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Sea of Strange

"Flirting With Disaster" is a wild romp directed by David O. Russell who burst onto the scene with "Spanking the Monkey" and has since directed "Three Kings" with George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg & Ice Cube and "I Heart Huckabees." He does a good job keeping us off balance and having each new scene and character provide something fresh.


Ben Stiller has developed into one of the United States' true comic stars. Son of Jerry Stiller & Anne Meara, his timing is edgy and his ability to portray confused discomfort in awkward situations is classic. With better known films like "There's Something About Mary," "Meet the Parents," "Meet the Fockers," "Dodgeball," "The Royal Tannenbaums" & "Starsky & Hutch," he's developed a large body of excellent work. As Mel Coplin, he's a quiet family man who has trouble making decisions, like naming their baby who was born months ago. As an adoptee, he starts out on a search to find his birth parents.

Patricia Arquette plays his wife Nancy. She recently was nominated for an Emmy for Best Actress in a drama for the NBC series "Medium" (a show that I watch every episode!). She's previously acted in "Holes," "Beyond Rangoon" & "Little Nicky." As Nancy, she seems to be the anchor for the movie, the lone island of sanity in a sea of strange.


As the Coplins, Mel's adoptive parents, George Segal plays the father. From classic films "The Owl & the Pussycat" & "A Touch of Class," his lone Oscar nomination was in 1966 as supporting actor for "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" with Richard Burton & Elizabeth Taylor. His comic sense is in full flare as he pushes and pulls with his wife in an ongoing struggle. Mary Tyler Moore plays his wife, self-obsessed, chronically uptight & full of complaint. Tyler's lone Oscar nomination came as best actress in the Robert Redford-directed 1980 film "Ordinary People." The buzz from this film was that she appeared in a provocative black bra that she does indeed wear well! :)

Mel Coplin is assisted in trying to find his birth parents by a psychology student Tina played by Tea Leoni. She'll soon be seen in "Fun With Dick & Jane" with Jim Carrey & Angie Harmon. Other films where I've enjoyed her performances are the serious disaster movie "Deep Impact" and the funny "Spanglish." Here her character is edgy and neurotic, a divorcee attracted to Mel, trudging to the bathroom in provocative black underwear. She has an uncanny ability to screw things up & continually throw monkey wrenches into what we think SHOULD have been easier.

Midway into the picture after Mel thinks he's met his father, a low-brow truck driver, and takes a driving lesson only to flatten a post office & discover his real parents are elsewhere, we run into two agents from the FBI & Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms. Josh Brolin, son of actor James Brolin, plays Tony who knew Nancy Coplin from high school. As an actor, Brolin has appeared in Woody Allen's "Melinda & Melinda," "Bed of Roses," & has "Into the Blue" out this year. His partner we discover is also his gay husband Paul played by Richard Jenkins. Jenkins will star with Leoni & Carrey in "Fun With Dick & Jane" and is best known for the HBO series "Six Feet Under." He was nominated as best supporting actor by the Independent Spirit Awards for this film. Both characters are a mix of the orthodox and unexpected. Brolin has a scene-stealer where he licks Nancy's armpit as her husband walks in. Jenkins has a scene-stealer as he's been laced with an overdose of LSD and flits around the countryside in his tighty-whities.


The Coplins eventually find their birth parents who are counter culturals making their living by selling LSD-laced decals of Ronald Reagan. One of the funnies moments is when Mary Tyler Moore misunderstands their last name "Schlicting" and calls them the "Sh*t Kings." Alan Alda, known for the long-running "MASH" TV series as well as films like "The Object of My Affection" with Jennifer Aniston & Paul Rudd and his recent Best Supporting Actor nomination for "The Aviator," plays Richard Schlicting, an old hippy who followed the Grateful Dead. His wife Mary Schlicting is played by Lily Tomlin to great affect. She's the perfect counter-cultural earth mother. Tomlin, whose lone Oscar nomination was for her supporting role in the 1975 film "Nashville" and was a delightful Golden Globe nominee for one of my favorite films, "All of Me" in 1984, was also nominated for Best Supporting Actress in the Independent Spirit Awards for this film. Both provide wonderful moments and keep the comedy pace bubbling. Their misfit punk son Lonnie Schlicting is played to great effect by Glenn Fitzgerald who also appeared with Ryan Gosling in the white supremacist film "The Believer" and in "The Sixth Sense." His maladjusted neurosis suits the film's wild comedy perfectly.


This is a film that keeps moving with overlapping dialogue & nonstop breakneck pacing. While the characters can be so strange that they border on the irritating, all in all it's a good piece of comic film worth checking out performed by an all-star cast. Enjoy!

Really funny, but may not play well on video

I saw this movie and was amazed by its unrepentant irreverence.However, as I read some of the other user comments here, I realize that I think the film plays a lot better if you see it in a theater or with other people (I saw it in a theater when it was first released) than if you watched it on video, alone at home. If you watch it alone, I can easily see how it might feel like it keeps you too much off balance and then seems off-putting and unsettling as a result. In my opinion, you need people around you to share the shock of some of the places the plot takes you to. (This is definitely a movie where I said numerous times, "I can't believe they're going to go there!" and, indeed, they go RIGHT there (i.e., over the edge).)The film has some gay characters that are depicted a bit unconventionally, which can be refreshing if you're gay. But if you're in the right mood, I think the movie can be a hoot for anyone.

IF YOU'RE A WOODY ALLEN FAN

If you're a Woody Allen fan you'll love this one because it's quite simular to an Allen film. You have Ben Stiller who's playing a very neurotic young man in search of his real parents. Although this is the basic plot; the real/underlying story is about a man who's not satisfied with his life, but is resurrected to excitment when he meets a beautiful, but strange woman. Great film. The cast is ALL STAR....and there are really good comedic performances here. Patrica Arquette for instance is great in her role as the supporting but getting fed up wife. If you like her in this film I would suggest watching LOST HIGHWAY where you get to see her in a very different kind or role (weird horror/thriller film..she goes topless in it also). As far as Ben Stiller goes you have to ( if you haven't already) see SOMETHING ABOUT MARY.

Hilarious and Neurotic

This movie had me laughing from the git go. Yes, it is VERY neurotic. Yes, the film is very independent. Get over it already!!!This is a good film, folks. The director is the same one who did Spanking the Monkey, If I recall, and once again, he does a fine job. The cast is also superb - and where else will you find Mary Tyler Moore showing off her bust, knocking back hard liquor, and performing wifely duties on her husband? Well? It even has Alan Alda and his winning smile.If you like independent films, you'll love this one. I think so anyway.

Brilliant acting and a hilarious script!

I was so surprised by this movie. I expected it to be funny, but in a different way. Subtle humour. But I was in stitches when I saw it. The situations and the characters involved are superbly put together to make for a side splitting movie. It's only about 80 minutes but that's great as it doesn't get tedious or boring at any stage. My favourite performance was by Richard Jenkins who was brilliant as the unfortunate '5th wheel' cop. The entire cast in fact, were impressive and a great soundtrack. I highly recommend it.

Very, very funny

This movie made me realize why I thought "Meet the Parents" was so empty.
Both basically have different versions of the same theme; trying not to be too embarrassed while meeting people who are about to be part of your family. This movie is just so light hearted with such colorful but realistic characters that it was impossible for me not to just absolutely enjoy. While "Meet the Parents" seemed to be more about forcing it's main character into public humiliation (which is something I don't find very amusing), this film allows a little bit of embarrassment to every character, and as a result the characters grow and understand each other. The plot twists because of how the characters would naturally react to a situation and not just for the fact of creating more laughs. There's a strong comedic balance here that makes you have actual care for the characters. I'm not sure why there aren't more films made like this, that don't rely on too many sight gags and bathroom jokes and just allow the personalities move the plot. After getting to know the people in this film, I wanted to watch the film go on for ages, just as I do all great comedies. To be fair, the ending did seem to come out of nowhere, but the ending didn't seem to happen too quickly. We are given a few quick shots afterward showing the lives of the characters after the end of the story occurs. The film also has a bit of a fate's destiny forcing the main characters together, and that, by the end, there are some firm yet awkward relationships that will repair themselves and create some larger family. Anyway, I'm just rambling.I saw THREE KINGS not too long ago, and I'm surprised by how diverse of a writer/director David O. Russell is. He appears to take a little longer than most directors in coming out with new movies, but it's easy to understand why when the films he makes are so different from one another.
He's not a director that's afraid of doing something different and challenging himself. Seeing THREE KINGS makes me respect this film so much more and vice versa. Oh, and in case you didn't know, this was one of the best reviewed films of '96. My personal rating: 9.5

Okay

The title to Flirting With Disaster is one that grabs you right off. It sounds like a great comedy, plus it really helps that it is directed by the wonderful David O. Russell and has several great comic actors like Ben Stiller, Alan Alda, and Lily Tomlin. The film is on the other hand a big disappointment. While Flirting With Disaster is far from being bad it is only decent while I had expected it to be great. the performances by Alan Alda and Ben Stiller are bother very good as is the screenplay but most things are from fair to mediocre. The plot centers around a young man who is married and has just had a baby who with his wife goes to find his real parents because he was adopted. Original Plot. Thank god the script is good.

Simply Awesome

This is one of the funniest things ever put on film. The story is totally unpredictable, every character is perfect, the cast is incredible, and every one of them completely "went with it", getting down and dirty.I can's say enough about Ben Stiller- the guy's great. Tea Leoni and Patricia Arquette are the other leads, and they are fabulous too. Will somebody PLEASE give Tea Leoni a major starring role, so she can win her Oscar? The supporting cast is great too- Alan Alda, George Segal, Lily Tomlin, Mary Tyler Moore. Wow.Rent this! Rent This! Rent This!

An adopted son's hilarious search for his "real" parents

This is a truly funny film with a galaxy of great performances from Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, Tea Leoni, George Segal, Lily Tomlin, Alan Alda and, especially, Mary Tyler Moore in top form playing against type as a neurotic (but lovable) overbearing mother. The laughs are genuine and frequent, and the director makes you really like these people.

Brilliant!!!

Comedies like this are a real rarerity, especially nowadays. You almost never see a movie thats this intelligent and funny. Ben Stiller is hilarious as the man who is traveling around the US to find his biological parents. Lily Tomlin and Alan Alda are hilarious as well as his biological parents. This is definately a must see comedy, and I very rarely give comedies good reviews. ***1/2 out of ****.

Forget the flirting�

After seeing an interview with Mary Tyler Moore shortly before the release of this film, I knew this was one film I might want to watch--never. She was literally gushing about a possible resurgence of her career, possibly as a mature sex symbol. But I decided not to overly prejudge based on that one extremely scary thought, so I went to the filmography: Ben Stiller in the lead (ouch), Tea Leoni (argh-thankfully not above the title), directed by David O. Russell (it just gets worse and worse).

Nothing of any note yet, let's get to the film. Neuroses, uncertainty, more neuroses--support bra humor, vomit humor incessantly crying baby humor. (add Tea Leoni-interruptus). It's like a bad Neil Simon play (that being worse than a regular Neil Simon play).

Sorry kids, but enough is enough. Not even funny in a 15-year old's dreams.

Total elapsed viewing time 11 minutes and 30 seconds.

Alternate title suggestions: Clear and Present Disaster, The Towering Disaster, The Poseidon Disaster, Disaster 1996, Spanking the Disaster, Disaster in Yonkers, Mad About You (whoops already taken by a similar attempt at dysfunctional, neurotic coupled-comedy).

Best armpit licking scene ever

Ben Stiller is once again out to "meet the parents" - his own parents this time - but doing so proves, well, almost disasterous. The film presents an amusing cross-section of white America. Ben Stiller plays another uptight role (a blend of the Ben Stiller from Reality Bites/Meet the Parents/Royal Tenenbaums). I laughed out loud a few times and grinned quite a bit too. This movie is not for the typical movie watcher who still finds Hollywood formula comedies amusing. If you loved the Royal Tenenbaums you'd probably like or love this film. And any movie with an armpit licking scene is worth watching.

Ben Stiller Never Ceases to Amaze

Sometimes, watching a Ben Stiller movie is like watching a car crash, you just can't look away or you might miss something. In this slightly chaotic film about a man trying to find the identity of his birth parents is a serious topic; but Stiller mananges to weave the characters carefully into a totally neurotic mis-adventure. You have to wonder what kind of daily experiences this man has had. How do you come up with a scene where a friend or is licking the underarm of his wife(Patricia Arquette). Does it happen in his circle of friends? I don't think this film was a big box office attraction, but I watch it over and over again just to see Mary Tyler Moore loose control because her daughter-in-law is nursing her baby and not wearing the right bra--warning her against the perils of an inadequate binding device. I highly recommend this movie just to rattle your cage a little.

Does anybody actually own a white Taurus, or are they all rentals?

Split down the middle about this film, I thought that this second outing by David O. Russell did not capture his full potential, but instead demonstrated his budding capacity behind the camera. I will begin by agreeing with my wife when she commented that this was one of the best ensemble cast films she has ever seen. Russell manipulated and moved his characters into the right places at the right time that always felt even. He controlled the screen and moved the story to levels that I never saw coming. He continually kept fresh images in front of our eyes, and forced his actors, and us, out of their element to progress the story. It was obvious that Russell was a master behind the camera and was able to ensure that no zigzagging occurred that would cause us to falter or loose sight of our goal. While there didn't seem to ever be a bubble in the movement of the characters and story, where I found most of the bubbles occurring were the actors that helmed the characters. While each have their own discreet method of acting, I somewhat felt that they all just didn't mesh well in this story. Stiller was humorous, but lacked the depth that his character needed for us to really understand his plight. Arquette was sympathetic, but again the depth factor was obvious and there were times where I felt that she just wasn't giving her full potential. She was in the scenes, but I knew that it was Patricia Arquette and not the character she was to be playing. I can honestly say 'ditto' for Tea Leoni's character. There was just something missing. Maybe they needed more back story, perhaps we needed to spend more time with them, or perhaps it was the way that these actors pushed their characters that just didn't seem to mesh with the rest of the film for me. The only actors that really went above and beyond their call in this film were the secondary actors. Mary Tyler Moore was well out of her element and loving every minute of it (and so were we), Alan Alda and Liv Tyler were perfect together, and the best buddy-cop scene ever in a film could not have been done by anyone other than Josh Brolin and Richard Jenkins. They did not only provide some of the funniest moments in the film, but their scenes stole the film literally from everyone else. I could have watched an entire film on just these two and their idiosyncrasies. That would have been funny.As I look back onto this film I try to think of why I was so conflicted about my feelings towards it. It had some elements that I just found hysterical and could see Russell's style, but then there were times where I felt the actors were just flubbing this film completely out of control. This was a family neurosis movie. What Stiller was trying to do was find a cure for his (and possibly his newborn son) neurosis. He thought that by finding his true parents he would be able to bring some closure to his life.This was the focus of the film, but as I watched him go through the motions around his psudo-parents, I felt we lost focus of this goal. Russell's direction accurately kept us moving along the path, but Stiller was no guide. His focus throughout this film was about as solid as ice on a spring day. There are parts where we know where he is going and he is doing great, but other times he falls through the cracks. Thankfully, he has the secondary characters to back him up and help him out of his pitfalls. This film was not a perfect fit for Stiller. I thought for everyone else (sans Arquette), they fit perfectly into their roles. Stiller just seemed out of place.A 'find-your-true-family' caper can be funny. Russell's 'find-your-true-family' caper is funny, but not hysterically funny. The humor could have been more adult and articulate. I thought this was a decent film, but it didn't blow me away as the other Russell films have. It almost felt as if he had calmed himself down for this film. He didn't seem as eccentric as he does in his later outings. Russell goes through the motions and does very well, but his cast is what ultimately brings this film down a notch for me. Stiller is not a fit, Arquette character could have been played by a mannequin compared to her, and Tea Leoni needed to get some hot Duchovny action … and soon! Again, I cannot thank the surrounding cast for their hard work and dedication because without them I don't think I could have survived this film. Russell's direction is ample, but Stiller's performance ruins. Overall, this is definitely a 'yheaah' film. Not quite a 'yea' and not quite a 'nea', but somewhere in-between. If you are a die-hard David O. Russell fan, I suggest checking this film out at least once to experience his power behind an ensemble cast (which again works well in I Heart Huckabees), but it doesn't deserve more than one viewing. Russell has made better films than this and I think you should stick to them instead of coming back to this one. Plenty will disagree, but that is how I feel about this film.Grade: *** out of *****

Great comedy, wonderful acting, brilliant script - a must see!

When I saw it for the first time, it was sheer delight. I mean, all the surprises, the goofs, the great dialogs, extraordinary cast, ironic situations, vivid rhythm and memorable characters! I liked most the unpredictability and the fact that the movie has in fact no "leading characters": all the main ones are almost equally important and present in their scenes and our memory. Now, the strange part is that when I saw it again, the riot was gone because I knew what was all about. But a quieter kind of enjoying its subtle irony remained anyway. Anyone would laugh (or at least smile) when hearing again a good joke, if it's really good.

Outstanding black comedy; one of Stiller's best

FLIRTING WITH DISASTER (1996) **** Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, Tea Leoni, Alan Alda, Mary Tyler Moore, George Segal, Lily Tomlin, Richard Jenkins, Josh Brolin. Hilarious and wickedly sharp satire about a young man (Stiller in a memorable turn) searching for his identity by trying to locate his biological parents while alienating his neglected and lovely wife (the yummy Arquette) and Leoni (simply wonderful) as his adoption broker. Fine ensemble cast (especially Moore in an inconoclastic poke at her image) and Alda (ditto). Subversive good, clean fun and seriously dysfunctional family values (thank God!) from filmmaker David O. Russell beating the Sophomore Jinx (in this his second turn at the helm).

Amusing with well written characters making it more than a road movie farce

Mel Coplin has a child with Nancy but has yet to name him because Mel feels he cannot give a name until he has met his real parents. Mel approaches the adoption agency and meets Tina, who wants to go with Mel as he meets his parents. Mel, Nancy, Tina and the baby set out on a road trip to met Mel's mother. However when he finds that the agency has made a mistake it sparks a wider search for his real parents.I taped this film because I have seen several other films by the same director and wanted to give this a shot on the strength of those works. I knew it was a comedy but had no other notion what it was about. At first the plot is worrying because it looks like a dumb road trip movie, however the characters and plot ensure it is more than just that. The plot is basically nothing more than a device for the characters to be themselves and provide the comedy themselves rather than just trough action. The comedy does also work through actions but many of the characters are well enough written to be funny within themselves.The acting is good on the whole. Stiller gives his usual performance that will be familiar to anyone who has seen Cable Guy, Meet The Parents etc.
Arquette is OK and Leoni is sexy if pretty uninteresting. Jenkins steals every scene he is in as the uptight cop. And on that point, how very refreshing to see gay characters in a comedy who aren't flaming stereotypes!
Alda, Tomlin, Tyler Moore and Segal are all hilarious in their parental roles and do much more than just provide famous faces.Overall I found this to be very amusing if not hilarious. The plot holds up well for a road movie but it's the well written characters who carry the majority of the film easily and regularly funny even if it is a little far fetched at points.

Roots

One of the most intriguing thoughts about anyone that has been adopted, and knowing about it, is trying to imagine what the real parents are like. Since much of the search will not happen until the adopted children reach a certain age nothing prepare them to accept the reality of how they came into this world and what motivated those parents to give them up in the first place.Such is the dilemma that Mel Coplin faces. He has been adopted by a Jewish couple, Ed and Pearl, who have done well in bringing him up; Mel is a well adjusted man. After his own son is born, he decides to track down his natural parents. With the help of a young woman of the adoption agency, Tina, he and his wife, Nancy, embark in a trip to find the parents he never knew.What seemed to be an easy task, Mel who is traveling with Nancy and the baby, plus Tina, turns out to be a complicated journey as the agency has botched the adoption papers and this quartet has to go through two sets of possible parents without any luck. When they finally get to the real parents, Mel is probably thinking if trying to meet his real family was worth all the trouble."Flirting with Disaster" is at times a road movie because of the many turns the story takes Mel and his own family. David O. Russell directed the film with great sense of style as he takes us along. Ben Stiller, who still had not made a splash in the movies, is impressive as the likable Mel, who gets much more than what he bargained for. Tea Leoni who is seen as Nancy, made a terrific impression on us when we saw the film originally. She proves here why she was destined for bigger and better things. Her inter action with Ben Stiller is the best thing in the film.The rest of the cast is excellent. Mary Tyler Moore's Pearl Coplin is one of the best things she has done in her career. She makes this woman real. George Segal, a great comedy actor with great timing, appears as Ed Coplin. Patricia Arquette, who is Nancy, doesn't have much to do because she plays Nancy, the most grounded person in the film. Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin are the real parents, who are former hippies from New Mexico and in spite of being older, they still are young at heart doing the same things they did when they were younger."Flirting with Disaster" owes a lot to David O. Russell who also wrote the screen play and is a natural for this type of comedy.

One of the greatest ever

I am amazed that this film is not in IMDb's top 250.I rented this years ago, back when video was around, and it was the only film I ever rented where I rewound the tape and immediately watched the whole thing again. Everything works. The cast is perfect, the writing is perfect. Most comedies are lucky to be funny -- Flirting works as an incisive story about a marriage going thru a tuff patch -- it could have been an excellent drama -- and as a screwball comedy. Is there another movie that does that? I can't think of one. This is a modern classic. It's awesome. It's unique. 20 years from now, will anyone remember Forget Sarah Marshall? I liked that film, but 20 years from now, it'll be lucky to be a footnote. Flirting will be remembered and watched. Trust me. Bringing up Baby wasn't a success upon release. But it's a classic that endures, and so will Flirting. One day, it will be in that top 250. Time usually corrects.

Highly underrated - One of the funniest ever

I can't believe that most people haven't even heard of this movie. It's one of the funniest movies ever made. I've spent so much money renting it that I finally realized I should just buy it.