Rating: 
Summary: Some Jokers might think this isn't worth 5 stars
Review: This is an absolutely stunning, painfully funny film, shamefully underrated (see also 'Office Space', 'Dirty Work' for similarly overlooked comic masterpieces). I'm not such a huge Ben Stiller fan, apart from in 'Mary, and 'Royal Tennenbaums', but he is perfectly cast here, as a reticent man, forced into some horrifically uncomfortable public humiliations.
It wouldn't be fair to reveal much of the plot, but the climax of Stiller's search for his biological parents is pure gut-renching black comedy.
Don't believe the critics who give this anything less than 5 stars - this is top-quality entertainment, for those who like their comedy black, and on the dry side.
Rating: 
Summary: Great cast, weak script.
Review: Amazing cast of talented people who put in good performances despite the plodding script. Wow, if these top comic actors had better material this thing would have been dynamite. Instead, the few funny jokes you can all see coming a mile away. As an adoptee myself of the same age as Stiller's character, I can really relate to much of the truth in this movie. So I recommend this to grown adoptees as well as fans of the stars. Be sure to watch through the credits, some amusing scenes in there.
Rating:
Summary: Incredibly funny - SMART funny!
Review: Even though my comments will echo those of other positive comments listed on this site, I felt I HAD to put my two cents in, if only to get the "Average Rating" boosted so that more folks will check out this classic comedy. As you can see from the handful of negative reviews, it's not everyone's cup of tea - some people perceive it to be a somewhat grating experience. True, the humor comes out of putting people in very uncomfortable situations but, if you find humor in well meaning but neurotic people squrming and sweating their way through funny mishap after funny mishap, you will adore this movie. Everyone is fantastic in this film, though Tea Leoni, Alan Alda, and Lily Tomlin come close to stealing the show. Arquette is a sexy straight man (though she gets to earn some laughs, too), Stiller is his usual put-upon self, Mary Tyler Moore & George Segal have great cameos, and Josh Brolin & Richard E. Jenkins make for two unforgettable Feds. A ton of brilliant set pieces and memorable/quotable lines are served up by the very talented David O. Russell ("Three Kings," "Spanking the Monkey") in this, his second film as writer/director. I have no negative criticism to offer - it's hilarious every time you view it (and I've screened it plenty). Really, it's one of the best SMART comedies of the past decade. Folks looking for flatulence jokes, zany hairdos, and pop cultural references in lieu of witty dialogue will have to look elsewhere. I'd give it 10 stars if that were an option - I cannot praise it enough.
Rating: 
Summary: Not one of Stiller's finest....
Review: I am a huge Ben Stller fan and was very excited to read the wonderful reviews on Amazon since I have never heard of this movie. I quickly ordered it and awaited the day when it would be delivered.
After the first 30 minutes, I was bored. I turned it off and tried again to watch it a few days later. Loving Meet the Parents and Something about Mary, this movie was NOTHING in comparison to either of them. Very dark, dry humor about ben's character going cross country with his wife, child, social worker and two policeman who come along for the ride.
I will admit that there were a couple of giggle moments (not laugh, giggle) but over-all, I was dissapointed with Flirting with Disaster.
Rating:
Summary: Ben Stiller fans should not overlook this one
Review: I have friends who describe themselves as "huge Ben Stiller fans" but then stare at me blankly when I tell them Stiller's best movie is David O. Russell's 'Flirting With Disaster.' I'm not sure why this movie got overlooked by so many people. My guess is that since it pre-dates 'Something About Mary' by two years, the general populace had not yet caught on to Stiller's talents as 'the perfect comic foil' (to quote the apropros phrase used in the official amazon.com review). And when these friends *do* eventually see it, their response is unanimous: "Wow, how did I miss that one? Absolutely hilarious." Exactly. Beyond Stiller, you get the vastly underrated comedic talents of Téa Leoni. [Note to the Coen Brothers and others looking to re-create the Cary Grant-era screwball romantic comedy: Téa's your girl.] Plus, there are great performances by supporting actors Richard Jenkins (who seems to turn up everywhere), Josh Brolin, Patricia Arquette and an amazing foursome of Alan Alda, Lily Tomlin (both cast WAY against type), George Seagal and Mary Tyler Moore. The key to the movie is the director's touch - David O. Russell put together a stretch of three great movies: 'Spanking the Monkey,' this one, and then followed it up the promise of those two films with 'Three Kings.' Russell knows how to stage dark and/or subtle comedy (recall how Clooney, Wahlberg and Ice Cube came upon the secret map in Kings). You will love this film. And, by the way, you'll think of it whenever you drive by a white Ford Taurus.
Rating:
Summary: Ben Stiller fans should not overlook this one
Review: I have friends who describe themselves as "huge Ben Stiller fans" but then stare at me blankly when I tell them Stiller's best movie is David O. Russell's 'Flirting With Disaster.' I'm not sure why this movie got overlooked by so many people. My guess is that since it pre-dates 'Something About Mary' by two years, the general populace had not yet caught on to Stiller's talents as 'the perfect comic foil' (to quote the apropros phrase used in the official amazon.com review). And when these friends *do* eventually see it, their response is unanimous: "Wow, how did I miss that one? Absolutely hilarious." Exactly. Beyond Stiller, you get the vastly underrated comedic talents of Téa Leoni. [Note to the Coen Brothers and others looking to re-create the Cary Grant-era screwball romantic comedy: Téa's your girl.] Plus, there are great performances by supporting actors Richard Jenkins (who seems to turn up everywhere), Josh Brolin, Patricia Arquette and an amazing foursome of Alan Alda, Lily Tomlin (both cast WAY against type), George Seagal and Mary Tyler Moore. The key to the movie is the director's touch - David O. Russell put together a stretch of three great movies: 'Spanking the Monkey,' this one, and then followed it up the promise of those two films with 'Three Kings.' Russell knows how to stage dark and/or subtle comedy (recall how Clooney, Wahlberg and Ice Cube came upon the secret map in Kings). You will love this film. And, by the way, you'll think of it whenever you drive by a white Ford Taurus.
Rating:
Summary: This just isn't a good movie, and I like movies
Review: I like independant films, I like Ben Stiller and Patricia Arquette, and while Tea Leoni isn't all that consistent an actress I've always had the hots for her, so I thought this was a sure bet. It just didn't come through. Stiller's character is actually quite annoying, Arquette's role is a thin caricature, and Tea Leoni's character, even when she's running around in her underwear, is just too strange to bear. I wish I had liked this film, but the whole thing just fell flat. Find a better move to buy.
Rating:
Summary: Good movie, poor DVD
Review: I love this Ben Stiller comedy about a grown adopted man looking for his birth parents, traveling all across the country with wife, baby, and assorted others in tow, including Tea Leoni as an incompetent researcher going through a divorce. The picture quality on this DVD was awful to the point of being distracting. I've seldom seen picture quality this bad on a used VHS tape, never mind a DVD. I don't know what happened, but obviously mistakes were made. Too bad. This movie deserved a better DVD.
Rating:
Summary: Does anybody actually own a white Taurus...
Review: Split down the middle about this film, I thought that this second outing by David O. Russell did not capture his full potential, but instead demonstrated his budding capacity behind the camera. I will begin by agreeing with my wife when she commented that this was one of the best ensemble cast films she has ever seen. Russell manipulated and moved his characters into the right places at the right time that always felt even. He controlled the screen and moved the story to levels that I never saw coming. He continually kept fresh images in front of our eyes, and forced his actors, and us, out of their element to progress the story. It was obvious that Russell was a master behind the camera and was able to ensure that no zigzagging occurred that would cause us to falter or loose sight of our goal.
While there didn't seem to ever be a bubble in the movement of the characters and story, where I found most of the bubbles occurring were the actors that helmed the characters. While each have their own discreet method of acting, I somewhat felt that they all just didn't mesh well in this story. Stiller was humorous, but lacked the depth that his character needed for us to really understand his plight. Arquette was sympathetic, but again the depth factor was obvious and there were times where I felt that she just wasn't giving her full potential. She was in the scenes, but I knew that it was Patricia Arquette and not the character she was to be playing. I can honestly say "ditto" for Tea Leoni's character. There was just something missing. Maybe they needed more back story, perhaps we needed to spend more time with them, or perhaps it was the way that these actors pushed their characters that just didn't seem to mesh with the rest of the film for me. The only actors that really went above and beyond their call in this film were the secondary actors. Mary Tyler Moore was well out of her element and loving every minute of it (and so were we), Alan Alda and Liv Tyler were perfect together, and the best buddy-cop scene ever in a film could not have been done by anyone other than Josh Brolin and Richard Jenkins. They did not only provide some of the funniest moments in the film, but their scenes stole the film literally from everyone else. I could have watched an entire film on just these two and their idiosyncrasies. That would have been funny.
As I look back onto this film I try to think of why I was so conflicted about my feelings towards it. It had some elements that I just found hysterical and could see Russell's style, but then there were times where I felt the actors were just flubbing this film completely out of control. This was a family neurosis movie. What Stiller was trying to do was find a cure for his (and possibly his newborn son) neurosis. He thought that by finding his true parents he would be able to bring some closure to his life. This was the focus of the film, but as I watched him go through the motions around his psudo-parents, I felt we lost focus of this goal. Russell's direction accurately kept us moving along the path, but Stiller was no guide. His focus throughout this film was about as solid as ice on a spring day. There are parts where we know where he is going and he is doing great, but other times he falls through the cracks. Thankfully, he has the secondary characters to back him up and help him out of his pitfalls. This film was not a perfect fit for Stiller. I thought for everyone else (sans Arquette), they fit perfectly into their roles. Stiller just seemed out of place.
A "find-your-true-family" caper can be funny. Russell's "find-your-true-family" caper is funny, but not hysterically funny. The humor could have been more adult and articulate. I thought this was a decent film, but it didn't blow me away as the other Russell films have. It almost felt as if he had calmed himself down for this film. He didn't seem as eccentric as he does in his later outings. Russell goes through the motions and does very well, but his cast is what ultimately brings this film down a notch for me. Stiller is not a fit, Arquette character could have been played by a mannequin compared to her, and Tea Leoni needed to get some hot Duchovny action ... and soon! Again, I cannot thank the surrounding cast for their hard work and dedication because without them I don't think I could have survived this film. Russell's direction is ample, but Stiller's performance ruins.
Overall, this is definitely a "yheaah" film. Not quite a "yea" and not quite a "nea", but somewhere in-between. If you are a die-hard David O. Russell fan, I suggest checking this film out at least once to experience his power behind an ensemble cast (which again works well in I Heart Huckabees), but it doesn't deserve more than one viewing. Russell has made better films than this and I think you should stick to them instead of coming back to this one. Plenty will disagree, but that is how I feel about this film.
Grade: *** out of *****
Rating:
Summary: Too funny!
Review: This movie had be laughing all the way through. It's one of those movies you could watch over and over again and never get sick of. And you'll need to watch it over and over because everytime you watch it, you catch other subtle things that ultimately become more hilarious as you get to know what lies ahead. All I have to do is think about parts of that movie, and it lights me up. This movie is awesome and worth every penny. Richard Jenkins is a crack up, who also starred as Stillers therapist in "There's something about Mary", another masterpiece! This movie is beyond hilarious! I wish all comedies were this funny.
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