Stiller's first complete film?

Rating: 8/10 (20 August 2008)

I really do enjoy Stiller's sense of humour, but until now I really thought that he wasn't capable of making a complete film. Usually the humour dies out half way through, the plot becomes boring, and I just want the film to end - having not regretted seeing the first half.
While this new film doesn't achieve anything "great" (think Dr. Strangelove, Annie Hall etc.) it is, finally, a complete film that succeeds from beginning to end. The characters are portrayed very well, the direction was obviously open ended enough to get a lot of good work out of the actors... the plot, while not spectacular, provides a good vehicle for the humour from beginning to end.
As a satire the film succeeds better in some areas than in others... near the end there are some particularly difficult scenes that are reminiscent of Apocalypse Now and The Prisoner that actually succeed somewhat. It is in this area that I find that most modern comedies fail completely, but Stiller and Co. manage to pull it off - just enough.
If you like this film, I also recommend "The Party" as they are very similar in some ways (though The Party is more subtle) and I can't help but think that The Party was a bit of an inspiration for this film.