Following
the mediocrity that was Death to Smoochy, I had hoped that director Danny DeVito
would rebound in a major way. Alas, his new picture Duplex never finds it's rhythm,
and even though it does have a few very funny moments, it's more mean and ugly
than anything else.
In
the dark comedy, Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore play newlyweds who think they've
found their dream home when they move into a sizable Duplex. Of course there is
a catch. In this case it's the elderly Irish woman living upstairs. The law prohibits
the couple from evicting her, so Stiller and Barrymore decide that letting the
lady live there should be nothing more than a minor inconvenience. Boy are they
wrong. Before long, this ostensibly sweet old lady is turning their Honeymooner
home into a living hell. So much so that Stiller and Barrymore begin to plot increasingly
diabolical ways to rid themselves of their terrible tenant.
With
Duplex, DeVito seems to be attempting a return to the films that made him a household
name in the directing world. Namely Throw Momma From the Train and War of the
Roses. Throw Momma From the Train certainly had a mean streak running through
it's veins but it was always funny. War of the Roses was even more vicious, but
it was a movie about a divorce gone bad and ultimately, it had a point to make.
Duplex doesn't know when to quit. Yes, it has funny moments including a sequence
in which Stiller installs the clapper in the old lady's apartment, so that he
can turn the TV off for her if she falls asleep with it on. It's an obvious gag,
but it works because of Stiller's expert timing. Unfortunately, the opportunities
for Stiller to bring his comic gifts to bear are extremely scarce.
Barrymore
is very cute, but she seems all wrong for this movie, but then I can't think of
a single actress that would have been right. Eileen Essel plays the sweet old
lady to the hilt, but this one-joke-movie wears thin all too quickly, and the
ending is an absolute embarrassment. It was a downright insult to the audience
and I didn't buy it for a second.
Danny
DeVito is much more talented than this. In addition to Throw Momma From the Train,
War of the Roses, and the wonderfully whimsical children's tale Matilda, he made
Hoffa, a beautifully crafted movie that featured one of Jack Nicholson's very
best performances. I get what he was trying to do with Duplex, but unfortunately,
it never works. Rather than being a return to form for DeVito, this is a movie
that belongs in the same league as Drowning Mona and Screwed, two weak films from
a few years back. Maybe I'm being a tad harsh. This is slightly better than those
misbegotten comedies, but not by much.
