Flirter avec les embrouilles

FLIRTING WITH DISASTER (1996) **** Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, Tea Leoni, Alan Alda, Mary Tyler Moore, George Segal, Lily Tomlin, Richard Jenkins, Josh Brolin. Hilarious and wickedly sharp satire about a young man (Stiller in a memorable turn) searching for his identity by trying to locate his biological parents while alienating his neglected and lovely wife (the yummy Arquette) and Leoni (simply wonderful) as his adoption broker. Fine ensemble cast (especially Moore in an inconoclastic poke at her image) and Alda (ditto). Subversive good, clean fun and seriously dysfunctional family values (thank God!) from filmmaker David O. Russell beating the Sophomore Jinx (in this his second turn at the helm).

This is one of the few movies I find seriously funny. Stiller, Leoni, Moore, everyone does a killer job, and humor emerges from a variety of silly-crazy and intellectual sources, so you can respect yourself when you laugh. Human neuroses give rise to a lot of sympathetic laughter. Most of it is human frailty and absurdity. Tea Leoni is hilarious, and does a great job of getting on your nerves, and trying to get into Stiller's pants behind his wife's back while still being completely neurotic and self-absorbed. Her psycho-babble is highly effective. Stiller plays the usual awkward introspective man who lacks self confidence. His parents are magnificent, and so are his 'real' parents. I loved it. highly recommended. What else are you going to watch?

`Flirting with Disaster' is definitely a typical Hollywood movie in many aspects but not in all of them. It fits the form of classical cinema or classical paradigm in that the director, David O. Russell, does not get distracted from telling the story with filmmaking techniques. It is a clear and precise comedy that never leaves the characters in action, and is done so in a way that works unlike many other films of this genre released today. The film is structured narratively, with a clearly defined conflict from the very beginning. Ben Stiller shines in his performance as a neurotic new father who is trying desperately to find his biological parents in order to name his newborn son. At one point in the film the viewer begins to become anxious and wonder if the same problem for the protagonist, Stiller, is going to continue on in the same form as it has in the past half of the movie, but luckily Russell then changes the flow of the film and brings it to a much more comedic finish than the first half.

The photography is shot in full and long shots throughout most of the movie. Russell must have used deep-focus shots when filming because the surrounding background is clear around the characters, using a wide-angle or short lens. The characters are never off of the screen except for a few instances when we see a plane flying or a car driving and then we have voice-overs. The dialogue is always continuous- there is never a break in the script which works well because the screenplay is well written and clever on its insights on the little inconveniences of everyday life. Although all of these events are too unbelievable too happen all at once, they are all real life comedic situations that could happen to anyone. When compiled together with this plot line, we have this film before us.

Although this is a typical movie in the sense that it does not break any barriers or do anything creatively in its techniques in telling the story, the plot and screenplay do enough justice in making the film entertaining for the audience and one of those films you can just sit down, relax, and have fun viewing because it makes sense and fits together. This aspect is not like many Hollywood films released today, with their gaping holes that leave the viewer feeling unfulfilled. Altogether this was a good film, even though it did fit many of the typical Hollywood stereotypes.

This film tells the story of a new father who decides to skip his adoptive father's sixtieth birthday celebration to find his biological parents.

"Flirting with Disaster" has a very happening plot, with new unexpected events every few minutes. It details a trip that goes wrong at every turn, some are innocent mishaps while some are truly disastrous. It illustrates Murphy's Law very well! The story is darkly humorous, it is not laugh out loud funny, but it keeps viewers entertained and engaged with a smile on the face. It is also quite interesting to see what many famous faces looked like twenty years ago. I can't quite believe the policeman is Josh Brolin, for example.

Mel Coplin has a child with Nancy but has yet to name him because Mel feels he cannot give a name until he has met his real parents. Mel approaches the adoption agency and meets Tina, who wants to go with Mel as he meets his parents. Mel, Nancy, Tina and the baby set out on a road trip to met Mel's mother. However when he finds that the agency has made a mistake it sparks a wider search for his real parents.

I taped this film because I have seen several other films by the same director and wanted to give this a shot on the strength of those works. I knew it was a comedy but had no other notion what it was about. At first the plot is worrying because it looks like a dumb road trip movie, however the characters and plot ensure it is more than just that. The plot is basically nothing more than a device for the characters to be themselves and provide the comedy themselves rather than just trough action. The comedy does also work through actions but many of the characters are well enough written to be funny within themselves.

The acting is good on the whole. Stiller gives his usual performance that will be familiar to anyone who has seen Cable Guy, Meet The Parents etc. Arquette is OK and Leoni is sexy if pretty uninteresting. Jenkins steals every scene he is in as the uptight cop. And on that point, how very refreshing to see gay characters in a comedy who aren't flaming stereotypes! Alda, Tomlin, Tyler Moore and Segal are all hilarious in their parental roles and do much more than just provide famous faces.

Overall I found this to be very amusing if not hilarious. The plot holds up well for a road movie but it's the well written characters who carry the majority of the film easily and regularly funny even if it is a little far fetched at points.