Duplex (2003)

Two talented actors - working with a pitiful script. Some nice shots of renovated Brooklyn brownstones (or is that the back lot in Hollywood?) Actually, I had a similar upstairs neighbor when I lived in a Brooklyn brownstone years ago. This lady must be related. She evoked absolutely NO sympathy - and made the entire attempt slightly creepy.

The couple had *zero* chemistry and I'm surprised I watched it to the bitter end. Must have been a slow TV night. The comic turn at the end was somewhat redeeming and provided a wry twist to an otherwise forgettable movie. I am glad I have found one nice thing to say about it. I am one of the few people in my circle who thinks Drew Barrymore has talent. I hate to see her in this drek.

Fmovies: 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.

Put this on last night not know anything about it and was pleasantly surprised. The plot was interesting and finished with a nice twist. Stiller and Barrymore worked well together and had a good chemistry, and it was a nice surprise to watch a comedy without too many attempts at silly slapstick.

There are very few laugh out loud moments, but I was smiling on a number of occasions. Definitely reminds me of War of the Roses, which is no bad thing, and the leads play it very well.

I liked the ending too, although I would have gone absolutely mental if I was them. Not what I was expecting at all. Anyone expecting the regular Ben Stiller comedy like Dodgeball will be disappointed but if you approach this with an open mind, you should be OK.

Overall, quite good and a well earned 7 out of ten from me.

Duplex fmovies. It's always nice to find a simple, pleasant comedy amidst the horde of mainstream moneymakers released every year. It's not that I have a distaste for epics or over-produced movies, but after viewing overwhelming films, it's always fun to view a simple one shortly afterwards. And if that's what you're looking for -- a simple, sweet comedy -- then "Duplex" certainly fits the bill.

Almost.

It's not evil but it isn't exactly sweet. Its premise sounds like the former -- it's about two landlords who try to kill their upstairs tenant, who is unable to be forced from the apartment due to contractual obligations. For Alex and Nancy (Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore), this is at first no problem whatsoever. They purchase a nice New York duplex and have no hesitations about loaning out the floor upstairs. Quoting the title of a film starring DeVito (the director), "What's the worst that could happen?"

Well, a lot.

At first, as is always the case, everything seems nice and dandy. They move in, buy some furniture, set up their new lives, and manage to relax a bit. But soon the "sweet old lady" their real estate agent told them about turns out to be the spawn of Satan. She is an Irish woman who is "somewhere between ninety-five and a hundred-and-five," lives by herself upstairs, plays her television very loud all night long, boasts about her passed husband and how great a sea fisherman he was in his day, calls Alex Alan and refuses to admit she's made a mistake, etc., etc. She calls Alex upstairs every day and has him run extravagant errands for her. Alex is a struggling writer with a deadline before his second book is due, so he tries to tell the sweet old woman that he can't help her out all the time. "But there's just this one thing," she says, and fits on an angelic smile in order to make him feel sorry for her.

But soon she's claiming that her landlords are trying to rape and murder her and the cops side with the woman. Left with nowhere to go, Alex and Nancy eventually succumb to their anger and decide they must put the hag out of her misery and take over the upstairs floor. Their excuse is that a baby is on the way, and they'll need the room, but by this time we sympathize with both of them and want to see this woman murdered anyway. Trust me, after you watch this movie, you'll be feeling the same way, too.

And I suppose that's part of the success of "Duplex" -- like other DeVito movies, it takes a seemingly appalling plot (see "Throw Momma From the Train") and, by advancing and developing its characters, and drawing us into their conflicts, has us relate to them. We want the hag dead, too.

Danny DeVito's directorial debut, "Throw Momma from the Train," (1987) was a simple dark comedy that borrowed its premise from Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train." Since then, DeVito has delivered a fair share of hits ("The War of the Roses") and misses ("Death to Smoochy"). One thing's for sure, though: all of his films have a distinct style of humor, and exploitation of the weakness of humanity, that separates them from the rest of the genre.

DeVito is able to make the audience relate with his characters and have them fantasize about doing similar things. "I'm so evil," Barrymore complains halfway through the movie. "Well, I have my fantasies, too," Stiller tells her, which is t

i think that this is an entertaining and very funny comedy from Danny DeVito, Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore are well cast, but the real star of the film is Eileen Essel as the old lady.

Stiller and Barrymore are a married couple who buy a duplex in Brooklyn, they then find out that there is an old tenant who lives upstairs, she then starts to cause havoc on their personal lives by playing the TV all night and getting Stiller to do her chores all day, instead of letting him write his new book. Then it gets too much for them and they decide it is time to kill her.

There are some very funny slapstick comedy moments in this film, especially the scene where Stiller and Barrymore are giving the old lady C.P.R,

There is also a nice twist at the end of the film.

Danny De Vito decides to narrate the beginning and end of the story, Overall a nice little comedy with some very good comic performances by the main cast, some very funny jokes and a good script, 8/10

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"