Duplex

A ramshackle one-joke farce more likely to cause an upset stomach than generate belly laughs, Duplex is an Americanized variant of the English classic The Ladykillers, combined with a strong dose of director Danny DeVito's early misogynist hit Throw Momma from the Train. Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore play a New York yuppie couple driven to distraction by the intrusive, annoying old lady living in the rent-controlled upstairs of their newly-purchased Brooklyn brownstone. While they go to great lengths to send her packing, or--if that fails--dispatch her to the great beyond, all of their schemes (just as in a Road Runner cartoon) backfire. Obviously, the premise invites all manner of slapstick pratfalls and comic violence, with the young stars suffering a wide variety of humiliations, and DeVito serves everything up with his customary portfolio of weird camera angles and fisheye lenses (there's also a surprise twist at the close involving Harvey Fierstein as a real estate agent). But despite the strenuous efforts of everyone involved, Duplex is a dilapidated comedy with a resale value that is practically nil. Not recommended. [Note: DVD extras include both widescreen and full screen versions, a four-minute behind-the-scenes special, three deleted scenes, and trailers. Bottom line: a skimpy extras package--though it's always nice to have both formats for one price--for this laugh-less “comedy.”] (F. Swietek)