Duplex

Miramax Films presents a Flower Films production

Starring: Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore

Directed by: Danny DeVito

Rating:*

Plot: A yuppie couple are searching New York for a new home and find what seems to be a perfect spot. A duplex where the up stairs resident is a sweet old Irish Catholic woman. So they take it only to realize that the sweet old woman is simply an annoyance they can never get rid of. Disgusting, annoying, almost painful and pointless crap ensues.

Acting: Ben Stiller is a funny guy. Meet my Parents even though it became very highly over rated did have its moments in which Stiller was very good. Zoolander even though altogether a horrible movie, Stiller had his moments. The movie I really loved him in was Mystery Men if anyone can remember that movie. Here Stiller is actually very funny. I think he finally figured out what he can go which is sarcasm meets physical comedy, really well done. Drew Barrymore I love she seems so sweet and cute and how can you hate her, well unless your watching the Charlie's Angels movies, but even those movies she's still sweet as candy. Here they got rid of that, her talents of comedy were looked over and they just had her there to be spat on and electrocuted. Then there was the old woman who was very good at playing a nasty old woman, but maybe she is just like that in real life. Who knows?

Directing/Writing: This movie is about 1/3 good comedy and then 2/3 horrible pain you don't want to go through. The good moments are one's where Stiller is actually being funny and things happen that you don't expect. The first half hour is very funny where Stiller and Barrymore work off of each other. The movie really looses it where the old woman upstairs starts asking for favors every scene. Its just horrible everything goes wrong for the couple, the old woman starts to ruin their lives by getting both of them fired and blasting the television at night. The one great moments is Stiller places a clapper device on her television and one night he and the old woman have a clap battle to shut her television off. The movie fails horrible in many of its sick jokes. Which include Barrymore losing her lunch on Stiller's face. Stiller watching an old woman strip. Other jokes including river dance. (Those jokes were a little old 3 years ago) Then once the couple decides they should kill the old woman things go insane. Any reality you thought this movie had just went out the window. People getting shot in the crouch with a gun. Hiring hit men, trying to collapse almost the entire duplex. They also add a scene in which the old woman is choking on a chocolate and for some reason Stiller and Barrymore save her by giving her mouth to mouth. The old woman wakes up and thinks the two were sexually harassing her. I know what your thinking, its along the lines of "What the fuck?" I said the same thing watching this. The best thing is the old woman reports this to a cop and he believes her. I was amazed, and then pissed off. The ending seriously also doesn't work your just left with a disgusting feeling and a serious hate for old people. I don't think Danny DeVito has talent for comedy. Why doesn't he direct a action movie or just a dark movie not exactly a dark comedy? He has a sense of style with the way he films and I enjoy that, but just get a script and stop trying to do comedy, now that I think about did DeVito direct Death to Smoochy? If he did he really does need to stop making comedies, for the sake of man kind stop.

Overall: If you see this movie good luck, you will not only be bored but you will become sick and hateful after the movie ends. Its quite an interesting feeling actually. Luckily for the people who haven't seen it I believe its almost going to be out of theatres. Thank god.