Flirting with Disaster | | Cast : | Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, Téa Leoni | | Director : | David O. Russell | | Studio : | Miramax Home Entertainment | | Format : | Color | | Released Date : | March 22, 1996 | | DVD Released Date : | May 03, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), English (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | R (Restricted) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | May 01, 2005 | | Summary | good clean fun! | Content
 | Really deserves 3.5 stars but I'll give the extra 1/2 star due to Tea Leoni's fetchingness.
Well all in all this is nowhere as good as David Russel's other films "Three Kings" or "I Heart Huckabees" but not bad either.
You certainly won't be bored, or confused---the plot is simple but played at hyperspeed, it's basically a comedy of the absurd with a minimum of Message/subtext, just a lot of slapstick as well as comic irony. Very easy on the brain...
However there is no laugh track so thicker viewers might be scratching their heads at some of the non-slapstick humor.
Probably the whole film can be summed up in the final scene, when two straightlaced evangelical types explain their opposition to gay marriage leading to gays adopting children with, "Imagine all the neurosis those poor children would have to live with"---when in fact what we've been watching is 2 hours of 100% HETEROSEXUAL traditional-family neurosis!!! : ) |
| Rating | | | Date | February 22, 2005 | | Summary | PERFECTLY PLAYED | Content
| If you appreciate sitcoms like "Strangers With Candy" you will love this
outrageous comedy. Right-wing Christians would condamn it!
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| Rating | | | Date | December 07, 2004 | | Summary | Some Jokers might think this isn't worth 5 stars | Content
| This is an absolutely stunning, painfully funny film, shamefully underrated (see also 'Office Space', 'Dirty Work' for similarly overlooked comic masterpieces). I'm not such a huge Ben Stiller fan, apart from in 'Mary, and 'Royal Tennenbaums', but he is perfectly cast here, as a reticent man, forced into some horrifically uncomfortable public humiliations.
It wouldn't be fair to reveal much of the plot, but the climax of Stiller's search for his biological parents is pure gut-renching black comedy.
Don't believe the critics who give this anything less than 5 stars - this is top-quality entertainment, for those who like their comedy black, and on the dry side. |
| Rating | | | Date | December 06, 2004 | | Summary | Does anybody actually own a white Taurus... | Content
| Split down the middle about this film, I thought that this second outing by David O. Russell did not capture his full potential, but instead demonstrated his budding capacity behind the camera. I will begin by agreeing with my wife when she commented that this was one of the best ensemble cast films she has ever seen. Russell manipulated and moved his characters into the right places at the right time that always felt even. He controlled the screen and moved the story to levels that I never saw coming. He continually kept fresh images in front of our eyes, and forced his actors, and us, out of their element to progress the story. It was obvious that Russell was a master behind the camera and was able to ensure that no zigzagging occurred that would cause us to falter or loose sight of our goal.
While there didn't seem to ever be a bubble in the movement of the characters and story, where I found most of the bubbles occurring were the actors that helmed the characters. While each have their own discreet method of acting, I somewhat felt that they all just didn't mesh well in this story. Stiller was humorous, but lacked the depth that his character needed for us to really understand his plight. Arquette was sympathetic, but again the depth factor was obvious and there were times where I felt that she just wasn't giving her full potential. She was in the scenes, but I knew that it was Patricia Arquette and not the character she was to be playing. I can honestly say "ditto" for Tea Leoni's character. There was just something missing. Maybe they needed more back story, perhaps we needed to spend more time with them, or perhaps it was the way that these actors pushed their characters that just didn't seem to mesh with the rest of the film for me. The only actors that really went above and beyond their call in this film were the secondary actors. Mary Tyler Moore was well out of her element and loving every minute of it (and so were we), Alan Alda and Liv Tyler were perfect together, and the best buddy-cop scene ever in a film could not have been done by anyone other than Josh Brolin and Richard Jenkins. They did not only provide some of the funniest moments in the film, but their scenes stole the film literally from everyone else. I could have watched an entire film on just these two and their idiosyncrasies. That would have been funny.
As I look back onto this film I try to think of why I was so conflicted about my feelings towards it. It had some elements that I just found hysterical and could see Russell's style, but then there were times where I felt the actors were just flubbing this film completely out of control. This was a family neurosis movie. What Stiller was trying to do was find a cure for his (and possibly his newborn son) neurosis. He thought that by finding his true parents he would be able to bring some closure to his life. This was the focus of the film, but as I watched him go through the motions around his psudo-parents, I felt we lost focus of this goal. Russell's direction accurately kept us moving along the path, but Stiller was no guide. His focus throughout this film was about as solid as ice on a spring day. There are parts where we know where he is going and he is doing great, but other times he falls through the cracks. Thankfully, he has the secondary characters to back him up and help him out of his pitfalls. This film was not a perfect fit for Stiller. I thought for everyone else (sans Arquette), they fit perfectly into their roles. Stiller just seemed out of place.
A "find-your-true-family" caper can be funny. Russell's "find-your-true-family" caper is funny, but not hysterically funny. The humor could have been more adult and articulate. I thought this was a decent film, but it didn't blow me away as the other Russell films have. It almost felt as if he had calmed himself down for this film. He didn't seem as eccentric as he does in his later outings. Russell goes through the motions and does very well, but his cast is what ultimately brings this film down a notch for me. Stiller is not a fit, Arquette character could have been played by a mannequin compared to her, and Tea Leoni needed to get some hot Duchovny action ... and soon! Again, I cannot thank the surrounding cast for their hard work and dedication because without them I don't think I could have survived this film. Russell's direction is ample, but Stiller's performance ruins.
Overall, this is definitely a "yheaah" film. Not quite a "yea" and not quite a "nea", but somewhere in-between. If you are a die-hard David O. Russell fan, I suggest checking this film out at least once to experience his power behind an ensemble cast (which again works well in I Heart Huckabees), but it doesn't deserve more than one viewing. Russell has made better films than this and I think you should stick to them instead of coming back to this one. Plenty will disagree, but that is how I feel about this film.
Grade: *** out of ***** |
| Rating | | | Date | August 09, 2004 | | Summary | Not one of Stiller's finest.... | Content
| I am a huge Ben Stller fan and was very excited to read the wonderful reviews on Amazon since I have never heard of this movie. I quickly ordered it and awaited the day when it would be delivered.
After the first 30 minutes, I was bored. I turned it off and tried again to watch it a few days later. Loving Meet the Parents and Something about Mary, this movie was NOTHING in comparison to either of them. Very dark, dry humor about ben's character going cross country with his wife, child, social worker and two policeman who come along for the ride.
I will admit that there were a couple of giggle moments (not laugh, giggle) but over-all, I was dissapointed with Flirting with Disaster.
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