Post by StevePulaski on Aug 4, 2011 22:21:17 GMT -5
Rating: ★½
Envy might have worked for a twenty-two minute episode of Seinfeld or Still Standing, but as a one-hundred minute film it falls flat on its face. This is a boring, drawn-out, long, and agonizing film that just moves at a snail's pace, and doesn't make a strong enough attempt to be funny or creative.
The story follows Tim and Nick, (Stiller and Black) two best friends who work at the same job. Nick is constantly trying to come up with wacky get rich quick schemes, and he is confident that he has got a good one; a spray that makes feces from your dog evaporate into thin air. I'd buy one, and apparently, enough people do to make Nick an almost instant millionaire.
Nick offers Tim a percentage of what he makes off of the spray, but Tim backs out believing the idea is "stupid." Because he backs out and Nick becomes rich, Tim's wife (Weisz) is now angered by his act and believe that their life and their kid's as well could've been benefited by this.
The fun doesn't stop when Tim accidently kills Nick's new pet horse, and buries him in the front yard of his own home. Tim also befriends a lonely drifter at a bar nicknamed J-Man (Walken). The subplots and the antics don't seem to stop, and the laughter doesn't seem to start.
Every so often I cruise Netflix: Watch Instant just to see what movies are on there. Going through the comedy section is a risk some may not want to take. So much of Netflix: Instant is populated by lame, raunchy, and aimless b-movie comedies, loaded with nobodies, and seem to be made, wrote, and directed by nobodies as well. Envy belongs there with two no-name leads, and a cast of no-namers as well. Not Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Rachel Weisez, and Christopher Walken's names plastered all over its cover luring you into thinking what you're about to see may be a halfway decent film.
My point is that Envy is not something I'd expect to see on the film list of Ben Stiller and Jack Black, two well-known, and above-average comedic actors. This is just one unfunny scene after another, with characters that I simply can't believe. I wonder how Tim and Nick have remained friends when he is doing things like lying about Nick's horse and not supporting his ideas. It just makes no sense.
Christopher Walken and Rachel Weisz show up in the picture, giving mediocre performances, and they seem to sport the, now often, "collect the check" attitude towards this picture. Nobody seems to be very happy or very proud to work on such a project, and they all just want to get the thing out of the way.
There are two things that need to be said. The horse killing is an act of desparation on the film's part because, for one thing, the film knows its has a plot fit for a cheesy sitcom, and two, I think Ben Stiller has some sort of satisfaction deep-down having his movie character always harming some animal. This was also seen in There's Something About Mary.
The other thing is in eighteen months, could you really make enough money to buy a huge mansion, a merry-go-round, a horse, a huge bed, fancy flooring, and be able to pay servants? I don't believe it is ever said how much money Nick makes, but for one thing, it would need to be millions upon millions to afford the luxuries he buys. Because of all these flaws, Envy may leave you green in the face with its sour jokes and lame attempts at comedy.
Starring: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Amy Poehler, Rachel Weisz, and Christopher Walken. Directed by: Barry Levinson.
Envy might have worked for a twenty-two minute episode of Seinfeld or Still Standing, but as a one-hundred minute film it falls flat on its face. This is a boring, drawn-out, long, and agonizing film that just moves at a snail's pace, and doesn't make a strong enough attempt to be funny or creative.
The story follows Tim and Nick, (Stiller and Black) two best friends who work at the same job. Nick is constantly trying to come up with wacky get rich quick schemes, and he is confident that he has got a good one; a spray that makes feces from your dog evaporate into thin air. I'd buy one, and apparently, enough people do to make Nick an almost instant millionaire.
Nick offers Tim a percentage of what he makes off of the spray, but Tim backs out believing the idea is "stupid." Because he backs out and Nick becomes rich, Tim's wife (Weisz) is now angered by his act and believe that their life and their kid's as well could've been benefited by this.
The fun doesn't stop when Tim accidently kills Nick's new pet horse, and buries him in the front yard of his own home. Tim also befriends a lonely drifter at a bar nicknamed J-Man (Walken). The subplots and the antics don't seem to stop, and the laughter doesn't seem to start.
Every so often I cruise Netflix: Watch Instant just to see what movies are on there. Going through the comedy section is a risk some may not want to take. So much of Netflix: Instant is populated by lame, raunchy, and aimless b-movie comedies, loaded with nobodies, and seem to be made, wrote, and directed by nobodies as well. Envy belongs there with two no-name leads, and a cast of no-namers as well. Not Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Rachel Weisez, and Christopher Walken's names plastered all over its cover luring you into thinking what you're about to see may be a halfway decent film.
My point is that Envy is not something I'd expect to see on the film list of Ben Stiller and Jack Black, two well-known, and above-average comedic actors. This is just one unfunny scene after another, with characters that I simply can't believe. I wonder how Tim and Nick have remained friends when he is doing things like lying about Nick's horse and not supporting his ideas. It just makes no sense.
Christopher Walken and Rachel Weisz show up in the picture, giving mediocre performances, and they seem to sport the, now often, "collect the check" attitude towards this picture. Nobody seems to be very happy or very proud to work on such a project, and they all just want to get the thing out of the way.
There are two things that need to be said. The horse killing is an act of desparation on the film's part because, for one thing, the film knows its has a plot fit for a cheesy sitcom, and two, I think Ben Stiller has some sort of satisfaction deep-down having his movie character always harming some animal. This was also seen in There's Something About Mary.
The other thing is in eighteen months, could you really make enough money to buy a huge mansion, a merry-go-round, a horse, a huge bed, fancy flooring, and be able to pay servants? I don't believe it is ever said how much money Nick makes, but for one thing, it would need to be millions upon millions to afford the luxuries he buys. Because of all these flaws, Envy may leave you green in the face with its sour jokes and lame attempts at comedy.
Starring: Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Amy Poehler, Rachel Weisz, and Christopher Walken. Directed by: Barry Levinson.