Ben-Stiller Movie Reviews

This movie could have been really great. But, it just ended up being mediocre at best.
It's very stereotypical and predictable in it's portrayal of a bunch of twentysomethings living in an apartment together in the grunge era of the 90's.
Winona Ryder plays Lelaina Pierce, a freshly graduated college valedictorian who finds it impossible to find a job - or to choose between the two guys in her life (Ethan Hawke, Ben Stiller).
It's really just a grunged out version of boy (ethan hawke) loves girl (winona ryder) but is too afraid to tell her, so girl goes off with another boy (ben stiller) and boy confesses his love to her, afraid that he will lose her forever - and now she must choose.

It's not a horrible film. But it's nothing great either. If nothing else, it's a good keepsake of the grunge movement of the early nineties.

The first time I saw this movie was on HBO. But then I had gotten it on video and now DVD. It's timeless and still fits into today's culture. Since the 90's of course wasn't that too long ago. Winona Ryder who plays college graduate Lelaina Pierce who likes to make documentaries. She is making a documentary of her friends who are played by: Ethan Hawke (Troy), the funny Janeane Garofalo (Vickie), Steve Zahn (Sammy), and Ben Stiller (Michael). Each of them goes through their own troubles Troy's father is suffering from Cancer and is dying, Vickie worries that she might have AIDS, Sammy is struggling to tell his parents that he's gay...and Lelania is stuck in the middle of a love triangle between Michael and Troy. It's realistic thrown in with great comedy and a great cast and storyline. Not to mention it has a great soundtrack. (You may also try to see if you can spot another upcoming star Renee Zellweger in the movie :).

The DVD in itself is a great buy. It is in a widescreen format. And has theatrical trailers, and also production notes of the movie. If your a fan of the movie this is the DVD for you.

I Loved this movie! It had everything: comedy, realism, and the ability to make you laugh and cry. The acting is superb. Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, Janeane Garofalo, Steve Zahn and Ben Stiller are excellent.
Lelaina Pierce (Ryder) is the valedoctorian of her college and should have her entire life mapped out for her, but all she has is a job at a morning talk show called 'Good Morning Grant' where she makes barely enough money to cover her rent. (For all those Frasier fans out there Grant is well acted by John Mahoney who plays Frasier's father on the show.) Her best friend Vickie (Garofalo) has just been promoted to manager at the Gap, and her other friend Sammy (Zahn) is coming to terms with his sexuality. Troy (Hawke) is her other troubled best friend who is the lead singer of a band and is in love with Lelaina. Lelaina videotapes all her friends making a documentary about their lives and their troubles, and she meets a guy named Michael (Stiller) who she begins dating, and who wants to turn her documentary into a television show for the network he works for called In Your Face TV.
The movie has a plot that appears so simple, yet it applies to everyone everywhere. It tries to answer the question: what to do when you just get out of college and where should life go?
Lelaina is also trapped in a love triangle and has to decide who she wants to be with more: Hawke, her closest friend or Stiller (who makes an excellent directorial debut), someone who loves Lelaina but also wants to profit from her documentary.
There are cameos from actors such as Renee Zellweiger, David Spade, and Swoozie Kurtz (who plays Lelaina's mother in one scene).
This film is one of my favorite movies of all time and is one that should be more well-known. It also has a fiere soundtrack, featuring artists like the Knack (Sharona), and Lisa Loeb, so I highly suggest you buy that as well.
"There's no point to all of this. It's just a random lottery of meaningless tragedy and a series of near escapes. So I take pleasure in the details. You know... a quarter-pounder with chesse, those are good, the sky before it starts to rain, the moment where your laughter becomes a cackle... and I, I sit back and smoke my Camel Straights and I ride my own melt..."-Troy from Reality Bites...
SO BUY THE MOVIE!

Ben Stiller wrote, co-directed and worked in a movie that is as empty and devoid of content as the industry it portrays, which could perhaps have been the very point. The vein of the movie is very AustinPowers-like, although the jury is still out on which ones are funnier.

The premise of Zoolander is a rip -- a super model called Zoolander (Stiller) with IQ equivalent to his shoe-size finds himself at a cross-roads in life when he has a contender challenge his leadership position (Wilson). This makes him a good candidate to be hired as an assassin.

Makes for a fabulous ground to poke some fun at fashion and advertising industries, and there's a bevy of barbs that produce a handful of genuinely funny moments. Stiller makes more faces in this one flick than he must have made in his entire career, and its hilarious!

If you watch the flick after a Merchant Ivory or Michael Mann item, you'll be disappointed. It's light-hearted fun and in general I believe it succeeds. The pace of the movie is good overall, although on average the first half has more genuine laughs than the second, the latter getting exceedingly unbelievable and situational in content.

Yet, a pretty interesting rental for some light fun. Would I want to own this? I wonder.

Although it didn't get much play at the theater, Zoolander has become one of the top cult classics in just a few short years. The reason is simple - Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. These two together have never missed and Zoolander is no exception. Both have managed to create very deep and memorable characters that you will be quoting for years. This is one of those movies that's just full of lines from beginning to end.

I highly recommend this film to anyone - yeah, it's a little stupid, but that's the point of it. Even Will Ferrell couldn't steal this one. If you buy it, it's one of those you'll throw in every few weeks to get a fresh dose of Hansel, Derek and Mugatu.

I am still laughing about this movie, even though I saw it several days ago! I have never seen a film that makes simple-mindedness, male modeling and the fashion industry so entertaining.
This is easily Ben Stiller's most hilarious offering. Through mind-numbingly idiotic international male supermodel Derek Zoolander, Stiller both skewers and winks at the world's modeling/fashion industry.
The plot: As the Malaysian Prime Minister prepares to raise wages for his country's impoverished workers, the powerful fashion magnates who rely on cheap labor prepare to strike back. Fashion designer Mugatu is ordered to dispose of the prime minister via an extremely dimwitted patsy, who comes along in the form of Derek Zoolander.
Zoolander becomes the perfect candidate when he looses VH1's Male Model Of The Year Award to archrival Hansel (Owen Wilson), and becomes disillusioned with the fashion industry. But, that's nothing an orange flavored coffee drink cant fix! Life is like a video for Zoolander, whether carousing with similarly dimwitted friends, working in a coal mine or facing down archrivals in back-alley 'walk-offs'.
Words cannot describe the entertainment value of seeing Derek Zoolander, male supermodel, working in a coal mine with his father (jon Voight), played strangely like Christopher Walken. I almost fell off the couch.
There are few genuinely smart characters in this film, but their presences only serve to make the rediculous heroes (and villains) more hilarious. Christina Taylor plays Zoolander's love interest, an intellectual reporter with Time magazine who finds out about the plot to destroy the Malaysian P.M. Jerry Stiller plays the soft-hearted owner of Balls Models, a reluctant participant in Mugatu's scheme. Finally, Saturday Night Live's outrageous Will Ferrell plays Mugatu, the evil fashion designer who programs Zoolander to do the dirty deed. I don't understand how any of the cast made this movie-I would not have been able to keep a straight face.
Most of the extras in this film are, were or can be associated with the modeling/fashion/entertainment industry. Some are mentioned by name, but you can catch others if you are careful and knowledgeable about such things.
There is not enough space to gush about this movie. This is a simply a piece of comedic brilliance that should be seen to be believed.

Ben Stiller wrote, co-directed and worked in a movie that is as empty and devoid of content as the industry it portrays, which could perhaps have been the very point. The vein of the movie is very AustinPowers-like, although the jury is still out on which ones are funnier.

The premise of Zoolander is a rip -- a super model called Zoolander (Stiller) with IQ equivalent to his shoe-size finds himself at a cross-roads in life when he has a contender challenge his leadership position (Wilson). This makes him a good candidate to be hired as an assassin.

Makes for a fabulous ground to poke some fun at fashion and advertising industries, and there's a bevy of barbs that produce a handful of genuinely funny moments. Stiller makes more faces in this one flick than he must have made in his entire career, and its hilarious!

If you watch the flick after a Merchant Ivory or Michael Mann item, you'll be disappointed. It's light-hearted fun and in general I believe it succeeds. The pace of the movie is good overall, although on average the first half has more genuine laughs than the second, the latter getting exceedingly unbelievable and situational in content.

Yet, a pretty interesting rental for some light fun. Would I want to own this? I wonder.

Although it didn't get much play at the theater, Zoolander has become one of the top cult classics in just a few short years. The reason is simple - Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. These two together have never missed and Zoolander is no exception. Both have managed to create very deep and memorable characters that you will be quoting for years. This is one of those movies that's just full of lines from beginning to end.

I highly recommend this film to anyone - yeah, it's a little stupid, but that's the point of it. Even Will Ferrell couldn't steal this one. If you buy it, it's one of those you'll throw in every few weeks to get a fresh dose of Hansel, Derek and Mugatu.

I am still laughing about this movie, even though I saw it several days ago! I have never seen a film that makes simple-mindedness, male modeling and the fashion industry so entertaining.
This is easily Ben Stiller's most hilarious offering. Through mind-numbingly idiotic international male supermodel Derek Zoolander, Stiller both skewers and winks at the world's modeling/fashion industry.
The plot: As the Malaysian Prime Minister prepares to raise wages for his country's impoverished workers, the powerful fashion magnates who rely on cheap labor prepare to strike back. Fashion designer Mugatu is ordered to dispose of the prime minister via an extremely dimwitted patsy, who comes along in the form of Derek Zoolander.
Zoolander becomes the perfect candidate when he looses VH1's Male Model Of The Year Award to archrival Hansel (Owen Wilson), and becomes disillusioned with the fashion industry. But, that's nothing an orange flavored coffee drink cant fix! Life is like a video for Zoolander, whether carousing with similarly dimwitted friends, working in a coal mine or facing down archrivals in back-alley 'walk-offs'.
Words cannot describe the entertainment value of seeing Derek Zoolander, male supermodel, working in a coal mine with his father (jon Voight), played strangely like Christopher Walken. I almost fell off the couch.
There are few genuinely smart characters in this film, but their presences only serve to make the rediculous heroes (and villains) more hilarious. Christina Taylor plays Zoolander's love interest, an intellectual reporter with Time magazine who finds out about the plot to destroy the Malaysian P.M. Jerry Stiller plays the soft-hearted owner of Balls Models, a reluctant participant in Mugatu's scheme. Finally, Saturday Night Live's outrageous Will Ferrell plays Mugatu, the evil fashion designer who programs Zoolander to do the dirty deed. I don't understand how any of the cast made this movie-I would not have been able to keep a straight face.
Most of the extras in this film are, were or can be associated with the modeling/fashion/entertainment industry. Some are mentioned by name, but you can catch others if you are careful and knowledgeable about such things.
There is not enough space to gush about this movie. This is a simply a piece of comedic brilliance that should be seen to be believed.

Ben Stiller wrote, co-directed and worked in a movie that is as empty and devoid of content as the industry it portrays, which could perhaps have been the very point. The vein of the movie is very AustinPowers-like, although the jury is still out on which ones are funnier.

The premise of Zoolander is a rip -- a super model called Zoolander (Stiller) with IQ equivalent to his shoe-size finds himself at a cross-roads in life when he has a contender challenge his leadership position (Wilson). This makes him a good candidate to be hired as an assassin.

Makes for a fabulous ground to poke some fun at fashion and advertising industries, and there's a bevy of barbs that produce a handful of genuinely funny moments. Stiller makes more faces in this one flick than he must have made in his entire career, and its hilarious!

If you watch the flick after a Merchant Ivory or Michael Mann item, you'll be disappointed. It's light-hearted fun and in general I believe it succeeds. The pace of the movie is good overall, although on average the first half has more genuine laughs than the second, the latter getting exceedingly unbelievable and situational in content.

Yet, a pretty interesting rental for some light fun. Would I want to own this? I wonder.

Although it didn't get much play at the theater, Zoolander has become one of the top cult classics in just a few short years. The reason is simple - Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. These two together have never missed and Zoolander is no exception. Both have managed to create very deep and memorable characters that you will be quoting for years. This is one of those movies that's just full of lines from beginning to end.

I highly recommend this film to anyone - yeah, it's a little stupid, but that's the point of it. Even Will Ferrell couldn't steal this one. If you buy it, it's one of those you'll throw in every few weeks to get a fresh dose of Hansel, Derek and Mugatu.

I am still laughing about this movie, even though I saw it several days ago! I have never seen a film that makes simple-mindedness, male modeling and the fashion industry so entertaining.
This is easily Ben Stiller's most hilarious offering. Through mind-numbingly idiotic international male supermodel Derek Zoolander, Stiller both skewers and winks at the world's modeling/fashion industry.
The plot: As the Malaysian Prime Minister prepares to raise wages for his country's impoverished workers, the powerful fashion magnates who rely on cheap labor prepare to strike back. Fashion designer Mugatu is ordered to dispose of the prime minister via an extremely dimwitted patsy, who comes along in the form of Derek Zoolander.
Zoolander becomes the perfect candidate when he looses VH1's Male Model Of The Year Award to archrival Hansel (Owen Wilson), and becomes disillusioned with the fashion industry. But, that's nothing an orange flavored coffee drink cant fix! Life is like a video for Zoolander, whether carousing with similarly dimwitted friends, working in a coal mine or facing down archrivals in back-alley 'walk-offs'.
Words cannot describe the entertainment value of seeing Derek Zoolander, male supermodel, working in a coal mine with his father (jon Voight), played strangely like Christopher Walken. I almost fell off the couch.
There are few genuinely smart characters in this film, but their presences only serve to make the rediculous heroes (and villains) more hilarious. Christina Taylor plays Zoolander's love interest, an intellectual reporter with Time magazine who finds out about the plot to destroy the Malaysian P.M. Jerry Stiller plays the soft-hearted owner of Balls Models, a reluctant participant in Mugatu's scheme. Finally, Saturday Night Live's outrageous Will Ferrell plays Mugatu, the evil fashion designer who programs Zoolander to do the dirty deed. I don't understand how any of the cast made this movie-I would not have been able to keep a straight face.
Most of the extras in this film are, were or can be associated with the modeling/fashion/entertainment industry. Some are mentioned by name, but you can catch others if you are careful and knowledgeable about such things.
There is not enough space to gush about this movie. This is a simply a piece of comedic brilliance that should be seen to be believed.

Ben Stiller wrote, co-directed and worked in a movie that is as empty and devoid of content as the industry it portrays, which could perhaps have been the very point. The vein of the movie is very AustinPowers-like, although the jury is still out on which ones are funnier.

The premise of Zoolander is a rip -- a super model called Zoolander (Stiller) with IQ equivalent to his shoe-size finds himself at a cross-roads in life when he has a contender challenge his leadership position (Wilson). This makes him a good candidate to be hired as an assassin.

Makes for a fabulous ground to poke some fun at fashion and advertising industries, and there's a bevy of barbs that produce a handful of genuinely funny moments. Stiller makes more faces in this one flick than he must have made in his entire career, and its hilarious!

If you watch the flick after a Merchant Ivory or Michael Mann item, you'll be disappointed. It's light-hearted fun and in general I believe it succeeds. The pace of the movie is good overall, although on average the first half has more genuine laughs than the second, the latter getting exceedingly unbelievable and situational in content.

Yet, a pretty interesting rental for some light fun. Would I want to own this? I wonder.

Although it didn't get much play at the theater, Zoolander has become one of the top cult classics in just a few short years. The reason is simple - Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson. These two together have never missed and Zoolander is no exception. Both have managed to create very deep and memorable characters that you will be quoting for years. This is one of those movies that's just full of lines from beginning to end.

I highly recommend this film to anyone - yeah, it's a little stupid, but that's the point of it. Even Will Ferrell couldn't steal this one. If you buy it, it's one of those you'll throw in every few weeks to get a fresh dose of Hansel, Derek and Mugatu.

I am still laughing about this movie, even though I saw it several days ago! I have never seen a film that makes simple-mindedness, male modeling and the fashion industry so entertaining.
This is easily Ben Stiller's most hilarious offering. Through mind-numbingly idiotic international male supermodel Derek Zoolander, Stiller both skewers and winks at the world's modeling/fashion industry.
The plot: As the Malaysian Prime Minister prepares to raise wages for his country's impoverished workers, the powerful fashion magnates who rely on cheap labor prepare to strike back. Fashion designer Mugatu is ordered to dispose of the prime minister via an extremely dimwitted patsy, who comes along in the form of Derek Zoolander.
Zoolander becomes the perfect candidate when he looses VH1's Male Model Of The Year Award to archrival Hansel (Owen Wilson), and becomes disillusioned with the fashion industry. But, that's nothing an orange flavored coffee drink cant fix! Life is like a video for Zoolander, whether carousing with similarly dimwitted friends, working in a coal mine or facing down archrivals in back-alley 'walk-offs'.
Words cannot describe the entertainment value of seeing Derek Zoolander, male supermodel, working in a coal mine with his father (jon Voight), played strangely like Christopher Walken. I almost fell off the couch.
There are few genuinely smart characters in this film, but their presences only serve to make the rediculous heroes (and villains) more hilarious. Christina Taylor plays Zoolander's love interest, an intellectual reporter with Time magazine who finds out about the plot to destroy the Malaysian P.M. Jerry Stiller plays the soft-hearted owner of Balls Models, a reluctant participant in Mugatu's scheme. Finally, Saturday Night Live's outrageous Will Ferrell plays Mugatu, the evil fashion designer who programs Zoolander to do the dirty deed. I don't understand how any of the cast made this movie-I would not have been able to keep a straight face.
Most of the extras in this film are, were or can be associated with the modeling/fashion/entertainment industry. Some are mentioned by name, but you can catch others if you are careful and knowledgeable about such things.
There is not enough space to gush about this movie. This is a simply a piece of comedic brilliance that should be seen to be believed.

There's Something About Mary (1998) Cameron Diaz, Ben Stiller, Matt Dillon, Lee Evans, Chris Elliot, Lin Shaye, D: Bobby and Peter Farrelly. Brace-face softy/nerd Stiller finally gets the confidence of asking the girl of his dreams-a friendly knockout named Mary (Diaz)-to go to the prom, but an accident that leaves him incapacitated-physically and mentally-keeps him from seeing her again. Thirteen years pass, and he hires a sleazy undercover agent (Dillon) to track her down, who falls for her as well. Overly hyped moron-comedy, a Farelly Brothers collaboration that crosses DUMB AND DUMBER turf, is outrageous for two hours (having characters not trying to be funny but encountering embarrassments), and definitely hits the "gross guardrails". Diaz is more appealing than most as she smiles as much as possible, and Stiller and Dillon are very funny. Don't forget the unforgettable "hair-gel" gag ("Is that hair-gel?") and the zipper scene ("Is it the frank or the beans?"). Running Time: 119 minutes and rated R for nudity, crude sexual humor and language.

The Farrelly Brothers strike again with this gut splitting, knee slapping comedy that is sure to become a comedy classic. Cameron Diaz stars as Mary, the all around special girl that every guy is immediatley drawn too. As the title says, there's just something about Mary. Ben Stiller plays an old high school friend who was to take Mary to the prom, when an unfortunate zipper accident occurs in her house. We jump forward years later and Stiller enlists the help of private eye Matt Dillon to find Mary for him. While he does this, Dillon falls in love with her himself. Ben Stiller is a master at this. Look at all his work and you'll see why. Matt Dillon shines in a hilarious role that shows his not much seen comedic side. Cameron Diaz is funny, but not the funniest. She also needs to eat something. Fast. The real standout was Earl Brown as Mary's retarded Brother, and Lin Shaye as Magda, Mary's apartment manager. The film goes from one hysterical joke to another. I couldn't stop laughing. It's also always nice to see Chris Elliot on the screen. This is a non-stop gas that is sure to entertain all. Watch out for that hair gel scene. You've been warned. Go ahead and have a good laugh.

This movie is absolutely a sid splitter! The farrely brothers are the perfect people to do a slap-stick comedy! This moive almost made me die of laughter when I saw it in theaters. The things that they did to Ted was just hilarious!
In highschool, Ted lost a chance at happiness with Mary when he got his....junk...stuck in his zipper and now has to be in councling for it, and the doctor doesn't even care...so he hires a detective to find Mary so he can be wiht her. It turns out the guy it a real sleeze and lies to Ted telling him Mary is fat, has many kids and has just been shiped to Japan for a mail order bride. So Ted takes matters into his own hands and goes to Miami to meet her. And so the story unfolds Ted trying to win Mary over while other off the wall lovers of Mary come out and confess love for her.
A truely funny movie that will have anyone and everyone in stitches byu the time the movie is over and this edition as so many features that you can go even deeper into the comedy of this timeless movie!

There's Something About Mary (1998) Cameron Diaz, Ben Stiller, Matt Dillon, Lee Evans, Chris Elliot, Lin Shaye, D: Bobby and Peter Farrelly. Brace-face softy/nerd Stiller finally gets the confidence of asking the girl of his dreams-a friendly knockout named Mary (Diaz)-to go to the prom, but an accident that leaves him incapacitated-physically and mentally-keeps him from seeing her again. Thirteen years pass, and he hires a sleazy undercover agent (Dillon) to track her down, who falls for her as well. Overly hyped moron-comedy, a Farelly Brothers collaboration that crosses DUMB AND DUMBER turf, is outrageous for two hours (having characters not trying to be funny but encountering embarrassments), and definitely hits the "gross guardrails". Diaz is more appealing than most as she smiles as much as possible, and Stiller and Dillon are very funny. Don't forget the unforgettable "hair-gel" gag ("Is that hair-gel?") and the zipper scene ("Is it the frank or the beans?"). Running Time: 119 minutes and rated R for nudity, crude sexual humor and language.

The Farrelly Brothers strike again with this gut splitting, knee slapping comedy that is sure to become a comedy classic. Cameron Diaz stars as Mary, the all around special girl that every guy is immediatley drawn too. As the title says, there's just something about Mary. Ben Stiller plays an old high school friend who was to take Mary to the prom, when an unfortunate zipper accident occurs in her house. We jump forward years later and Stiller enlists the help of private eye Matt Dillon to find Mary for him. While he does this, Dillon falls in love with her himself. Ben Stiller is a master at this. Look at all his work and you'll see why. Matt Dillon shines in a hilarious role that shows his not much seen comedic side. Cameron Diaz is funny, but not the funniest. She also needs to eat something. Fast. The real standout was Earl Brown as Mary's retarded Brother, and Lin Shaye as Magda, Mary's apartment manager. The film goes from one hysterical joke to another. I couldn't stop laughing. It's also always nice to see Chris Elliot on the screen. This is a non-stop gas that is sure to entertain all. Watch out for that hair gel scene. You've been warned. Go ahead and have a good laugh.

This movie is absolutely a sid splitter! The farrely brothers are the perfect people to do a slap-stick comedy! This moive almost made me die of laughter when I saw it in theaters. The things that they did to Ted was just hilarious!
In highschool, Ted lost a chance at happiness with Mary when he got his....junk...stuck in his zipper and now has to be in councling for it, and the doctor doesn't even care...so he hires a detective to find Mary so he can be wiht her. It turns out the guy it a real sleeze and lies to Ted telling him Mary is fat, has many kids and has just been shiped to Japan for a mail order bride. So Ted takes matters into his own hands and goes to Miami to meet her. And so the story unfolds Ted trying to win Mary over while other off the wall lovers of Mary come out and confess love for her.
A truely funny movie that will have anyone and everyone in stitches byu the time the movie is over and this edition as so many features that you can go even deeper into the comedy of this timeless movie!

In the Company of Men was, of course, Neil Labute's first film. Your Friends & Neighbors is his sophomore effort.

"Controversial," ensemble-cast, "bunch-of-stories-interwoven together-style" style independent films seem like quite the trend lately. Think Happiness. Think Magnolia. Think ... well, I know there are a few others I've run across in the last few years.

Your Friends & Neighbors is one of the better of its kind. I liked it. But, with the exception of Jason Patric's mesmerizing, 4+ minute monologue in the sauna, there is nothing here that's quite at the level of In the Company of Men. It is not as concise, not as coherent, and the performances aren't quite as good, although I wouldn't say they were necessarily bad. It was a treat to see Aaron Eckhart in a role so radically diametric to his part as Chad in In the Company of Men. Jason Patric takes over the role of the evil, yet commanding and charismatic misogynist in this one. Unfortunately, although he's admittedly one of the most enjoyable characters in the cast, he makes less sense than Chad did, and I'm not entirely sure what purpose he serves in the film overall. My impression this time around was more just that, well, Neil likes including this kind of character for his own sake. I prefer such decisions to be a little more integrated with the overall project, however.

Although Your Friends & Neighbors is a relatively entertaining collection of stark, sometimes amusing, sometimes arrestingly uncomfortable intertwined vignettes, peopled by once-removed characters who house some very, almost upsettingly common human qualities, it just doesn't quite have the overall punch of Labute's first movie. The mood is similar, and the themes are similar (although broader) -- but everything is a bit scattered and seems to have little point. Which I suppose is, in its way, the movie's intention -- but I admire the clean, deadly swordstroke of In the Company of Men to this decidedly meandering, uncertain hodgepodge. Whereas In the Company of Men was an artful and challenging piece of writing and cinema, Your Friends & Neighbors is merely an illustrative look at a handful of dopey commonfolk. And another self-confident bad guy for good measure.

Still, Your Friends & Neighbors doesn't come without Bob's recommendation. It's just a recommendation littered with a few reservations. While not as admirable on the whole as In the Company of Men, Your Friends & Neighbors does, admittedly, have a bit more replay value, as there's a little more going on overall. It's an interesting movie, just not a great one.

The movie is not boring and the acting is good, but these are about the only good things I can say about this film. All in all this is not an easy film to watch and it leaves you with an unpleasant feeling, as if you have been part of something very repulsive. I have to add that the movie is, in some peculier way, thought provoking.
This is a story of six, very self centered people, who seem to be participating in the "ugly personality of the year" competition. No relationship of any kind - be it a married couple, friendship between two men or women -. is compassionate or meaningful. It seems that every character lives in a world of his own and manipulates other people for his own needs. Even the seemingly "weak" characters are understood by the end of the movie, to have been playing a game of their own where "weakness' is only a mean to achieve their purposes.
This is a story of a couple - Aaron Eckhart playing a very needy husband, endlessly showering his wife with gifts, who seems to be living his life through the stories of his doctor friend. He himself is having sexual problems with his wife, played by Amy Brenneman, who starts out as the nicest character in the movie. The wife however has her own agenda and by the last scene of the movie her perception is totally changed. The wife is having an affair with Ben Stiller, the husband's best friend. Stiller lives with a girlfriend, Catherine Keener - but this fact, or even his affair with Amy Brenneman does not stop him from picking up any woman in the neighborhood. Ben stiller is a drama teacher and it seems he likes a bit of drama in his everyday life. Catherine Keener is a tough independent character. She does not like her boyfriend talking during sex, and on the whole is perceived by the male characters in the story as a sort of emasculating woman. She is definitely doing her best not to be nice but by the end of the movie, you might argue that the people surrounding her do deserve her attitude.

The doctor, a friend of the two men (this is the one character that probably wins the ugly character competition) is obsessive about sexual power. The bed is some sort of a boxing arena for him where men and women fight to prove their power. Two memorable scenes in the movie are connected to the doctor - the first shows the doctor talking on the phone and meanwhile playing football with a fetus doll, throwing it around the room in what seems to be an accurate capture of his attitude towards the female sex (and its offsprings)- what an irony it is to see him in the last scene of the movie - about to become a father. The other memorable scene is filmed in the sauna where the doctor gives a long confession about a sickening sexual encounter he glorifies as his best sexual act. The viewer is torn between his wish to throw up and the amazing act of Jason Patric.
Nastassja Kinski is the last character. A confused needy artist assistant who falls in love with Catherine Keener. She is beautiful as ever, and her frail and different looks add to her role.
What makes this film so revolting is the lack of all human compassion, friendship, true love - all the elements of what we perceive as good qualities of human beings --- nothing here, just pure egotism and alienation between people.

by any stretch of the viewers' imagination! Director Neil LaBute does not seek to entertain, but to expose, in this morality play, I think.

There are six players in the film version of social-sexual arrogance. Initially, you view them with varying degrees of interest, but by the end of the film, you dislike all of them, some more than most.

LaBute, with slightly more budget than he had for his breakthrough debut, "In the Company of Men" (ICM), uses it wisely to attract excellent role-players, then films it well, in all indoor, and slightly claustrophobic settings. He continues his theme of the cruelty of the alpha male, to both the other sex, and his own male friends.

Although each of the actors plays well (I particularly liked Aaron Eckhart, playing against type and doing a "180" from his role in ICM, as a poorly groomed, chubby and needy husband and friend) there is no question that the film is sought out by film afficianados to observe the performance of Jason Patric.
From the opening scene, Patric makes your skin crawl at the depths of his ability to hate the fairer sex. His hold over Stiller & Eckhart's characters is resonant in the fascinating steam room scene. Patric, deliberately cruel, is self-assured enough to fall into reverie about his infliction of power in a past homosexual rape. His intensity and believability make you wonder why Colin Farrell is getting all the good roles when Patric is a far more powerful actor.

In this film, LaBute does not exceed his earlier work (ICM) but puts us on warning that he is a force to be reckoned with in filmmaking.

A caution; most filmgoers will abhor this film. My recommendation is to see it for the experience, not the entertainment.

This could have been a really funny movie, considering the talented cast in it. Unfortunately, it's fitfully funny, and the cast is mostly wasted. Therefore, it's mostly unfunny. It was amusing to watch Garafolo attack villains with her dad's head (encased in a bowling ball), with which she holds conversations.
But the rest are wasted--Hank Azaria as an effete British superhero, William Macy as a guy who carries a shovel, Paul Ruebens as some fella who attacks people with his spleen (I think you can figure it out, although I think a better name for him might have been the Bile). Dang, this really could have been a truly funny movie. As it is, I think most would be disappointed in it.

-- so, just sit back and enjoy it! Original, very funny andentertaining movie about a group of superhero-wannabes who bandtogether to save their city's real, yet commercially-sponsored,superhero (Greg Kinnear) from the clutches of the evil Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) and his Bee Gees-loving henchmen. Led by The Shoveler (William H. Macy)and Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller), the "Mystery Men" -- a misnomer since the group's person with any real powers is a woman (Janeane Garofalo at her sarcastic best)-- team up with a non-lethal weapons expert (Tom Waits) to save their city. Some really funny moments and memorable lines, especially from the Blue Raja (Hank Azaria), the "British" superhero who doesn't have a shred of blue in his outfit, and the "terribly mysterious" Sphnix ("Dances with Wolves'" Wes Studi). I would have loved to seen more development of Invisible Boy's (Kel Martin) character -- no pun intended -- but less of scenes like Spleen's (Paul Reubens) encounter with the skunk. The movie's message is obvious -- we identify with these heroes because they represent who we are. Bottom line -- rent it first, because you'll either love it or hate it. If ya love it, I'm sure Amazon can hook you up. If not, then take comfort that there are worse movies you could've rented. Peace!... END

Champion City is the home of one of the greatest superheroes of all time: Captain Amazing. Unfortunatly for him, his crime fighting skills have left him without any publicity left except for the odd toothpaste commercial. Reduced to fighting gangs at nursing homes and steadily loosing his sponsers, Captain Amazing comes up with a plan. Using his alterego, the millionaire Lance Hunt, he bids for the release of one of his favourite arch-villains to be released in the hopes of defeating him and gaining some much-needed recognition. Thus, Casanova Frankenstein is released.

But there is another level to the superhero regime: the Shoveller (whose weapon is various types of shovels), the Blue Rajah (who throws forks, has a fake British accent and still lives with his mum) and Mr Furious (whose power comes from his barely controlled temper and has trouble coming up with suitable comebacks) are all wannabe heroes, who usually emerge from a fight with black eyes. Yet when Captain Amazing goes missing, they agree that it's up to them to stop Casanova and rescue the city from whatever terrible scheme he's cooking up.

To do this, the boys need reinforcements: after a rather dismal audition for new recruits to the team, the trio install the Bowler, whose murdered father's skull she keeps incased in a bowling ball, the Spleen whose power comes from the awful potency of his flatulence, and the Invisible Boy...who can only turn invisible when no one's looking at him. Rounding it off is the Sphinx, who takes the superheroes in for some physcho-babble training ("control your power, or your power will control you", and so on), and Professor Heller, who provides the team with the non-lethal weapons he invents. Its a somewhat troubled team, but one that has the rousing speeches and slow-motion walk down cold - they just might pull this off!

In my opinion, "Mystery Men" is hilarious, and is the long awaited spoof of superhero comics that we've been waiting for. The reason the humour works so well is in the performances of the top-notch cast, who perform with such seriousness that even the most rediculous moments come across as likely senarios. There are many moments from comic books that are easily familiar, such as the Shoveller's inability to believe Furious's theory that Lance Hunt and Captain Amazing are one and the same because: "Lance Hunt wears glasses. Captain Amazing *doesn't* wear glasses. He wouldn't be able to see!" Likewise, the good guys' distain at the evil henchmen who don't even have a theme to their costume and the many wannabe-heroes that turn up to the audition are continously funny.

Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo in particular carry their roles across with droll humour, and Geoffry Rush looked as if he had the time of his life playing the evil Casanova Frankenstein. All the characters, such as the Shoveller's long-suffering wife, Furious's waitressing love interest, and the Rajah's mother fit into the movie perfectly, creating a "real" backdrop for the heroes to work against.

It won't be everyone's cup of tea, and I admit that certain scenes (such as the fork-sitting, Spleen's farting and the skunk encounter) could have done with a little editing, but it suited my sense of humour perfectly, and had just the right amount of mockery and reverence toward the comic book heroes that makes it one of my favourite spoof movies.

This could have been a really funny movie, considering the talented cast in it. Unfortunately, it's fitfully funny, and the cast is mostly wasted. Therefore, it's mostly unfunny. It was amusing to watch Garafolo attack villains with her dad's head (encased in a bowling ball), with which she holds conversations.
But the rest are wasted--Hank Azaria as an effete British superhero, William Macy as a guy who carries a shovel, Paul Ruebens as some fella who attacks people with his spleen (I think you can figure it out, although I think a better name for him might have been the Bile). Dang, this really could have been a truly funny movie. As it is, I think most would be disappointed in it.

-- so, just sit back and enjoy it! Original, very funny andentertaining movie about a group of superhero-wannabes who bandtogether to save their city's real, yet commercially-sponsored,superhero (Greg Kinnear) from the clutches of the evil Casanova Frankenstein (Geoffrey Rush) and his Bee Gees-loving henchmen. Led by The Shoveler (William H. Macy)and Mr. Furious (Ben Stiller), the "Mystery Men" -- a misnomer since the group's person with any real powers is a woman (Janeane Garofalo at her sarcastic best)-- team up with a non-lethal weapons expert (Tom Waits) to save their city. Some really funny moments and memorable lines, especially from the Blue Raja (Hank Azaria), the "British" superhero who doesn't have a shred of blue in his outfit, and the "terribly mysterious" Sphnix ("Dances with Wolves'" Wes Studi). I would have loved to seen more development of Invisible Boy's (Kel Martin) character -- no pun intended -- but less of scenes like Spleen's (Paul Reubens) encounter with the skunk. The movie's message is obvious -- we identify with these heroes because they represent who we are. Bottom line -- rent it first, because you'll either love it or hate it. If ya love it, I'm sure Amazon can hook you up. If not, then take comfort that there are worse movies you could've rented. Peace!... END

Champion City is the home of one of the greatest superheroes of all time: Captain Amazing. Unfortunatly for him, his crime fighting skills have left him without any publicity left except for the odd toothpaste commercial. Reduced to fighting gangs at nursing homes and steadily loosing his sponsers, Captain Amazing comes up with a plan. Using his alterego, the millionaire Lance Hunt, he bids for the release of one of his favourite arch-villains to be released in the hopes of defeating him and gaining some much-needed recognition. Thus, Casanova Frankenstein is released.

But there is another level to the superhero regime: the Shoveller (whose weapon is various types of shovels), the Blue Rajah (who throws forks, has a fake British accent and still lives with his mum) and Mr Furious (whose power comes from his barely controlled temper and has trouble coming up with suitable comebacks) are all wannabe heroes, who usually emerge from a fight with black eyes. Yet when Captain Amazing goes missing, they agree that it's up to them to stop Casanova and rescue the city from whatever terrible scheme he's cooking up.

To do this, the boys need reinforcements: after a rather dismal audition for new recruits to the team, the trio install the Bowler, whose murdered father's skull she keeps incased in a bowling ball, the Spleen whose power comes from the awful potency of his flatulence, and the Invisible Boy...who can only turn invisible when no one's looking at him. Rounding it off is the Sphinx, who takes the superheroes in for some physcho-babble training ("control your power, or your power will control you", and so on), and Professor Heller, who provides the team with the non-lethal weapons he invents. Its a somewhat troubled team, but one that has the rousing speeches and slow-motion walk down cold - they just might pull this off!

In my opinion, "Mystery Men" is hilarious, and is the long awaited spoof of superhero comics that we've been waiting for. The reason the humour works so well is in the performances of the top-notch cast, who perform with such seriousness that even the most rediculous moments come across as likely senarios. There are many moments from comic books that are easily familiar, such as the Shoveller's inability to believe Furious's theory that Lance Hunt and Captain Amazing are one and the same because: "Lance Hunt wears glasses. Captain Amazing *doesn't* wear glasses. He wouldn't be able to see!" Likewise, the good guys' distain at the evil henchmen who don't even have a theme to their costume and the many wannabe-heroes that turn up to the audition are continously funny.

Ben Stiller and Janeane Garofalo in particular carry their roles across with droll humour, and Geoffry Rush looked as if he had the time of his life playing the evil Casanova Frankenstein. All the characters, such as the Shoveller's long-suffering wife, Furious's waitressing love interest, and the Rajah's mother fit into the movie perfectly, creating a "real" backdrop for the heroes to work against.

It won't be everyone's cup of tea, and I admit that certain scenes (such as the fork-sitting, Spleen's farting and the skunk encounter) could have done with a little editing, but it suited my sense of humour perfectly, and had just the right amount of mockery and reverence toward the comic book heroes that makes it one of my favourite spoof movies.