A poor man's "There's Something About Mary"

Rating: 7/10 (6 October 2000)

This movie has its moments, but it underutilizes most of its cast (particularly Owen Wilson, Stiller and DeNiro) and as farcical plot device is heaped upon farcical plot device it drives towards a particularly boring and empty dramatic crisis, necessitated by the dictates of its formulaic and manipulative narrative. Fortunately that crisis lasts only 10 minutes, but while it's going on you really wish you were somewhere else. Stiller is excellent as always, and his performance, basically a reprise of his Something About Mary role of comical downtrodden everyman, is what really holds the movie together. The scene on the airplane, the car racing scene, and the final scene of the movie made me laugh pretty damn hard. It was definitely a good date movie--lots to laugh about afterward and lots to complain about.