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134 comments in total

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28 out of 39 people found the following comment useful :-
Very funny with some surprisingly empathetic characters..., 19 March 2004
Author: MovieAddict2009 from UK

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 then followed by images of him killing the old woman upstairs and smiling about it. He tells her his ideas. She grins. "You're evil, too!"

From a text standpoint, this indeed seems very evil, and appears as if it would be in a Stone ("Natural Born Killers") or Tarantino-written ("True Romance") movie. But when you're watching "Duplex," it all comes across as a joke, and it doesn't seem very cruel at all, and DeVito's ability to transform his audience into fantasizing sickos is sort of mildly genius if you stop and think about it. I'd never kill an old woman but "Duplex" is able to make us sympathize with its characters and agree with their decision. Now that's the sign of a good director if you ask me.

4/5 stars.

- John Ulmer

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19 out of 28 people found the following comment useful :-
crude but often amusing comedy, 27 January 2005

Author: Roland E. Zwick (magneteach@aol.com) from United States

In Danny De Vito's "Duplex," Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore play a young couple who buy a "dream apartment" in Brooklyn whose amenities include everything two upwardly mobile yuppies could possibly want: ample space, solid wood floors, three glorious fireplaces, and, above all, a quiet environment where Alex, a budding novelist, can spend his days writing in uninterrupted peace and quiet. Or so they think…for, unfortunately, the place also comes replete with what turns out to be the tenant from hell, a doddering old woman who lives on the second floor and who makes life miserable for the two of them with her continually blaring television and her constant intrusions into their daily lives. Finally driven to the breaking point, Alex and Nancy decide to take matters into their own hands in order to rid themselves of this human pest in any way they can.

"Duplex" is, essentially, a one-joke comedy and, as such, it does suffer from the occupational hazard common to all one-joke comedies of built-in repetitiousness. However, the writing has a surprisingly dark edge to it that lifts the film above the run-of-the-Hollywood-comedy-mill. I must confess to having a certain weakness for dotty old lady comedies, counting among my favorite films the original British classic "The Lady killers" from 1955. Eileen Essel is so delightful as the bete noire of the piece that it's hard not to fall under the spell of both her character and the film itself. De Vito, in a return to the black comedy form that served him so well in "The War of the Roses," keeps the comedy tough and brutal, even if it means bludgeoning the audience over the head a bit in the process. Stiller does his usual shtick as the put-upon Everyman, while Barrymore is able to use her customary cutesiness to full advantage as the sweet little ingénue driven to murder to save her own sanity.

"Duplex" is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, and I imagine that it would not win the stamp of approval from the AARP. Still, if you're in the market for something different in a mainstream comedy, "Duplex" just might fit the bill.

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20 out of 30 people found the following comment useful :-
Very Funny Black Humor Comedy, 25 December 2004

Author: Claudio Carvalho from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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"

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7 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
A pleasant surprise, 10 December 2004

Author: Hinksy from Derbyshire, UK

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.

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6 out of 6 people found the following comment useful :-
Nice Little Comedy, 4 September 2004

Author: Paul Kenworthy from Redcar, England

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

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9 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
A modern throwback, 22 July 2004
Author: TheatreX from Louisville, KY

Hey now, this is kind of a modern throw-back to the screwball comedies of the 60's, I guess, except I can't think of any movie where Doris Day barfed on Rock Hudson, or shot him in the willy. Times have changed. A young couple (Drew Barrymore & Ben Stiller) buy an apartment in Brooklyn and find out they have a tenant, a sweet old lady. Sometimes. More often, conniving, manipulative, and most of all, maddening. How I rate comedies generally depends on whether or not I laugh out loud while watching them by myself, and I did laugh quite a few times for this one, so that's a good sign. At any rate, after a long string of mishaps,many of which are hilarious, the aforementioned nice young couple decide that they need to do in their tenant. Easier said than done, of course. I won't say that Drew Barrymore is the best actress in the world, but Ben Stiller & whoever played the old lady are just great, and I found this to be pretty hilarious. The box makes some comparison to Something About Mary & Meet The Parents (the latter of which I have not seen) but I really hated Something About Mary and was hesitant to get this. I'm glad I did. Oh, and this is directed by Danny Devito, who got slammed for "Death To Smoochy".....which I also enjoyed. Guess I just like mean spirited humor, and there's a bit of that here too. Recommended.

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9 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
Danny DeVito is dark and evil!, 3 March 2004

Author: yossarian100 from usa

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.

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3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
If you loved the original 'Ladykillers', you'll like 'Duplex', 10 October 2005

Author: af40 from United States

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

'Duplex' is a surprisingly funny movie. I say surprisingly because I don't usually find Ben Stiller movies to be all that funny, and the addition of Drew Barrymore doesn't tend to improve a comedy's prospects. The little old lady in the movie is eerily similar to the little old lady in a movie called 'The Ladykillers' (1955). In that movie an elderly widowed woman -who looks astonishingly similar to the one in 'Duplex'- lives alone in a grand old house with her pet parrot, her beloved husband having been long-ago lost at sea. Although to the unsuspecting she may appear helpless and frail, there is much more vigor to her than meets the eye. (The two characters share so many similarities that were the movies not separated by half a century, I could have sworn the same actress played both roles). As in 'Ladykillers', we can expect the feisty multi-generian to focus prominently in the plot's developments, and, as might be expected, do a series of one-ups on her competition. Other similarities abound. One difference between 'Ladykillers' and 'Duplex', however, is that while in the former we immediately want to root for the little old lady, in the latter our sympathies lie closer to Stiller's and Barrymore's characters. Eventually, we realize that a more devious plot is afoot, but not before Stiller and Barrymore decide to take matters into their own hands.

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5 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Zesty fruit basket with salted cashews., 6 September 2004

Author: sethian79 (sethian79@yahoo.com) from olympia, wa

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Good movie that delivers the goods. Drew B. is looking good as usual and Ben S. is on the ball as always. De Vito does well behind the camera. One of the things that frusturated me the most was the fact that they couldn't kill the old lady and had to hire a hit-man at the price of selling all their stuff. The twist at the end was kind of cool, I didn't see that one coming.

Another thing that got to me was that none of the problems would have happened, probably, if Stiller would have just put his foot down at the beginning and told that old bag, "No." Or just not answer the door. And as far as the loud TV that kept them up at night, they should have gone up there and demanded she turn it down. Other then those few frusturating things, this movie is fun and i would like to see it again.

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2 out of 2 people found the following comment useful :-
If you liked The Money Pit, you'll like this, 5 October 2003

Author: CourageEditor

I read reviews from "supposed experts" of the movie business before going to see this. I didn't believe their put-downs about this movie because the premise sounded unique and I love the actors that were in the movie so I thought it at least deserved a shot. The only dull thing in the movie is the opening sequence of animation, but beyond that the suspense keeps rising and so does your laughter. Sometimes you want to strangle the old lady and sometimes you want to help her. If you don't like vomiting and messy chocolate be forewarned. The end of the movie twists as you would have never guessed. I recommend this for anyone to see unless your a snobby movie critic or bellow the age of 12.Its too bad Eileen "plays the old lady" can't win an academy award for her performance. It was very good, without her the movie wouldn't of been as great as it was.

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