Flirting with Disaster
Dir: David O. Russell
1996
***
David O. Russell's second feature is a cross between a Woody Allen farce and a national Lampoon Vacation comedy. If I'm being completely honest it is a complete mess but then I think this was probably the desired effect, a mad-cap bout of cross conversations and actors given free will to compete and compliment as they see fit. I think the script is a loose one with the actors given a bit of spontaneity elbow room, this works well and most of the actors take advantage of the opportunity but it is the seasoned actors who come out on top. Anxiety isn't always that convincing when it's played out by people in their late 20's/early 30's, not matter how stereotypical their Jewish parents are. It is Mary Tyler Moore and George Segal's neurotic parent performances and the brilliant scene whereby Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin, a pair of middle-aged hippies, try to calm Richard Jenkins, a narcotics detective who is along for the ride with his partner and boyfriend, played by Josh Brolin (who is in the other room licking (Patricia Arquette's armpit), who just been given a LCD laced roast quail by mistake. It's these great old school actors that make the film, it's just a shame the younger cast (but mainly Ben Stiller if I'm being honest) who let the film down. Stiller has been flogging this horse for a few years now in films such as Meet the Parents and other less impressive productions. Flirting with Disaster isn't perfect but it's very watchable.