Sometimes a filmmaker's second movie gets labeled as a sophomore slump. David O. Russell (Spanking the Monkey) shreds that fate with Flirting with Disaster, an outrageous, free-spirited comedy about private people forced into public situations. Mel Coplin (Ben Stiller) finds the opportunity he's been waiting a lifetime for: an adoption agency rep (Téa Leoni) has located his birth parents and the agency will fly him to California if they can record the reunion. With wife Nancy (Patricia Arquette) and new son in tow, the neurotic Mel is compelled to discover his origins, despite the protests of his neurotic adoptive parents (a wonderful Mary Tyler Moore and George Segal). To give away the plot any more would be a crime, but as the title states, Mel is on a collision course of Oedipal proportions. Russell, who made incest an intriguing black-comedy topic in Spanking, is very liberal with sex and permits dangerous situations. His characters mix it up at a moment's notice. The two women along for the ride are not just bit players: Leoni (Deep Impact) keeps her high-energy comic routine flying, while the grounded Arquette keeps the baby in arm, despite the mad wanderings of her husband. Stiller is a perfect comic foil. --Doug Thomas
(15 votes)
2.
Writer-director David O. Russell follows up his dark independent comedy SPANKING THE MONKEY with this hilarious romp about a man who goes on a quest to find his biological parents. Mel Coplin (Ben Stiller), a new father, is convinced that he won’t be able to give his son a name until he reunites with his real mother and father. So Mel, his depressed, neglected wife, Nancy (Patricia Arquette), and a sexy adoption consultant named Tina (Tea Leoni) set out to find them. By the time they reach the New Mexico home of Mel's true parents (Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin)--two laid-back hippie scientists who are in the LSD business--Mel’s marriage appears to be completely demolished. But the wackiness doesn't end there, since his neurotic, overbearing adoptive parents (George Segal and Mary Tyler Moore) arrive just in time to add even greater confusion to the mix.
Russell assembles a cast who have contributed greatly to the development of American screen comedy, and they throw themselves into their roles with great fervor. Commenting on identity, sexual and cultural prejudice, and the convention of marriage, Russell’s script is a farcical laugh-fest that is at once intelligent, fast-paced, and witty. His assured, grounded direction makes FLIRTING WITH DISASTER’s humor all the more outrageous and hysterical.
(15 votes)
3.
Coming soon!
(15 votes)
4.
This sexy all-star comedy was cheered by critics and audiences nationwide! In a quest to find his biological parents, Mel Coplin - joined by his wife and a sexy adoption counselor - embarks on a cross-country search for his roots. Yet as he careens from one outrageous situation to another, Mel finds himself tempted by the seductive counselor - even as his wife starts a flirtation of her own! By the time they meet up with his free-spirited birth parents, the whole situation is spinning hysterically out of control!
(15 votes)
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