Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Cody One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

OneEightNine Media Big trouble Well this was a bust. I just got done watching the 2001 live action Tick and saw what's his name is in this and he made an excellent Tick. But the dude is hardly in this mess. This is the type of film where you wonder who the heck signed off on this and why was it made in the first place. It is an unfunny comedy. I only laughed once. But on an interesting note this film has a few up and coming B-level stars in it. Long story short, this film is worth no one's time.

SnoopyStyle Eliot Arnold (Tim Allen) is divorced from his cheating wife, fired from his Miami Herald job and opened a struggling advertising firm. His son Matt (Ben Foster) hates him. Henry Desalvo (Dennis Farina) and Leonard Ferroni (Jack Kehler) are hit men in town to kill Arthur Herk (Stanley Tucci). Puggy (Jason Lee) is a drifter who decided to come to Miami for the Cuban food. He gets in trouble with two idiot ex-cons buddies Snake Dupree (Tom Sizemore) and Eddie Leadbetter (Johnny Knoxville). Puggy is living in a tree and witnesses Matt and his friend Andrew (DJ Qualls) sneak in to spray Jenny Herk (Zooey Deschanel) as part of a game at school. Arthur is an embezzler and makes passes at the housekeeper Nina (Sofía Vergara) behind his wife Anna Herk (Rene Russo)'s back. The hit men fire a shot and miss. Police Officers Monica Romero (Janeane Garofalo) and Walter Kramitz (Patrick Warburton) investigate. There's also a suitcase with big boom.It's a screwball comedy with limited comedy. There are a couple of cute moments that are chuckle worthy. The movie tries to replace comedy writing with a lot of quirky characters doing weird things in an interconnected crazy plot. They also set off a nuke smuggled onto a plane. That was never going to work post 9/11. It's questionable whether it would have work pre 9/11. The movie keeps moving from one character to another which keeps the audience from developing interest in any of the characters.

John Raymond Peterson Dave Barry's novel by the same name had me burst out laughing on the second page and did not let up much through the fourteen chapters. Robert Ramsey and Matthew Stone's screenplay adaptation was sufficiently close to the Pulitzer prize columnist novelist's book that it is in my top five movie comedies of all times. One should probably not use the expression 'of all times' unless one's been watching movies in cinemas when black and white movies were still being featured; exclude "Schindler's List" won't you. Suffice it to say I feel I use the aforementioned expression legitimately. Barry Sonnenfeld was the director who could, based on his credentials, ensure the movie did not miss the mark; it is as slick as his other very successful comedies.It won't matter if you don't care for Tim Allen or Rene Russo because in this movie they get top billing probably for having had that privilege in their career, and not because they have more important roles. There is a real ensemble cast of sixteen actors; Allen and Russo are merely two of them as far as I'm concerned. Allen's narration (movie has lots of narration) was perfect for the nature of the humour. Elmore Leonard raves about the book and so does Ridley Pearson. If that does not speak volume for entertainment value, nothing impresses you. I could not resist the cheesy pun.Stanley Tucci, Tom Sizemore and Dennis Farina are among the ensemble cast members I mentioned; movie lovers will usually consider any movie with Tucci in it and I'm no exception, as you must know by now if you've read a number of my reviews. To have all three actors in a comedy is almost irresistible. This is a 2002 movie that still holds up as of when I'm writing this review.I can't explain the lower than expected ratings from my usual sources; refer to an outline of the expression 'sense of humour' in my review of the movie "Due Date". If you don't think the movie deserves 7 out of 10 or better, 61% of the more than twelve thousand voters on IMDb did rate it 7 and better, I have a simple explanation: Deficient sense of humour notwithstanding, it's due to poor intellect and minimal cultural quotient of some voters. Only Kurtwood Smith a.k.a. Red Forman (for the fans of That '70s Show) could say it better… dumbass voters. I'm not concerned with offending anyone; those who should be offended won't read my review anyway.

ruggie_uk As others have stated in their reviews, this excellent comedy is one of the funniest films I have seen. It's over the top, slapstick, situational comedy at it's best. The casting and acting was perfect for this movie, Tim and Rene provided just the right mix of romance and hilarity. The hit men and Gator scenes are absolute laugh out loud classics and made me laugh the hardest and longest I ever have. It's a film that I mention whenever the topic gets to comedy films but it is one that everybody else seems to have missed. I'm not a fan of sequels usually as I prefer originality but I really wanted more after watching this work of art. Well done chaps.