Flirting With Disaster is another entry into the long list of zany enjoyable movies. This movie goes in every direction at once and by the end of it all, it's not entirely clear which way is up and which way is down. Through it all the actors/actresses give fun performances that by no way would win an Oscar but are enough to keep and audience laughing and entertained for its duration. For all you wacky comedy buffs out there, this one's for you.
Mel Coplin (Ben Stiller) feels that the uncertainty and restlessness of his life stems from his adoption; he doesn't know who his real parents are and consequently who he is. His adoptive parents Ed (George Segal) and Pearl (Mary Tyler Moore) constantly ask why they're not good enough and in short time it becomes pretty clear why Stiller's character is the way it is. The Coplins are the parents that have every aspect of "parenthood" locked in and yet because of it all they're too crazy to do any kids any good at all.
So, Mel decides, with the encouragement of his wife Nancy (Patricia Arquette), he'll set out to find his biological parents. First things first, he enlists the aid of the adoption agency that set him up with the Coplins and they send over one of their agents, Tina (Tea Leoni). The trio sets out and bounce around from one horribly awkward situation to the next. Tipping over shelves full of ceramic models, silly acts of infidelity, and a baby that's going to be scarred for the rest of its life.
Mel's heart is put through numerous situations of torture when not only does Tina's agency send him to the wrong parents' house on their first try, but upon arriving there is accepted into the family within seconds. Movies like this thrive on small ironies and mix-ups and the laughs come along accordingly. When Mel finally does get to the house of his true biological parents he's got two gay cops in tow, an crush on the Adoption Agency worker, and a major complex.
As if this situation just isn't strange enough, his biological parents Mary (Lily Tomlin) and Richard (Alan Alda) Schlictling are some of the most eccentric people in the world. But you know what? Mel fits right in. At least until he learns about his new parents' past that the two Coplins can't believe. The whole situation comes to a boil including a rescue attempt by the Coplins to try and save Mel and company from almost certain peril.
While the acting isn't Oscar-winning it's at least creative and funny. All of the amazing talent comes together to form a perfectly-cohesive comedy that seems to have no end in sight. With veterans like Alan Alda, Mary Tyler Moore, and Lily Tomlin the movie would have much difficulty finding ways to go wrong. These three are hilarious in almost every way. Sadly, it's the younger performers like Stiller, Leoni, and Arquette that can't quite seem to keep the movie entertaining without the help of their veteran costars. But either way, it makes for one entertaining movie and should keep you entertained as well as teaching us a valuable lesson about our identities.
Namely this lesson is, it's not where we come from, but where we've gone that determines who we are and how we think. While Mel relishes finding out more about the people from whose loins he sprang, he realizes rather quickly that biological parents or not they're not the kind of people that he'd imagined they'd be, at least not exactly. Sometimes expectations are uncalled for and Stiller teaches us all by indulging himself in this chaotically funny movie about finding oneself.
If you enjoy Stiller and all the frenzied crazy-eyed comedy that comes with him than enjoy. This is as Stiller-esque as everything else he's done since. OR, if you prefer the classic comedy of the aforementioned veterans dig in. Either way and no matter your preference, you should be able to get at least a chuckle or chortle. I'll say a chortle; chortles seem to come easier. I don't know why.
"Flirting With Disaster" opens March 22, 1996 and is rated R. Comedy. Directed by David O Russell. Written by David O. Russell. Starring Alan Alda, Ben Stiller, George Segal, Josh Brolin, Lily Tomlin, Mary Tyler Moore, Patricia Arquette, Richard Jenkins, Tea Leoni.
