It doesn’t seem like all that long ago that two little known brothers from Rhode Island decided to put a spin on the typical and arguably tired romantic comedy genre. That was nearly fifteen years ago, and the launching movie was Dumb and Dumber, which has since etched the Farrelly Brothers into the upper echelons of comedy screenwriters and directors. Over the years their slapstick antics and gross out humor has been a staple in the comedy corner of Hollywood. With classics like There’s Something About Mary, Kingpin, Shallow Hal, Me Myself and Irene, and many others, I eagerly anticipate their latest films. But it hasn’t always been laughs, and like with all things good come the well, not so good. With flops like Say It Isn’t So and the short running TV show Unhitched, the Farrelly Brother’s reputation isn’t completely unscathed. Is this film going to break out hearts, or captivate our minds like kids?

The Heartbreak Kid is a remake of the 1972 film of the same name, of course with a more contemporary twist. Ben Stiller plays Eddie, the humble owner of a sports shop living the single life in San Francisco. After attending the wedding of an ex girlfriend Eddie realizes that he just may be a little indecisive when it comes to relationships. Later, while walking the streets and feeling sorry for himself, Eddie witnesses a mugging, the victim being Lila (Malin Akerman). After exchanging names and some small talk the two eventually begin dating, quickly becoming serious. The relationship is idyllic until Lila faces being transferred to Europe unless she becomes married, and with the pushing of Eddie’s father (Jerry Stiller) and his best friend (Rob Corddry) he decides to pop the question and the two are wed.

The two set off for their honeymoon in Mexico, and this is where the fun begins, almost instantly it becomes apparent just how mismatched the two are. From singing loudly to violent sex and the revelation of a past cocaine addiction, Eddie really begins to sweat. Upon arriving at the resort it’s discovered that Lila’s job is in actuality a volunteer position, and the wedding just might have been a huge mistake. Throw into the mix the vacationing Miranda (Michelle Monaghan) who is completely compatible with Eddie and you got an entertaining love triangle.

The Heartbreak Kid doesn’t stray far from the usual Farrelly brother’s formula, a few sick jokes, a reasonable story, and an ensemble of interesting characters. So it goes without saying that the movie is funny, it has some hilarious moments, but it almost seemed like the Farrelly’s aren’t trying anymore. You know the saying if it isn’t broke don’t fix it, I don’t think that applies to film. While the movie might seem like a ton of fun to a first time viewer, I’m not so easily taken. The same old love story from the Farrelly brothers has just changed settings and characters, but the formula is the same.

The story itself isn’t so bad, but it’s hard to feel sympathetic for a guy who’s running around with another woman on his honeymoon. But I decided not to look too much into the film, and take it for what it was. Enjoy the one liners and awkward situations just don’t expect much closure or absolution from the plot.

In closing, I’m going to recommend this movie, because the bottom line is its funny. It’s ironic, it’s silly, its Farrelly. But on the same token The Heartbreak Kid is one of their weaker films and it doesn’t stand up so well in their already impressive arsenal.

Video

Presented in 1080p 2.35:1 aspect ratio and encoded in MPEG-4, The Heartbreak Kid comes to Blu-ray with some great looking results.  Colors are extremely vibrant, but don’t bleed into each other, which was nice to see.  I don’t know if it was an overuse of makeup or an over vibrant color transfer, but many of flesh tones look very orangey.

The second half of the film treats us with some impressive looking backdrops, including beautiful sandy beaches.  Detail was very impressive here, with no visible edge enhancement.  I must say not one scene looked flat or dull; instead we are given an extremely sharp and 3D looking transfer.

Comparing this side by side with the HD-DVD version I can say it looks identical.  Compared to the DVD version however this is much better and worth the upgrade for fans of the movie.

Audio

Paramount has included a 5.1 TrueHD track, one that definitely surprised me when I first listened to it.  Unlike the usual comedy movie, Heartbreak Kid has a very active track.  The soundtrack offers up a decent amount of music, with each song sounding extremely rich.  Rear and sub channels are constantly used even during dialogue heavy scenes.

Like the video transfer the audio transfer is the exact same as the HD-DVD release, but offers a noticeable upgrade over the DVD.

Special Features

• Audio Commentary – The Farrelly Brothers offer an amusing commentary track
• Deleted Scenes – We are given six deleted scenes, none that add anything good to the movie.  It would have been nice to have an explanation to why the scenes were cut, but after seeing the cut footage, I can see why.
• Gag Reels (SD) — A short 2 minute gag reel which offers up some laughs.
• Featurettes (HD) –  We are given four featurettes spanning a total of 30 minutes.  As with most featurettes these cover the making of the movie alongside with cast/crew interviews and behind the scenes footage.  The best of these featurettes is the one titled “The Farrelly Bros. In the French Tradition” which covers the films creation.  The brothers are definitely funny, making this feature fun and easy to watch.
• Trailer

Final Thoughts

If I were reviewing this movie having never seen another Farrelly brother’s movie it would have been that much better. While there are plenty of memorable moments, it just doesn’t stack up to my expectations. For those of you who are just occasional moviegoers and want a good laugh check this one out. If you already know you like the movie, the Blu-ray is a great buy. Although not fully flexing its muscles in the audio department, the dialogue heavy film sounds as good as you would expect. The video is a crisp and fluent transfer; along with a couple entertaining features I recommend the disc to those of you on the fence. If you haven’t checked out the movie yet maybe you should give it a rent first.