The Farrelly Brothers and Ben Stiller re-unite in a re-make of the 1972 Neil Simon comedy The Heartbreak Kid. Stiller stars as Eddie Cantrow, a 40 year old man who is still single to the chagrin of his father Doc (Jerry Stiller) and his best friend Mac (Rob Corddry). In a chance encounter, he meets Lyla (Malin Akerman), a beautiful and intelligent environmentalist who he falls in love with and quickly marries. It does not take long for Eddie to regret his decision when - during their honeymoon - Lyla's true personality as a kinky, nagging, idiotic and un-employed loon comes to the forefront. During his hellish honeymoon experience, Eddie meets Miranda (Michelle Monaghan) and falls for her charms. Now he must figure out a way to dump his wife, and start a new life with Miranda.
The Farrelly Brothers have proven themselves to be filmmaker's who have not matured with age or experience. Nothing has been added to their craft, as the same stock standard gags featuring eccentric characters participating in crude, gross out humour does little more than raise a few chuckles in what is an otherwise boring film.
Ben Stiller is on autopilot with his awkward guy shtick, and his father Jerry Stiller tests the barriers of good taste with his vulgar tirades (is this the best five screenwriters could come up with?) However, the film gains momentum whenever Malin Akerman is on screen as the nutty wife. All of the films best comedic moments come from her performance, with Akerman doing a great job establishing sympathy for Stiller's frightened and frustrated newlywed.
The subject of marriage on the big screen has not been a successful venture, which is a shame since much fun could be had if in the right hands. It seems that many filmmakers just don't know how to approach the idea of two people sharing a lifetime of domestic bliss together, and this movie is no exception.
The best thing in The Heartbreak Kid is the breathtaking Cabo, Mexico shooting location used in the majority of the film. Unfortunately, it seems that the Farrelly's thought the same thing and were having too much fun in the sun instead of creating an entertaining comedy.