Duplex

In Danny De Vito's "Duplex," Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore play a young couple who buy a "dream apartment" in Brooklyn whose amenities include everything two upwardly mobile yuppies could possibly want: ample space, solid wood floors, three glorious fireplaces, and, above all, a quiet environment where Alex, a budding novelist, can spend his days writing in uninterrupted peace and quiet. Or so they think…for, unfortunately, the place also comes replete with what turns out to be the tenant from hell, a doddering old woman who lives on the second floor and who makes life miserable for the two of them with her continually blaring television and her constant intrusions into their daily lives. Finally driven to the breaking point, Alex and Nancy decide to take matters into their own hands in order to rid themselves of this human pest in any way they can.

"Duplex" is, essentially, a one-joke comedy and, as such, it does suffer from the occupational hazard common to all one-joke comedies of built-in repetitiousness. However, the writing has a surprisingly dark edge to it that lifts the film above the run-of-the-Hollywood-comedy-mill. I must confess to having a certain weakness for dotty old lady comedies, counting among my favorite films the original British classic "The Lady killers" from 1955. Eileen Essel is so delightful as the bete noire of the piece that it's hard not to fall under the spell of both her character and the film itself. De Vito, in a return to the black comedy form that served him so well in "The War of the Roses," keeps the comedy tough and brutal, even if it means bludgeoning the audience over the head a bit in the process. Stiller does his usual shtick as the put-upon Everyman, while Barrymore is able to use her customary cutesiness to full advantage as the sweet little ingénue driven to murder to save her own sanity.

"Duplex" is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, and I imagine that it would not win the stamp of approval from the AARP. Still, if you're in the market for something different in a mainstream comedy, "Duplex" just might fit the bill.

The writer Alex Rose (Ben Stiller) and his beloved wife Nancy Kendricks (Drew Barrymore), who works in an advertisement agency, want to buy a house and cannot afford an apartment in Manhattan, but they find a wonderful old duplex in Brooklyn for living. The house, which has three fireplaces, is a dream, the price is very reasonable and the only inconvenient is the existence of the old tenant Mrs. Connelly (Eileen Essel) on the second floor. Although aware that they can not move the old lady from her apartment, the young couple decides to buy the duplex. When they move to their new home, their lives become a hell, due to the nasty Mrs. Connelly. "Duplex" is a very funny black comedy, directed by Danny DeVito, who is a specialist in this genre. Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore show a great chemistry, but Eileen Essel "steals the show" in the role of a sweet & nasty old lady. There are two plot points in the end of the story that I liked a lot. "Duplex" is not a masterpiece, but make the viewer, who likes black humor, laughs a lot and is a good entertainment. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Duplex"

From the twisted mind of Danny DeVito comes this story in the style of "War of the Roses". Here, a nice NY couple finally find their dream home only to discover that they have a built in tenant. Not exactly what they were looking for but it really can't be that bad can it? The little old lady that lives upstairs turns out to be a nightmare and a half. In a variety of scenarios, most comical and some just plain, outright strange, the nice couple turn into psycho landlords and the nice old lady turns into the crazy bat upstairs. In the end, the twist comes as a true surprise. A hilarious, laugh out loud movie, this was really enjoyable and a must watch. DeVito has done it again and I can't wait to see what's coming next!!!

8/10

Not that it really takes much to be better than Death to Smoochy (which was really "Throw Momma From the Train" with Barney), but this movie is quite a bit better. It's more like "Throw Momma From the Train" in an apartment.

The movie has several HILARIOUS episodes dealing with Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore as they try to deal with and plot to kill their upstairs tenant. The movie had some GUT-BUSTING parts where I (and the rest of the theater) couldn't stop laughing. [One of those times where you laugh so hard and loud you miss the next 30-60 seconds of dialogue] The performances were great, especially the old lady and Ben Stiller. Drew Barrymore seemed to be miscast at first (or at least not a good match for Ben Stiller), but when things started picking up, she played evil pretty well (thank you, years of recklessness).

The end of the movie was a let down of sorts, as the ending was sort of abrupt. It dragged for the last third, but by the end had wrapped up for the most part with no loose ends. In my opinion, this movie was better than Smoochy, but doesn't hold a candle to THROW MOMMA. I'd still give it 8 out of 10. I'm definitely going to purchase it on DVD when it is released.

Who else but Danny DeVito could take a sweet little old lady and make a seriously funny sweet little old lady from hell movie that reminded me very much of Home Alone? Hmmm? Drew Barrymore, as sweet as ever, is sugar and spice and ready for some down to earth homicide, while the very demented Ben Stiller, like the twisted offspring of Chevy Chase and Jerry Seinfeld, slam dunks himself just short of his own demise. Hey, folks, Duplex is a seriously funny and entertaining piece of insanity from one of my favorite insane people, Danny DeVito. If you must have 'cinema' to be satisfied or you have no room in your heart for silliness, then you might want to skip this. Otherwise, drop in the DVD and buckle up. Duplex is ready for take off.