Thursday Morning Poll for August 27, 2008

Paul Clark — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Now that Tropic Thunder has ruled as America’s top grossing movie for two straight weekends, it’s clear that the Ben Stiller name still means box office. Yet amidst the hype for Robert Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise (and the free press courtesy of mental health advocates), it’s easy to forget that Stiller directed the film in addition to starring in it. But for all the audience love that Tropic Thunder has received so far, the Stiller-directed film that reigns supreme in the hearts of Screengrab readers is 2001’s Zoolander, which outpaced Tropic Thunder (35% to 25%) in last week’s poll. Coming in third with 20% was Stiller’s underappreciated dark comedy The Cable Guy, with Reality Bites and the pilot for the never-picked-up series Heat Vision and Jack bringing up the rear.

This week, in conjunction with the recent release of Woody Allen’s Vicky Cristina Barcelona, we take a look at the Woodman’s European period. Following a long career as the cinematic spokesperson for the neurotic, affluent New York mentality, Allen’s has made his last four films overseas with predominantly non-American crews and casts, Scarlett Johansson notwithstanding. For this week’s Thursday Morning Poll, we’re asking you which of Allen’s European films you prefer, taking into account his last four completed projects and an “early, funny” classic that also got made primarily outside the United States. So, which is your favorite?

Favorite European Woody Allen film? | BuzzDash

As always, the comments section is open. See you next week!

Movies We Missed: Flirting With Disaster (1996)

Peter Smith — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 18:00:00 GMT

Americans will still pay to see Ben Stiller run his shtick into the ground, judging from the healthy box-office return for The Heartbreak Kid. But we have to look back over a decade to remember when we actually thought Ben Stiller was funny, and before we got a little sick of him playing another neurotic little guy in an impossible situation.

Why we missed it: Director David O. Russell wasn’t yet famous for films like Three Kings or for trying to set Lily Tomlin on fire verbally with a string of f-bombs.

Stiller himself had only achieved cult status for his short-lived sketch-comedy show and modest acclaim for his directorial debut, Reality Bites, when this film came out.

Why we should have known: A cast that included Patricia Arquette, Tea Leoni, Alan Alda, Josh Brolin and Mary Tyler Moore on a minimal budget should have given some indication that this was probably a good script.

The concept — an adopted and (surprise!) neurotic man’s quest to find his real parents accompanied by his pregnant wife, a sexy-but-incompetent case worker and a documentary-film crew — is a great one.

Why we ended up kicking ourselves: Stiller is clearly the right man for this role. Nobody has played a more believable well-meaning-but-ultimately-doomed Jewish guy since Woody Allen invented the role years earlier. His reactions, timing and ability to pull off physical comedy are all perfect here.

Patricia Arquette and Tea Leoni are both genuinely funny. Their half-hearted attempts to win Stiller’s affection create many funny moments and also give the film a little heart.

Russell’s script stays sharp, creative and original throughout the film.

The film’s final sequence involving a pair of gay, vacationing cops, Stiller’s wife, lover, birth parents, adopted parents, newfound brother and some heavy doses of LSD is unforgettable and absolutely hilarious.

Why we may have been better off without it: This role sparked a dozen just like it for Stiller, including real gems like Duplex, Along Came Polly and Meet the Fockers. Reviews that included the word 'genius' seem to be the only ones that David O. Russell read or believed in.

— Bryan Whitefield

The Screengrab : reality bites

Thursday Morning Poll for August 27, 2008

Movies We Missed: Flirting With Disaster (1996)