not at the human condition but at whatever gross-out moment is unwinding onscreen. A crucial scene in which the husband breaks off with his new bride -- which put the heartbreak in the original film -- lacks punch here, diluted with yet another gag. And while May's movie ends on a wistful, almost painful note that immediately shifts everything that came before it into brilliance; the Farrellys just try to get away with one more joke (bitter as it may be).

All of that said, the new Heartbreak Kid does have Stiller, who rises to the occasion once more, never overplaying a scene; the same is true for his dad, Jerry Stiller, who plays Eddie's pervy-but-supportive father in the movie. (Akerman seems to be channeling Cameron Diaz, to some success, and Monaghan's passable.) Still, the Stillers alone aren't enough to buoy this film to There's Something About Mary greatness. Since that movie was released in 1998, Judd Apatow has arrived on the scene and, in a way, proceeded to out-Farrelly the Farrellys. Maybe that's part of the problem. When the big moment (involving a Man o' War and a bodily function) arrives in the end, we're not shocked enough. Nor are we laughing out loud.

Studio: Paramount Pictures
Director: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly
Cast: Ben Stiller, Jerry Stiller, Michelle Monaghan
Genre: Comedy
Run time: 116 minutes
Theatrical release: October 4, 2007
DVD release: December 26, 2007
MPAA Rating: R
MPAA explanation: strong sexual content, crude humor, language, and a scene of drug use involving a minor.