By Kelsey Mayid | gargoyle@flagler.edu
Ben Stiller looked toned-down and mature in the previews I saw for the Farrelly brother’s newest comedy “The Heartbreak Kid.” As it turns out, he plays his usual quirky, uncoordinated character as Eddie Cantrow, a 40-year-old bachelor in the remake of Elaine May’s 1972 hit.
Cantrow is coerced by his sex-crazed father — played by Stiller’s real life dad, Jerry Stiller — and overly domesticated best friend (Rob Corddry) to marry Lila (Malin Akerman), a cute, seemingly classy blonde he’s only known for a couple weeks.
On their honeymoon in Mexico, things start to quickly fall apart. Let’s just say Lila is NOT what Eddie expected. When Lila gets a “savage” sunburn that keeps her hiding in their hotel room, Eddie is free to get to know, and fall in love with Miranda (Michelle Monaghan), an endearing and adorable woman from Mississippi who’s vacationing in Mexico with her family. You can imagine how messy things get.
My favorite part, and in my opinion the funniest part, of the movie is the interlude of Eddie trying to cross the border with a bunch of Mexicans, after Lila burned his passport, driver’s license, you name it.
He finally gets to Mississippi, only to find Miranda has gotten married. I don’t want to ruin the ending, but I will say things sort of work out.
Overall I thought the story line was pretty lame, but there were definitely some funny parts. Carlos Mencia is hilarious as Uncle Tito, who’s always pulling Eddie’s chain, and then yelling, “Screw off! I’m joking man!” in a thick Mexican accent.
The annoying Mariachi band also got some laughs. I would recommend seeing this movie only if you have nothing better to do. It’s not my favorite Ben Stiller or Farrelly brothers film.
“The Heartbreak Kid” runs 108 minutes and is rated R for strong sexual content, language and crude humor.
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