I can't believe how terrible this movie is. And the Oscar goes to "The Heartbreak Kid" in the category of the worst remake of a film ever made. Even without comparing it to the original, the movie fails miserably in and of itself. I just got out of a showing of the film, where there were some initial laughs, but by halfway through the movie, there was basically dead silence in the theater for the rest of it. This is expected to be funny: the crazy cousin hitting each of Ben Stiller's legs with a baseball bat; Ben Stiller trying to pull a big pain pill out of Lila's nose with her deviated septum; Lila apparently smashing what she thought was Ben Stiller's member; a sideshow where a donkey is apparently going to hump a young Mexican lady; Miranda's cousins shoving a hot pepper up Ben Stiller's nose, Lila peeing on Ben Stiller on the beach as he is screaming in agony because of a jellyfish sting, endless hitting and bashing of Ben Stiller by practically everyone including Lila in her sexual frenzy, and on and on. The movie commits a bad crime for a comedy - the outrageous antics add up to cringes, not laughs.
For those of us that remember the quirky, extremely clever and funny original, the comparison with this ugly, mean-spirited piece of dreck is almost painful. Other than two of the character's names, and the basic premise of a man falling in love with another woman on his honeymoon, and a couple of the same lines and plot devices early on, there is simply no resemblance. In the original, the only "bad guy" is Lenny - and that's simply because he's devious and dishonest, even though one can completely understand and identify with his predicament. In the original version, one feels for each and everyone of the other characters- Lila in her oblivious ignorance with her annoying (not horrific-like in the current version) habits, Kelly (Lenny's love interest--Miranda in the remake), selfish but coolly beautiful, Kelly's over-protective parents - it adds up to a surprisingly perceptive movie with regard to people's hopes and desires. And, Heck ---- it's just so damn funny with truly great clever dialog, unlike the newer version. In the new version, for some reason the same plot makes no sense, and one could care less about any of the characters.
When I first saw the trailer for this movie I laughed out loud. It looked like this was going to be a hilarious movie. I had heard how the characters were switched around - which made total sense in a remake, not just simply to redo the original, but make a new version with its own set of perceptions and laughs. BUT THEN, I read a review that said that the trailer contained the only funny moments in the film. I couldn't believe that. But now I do. Those few funny moments that are in the trailer are all that there is to laugh at. Save your self 10 bucks and a couple of extra hours in the day - watch the trailer, have a good laugh, and then rent or buy the original. A MUCH more satisfying experience!
For those of us that remember the quirky, extremely clever and funny original, the comparison with this ugly, mean-spirited piece of dreck is almost painful. Other than two of the character's names, and the basic premise of a man falling in love with another woman on his honeymoon, and a couple of the same lines and plot devices early on, there is simply no resemblance. In the original, the only "bad guy" is Lenny - and that's simply because he's devious and dishonest, even though one can completely understand and identify with his predicament. In the original version, one feels for each and everyone of the other characters- Lila in her oblivious ignorance with her annoying (not horrific-like in the current version) habits, Kelly (Lenny's love interest--Miranda in the remake), selfish but coolly beautiful, Kelly's over-protective parents - it adds up to a surprisingly perceptive movie with regard to people's hopes and desires. And, Heck ---- it's just so damn funny with truly great clever dialog, unlike the newer version. In the new version, for some reason the same plot makes no sense, and one could care less about any of the characters.
When I first saw the trailer for this movie I laughed out loud. It looked like this was going to be a hilarious movie. I had heard how the characters were switched around - which made total sense in a remake, not just simply to redo the original, but make a new version with its own set of perceptions and laughs. BUT THEN, I read a review that said that the trailer contained the only funny moments in the film. I couldn't believe that. But now I do. Those few funny moments that are in the trailer are all that there is to laugh at. Save your self 10 bucks and a couple of extra hours in the day - watch the trailer, have a good laugh, and then rent or buy the original. A MUCH more satisfying experience!