BEFORE: Ben Stiller again, this time playing a screenwriter and junkie. The trend of self-absorbed people continues, apparently...
THE PLOT: The story of comedy writer Jerry Stahl, whose $6000-a-week heroin habit had him taking his infant daughter along on his drug runs and doing smack during TV script conferences.
AFTER: Don't have a lot to say tonight, but my planned Ben Stiller theme is turning into something else, and it feels like a downward spiral. In the land of Hollywood, where everyone is self-obsessed, what could be more self-obsessed than a drug addict? Someone who's always looking for the next fix, the next good feeling, the next personal or professional high, while his life is actually crumbling around him.
We've seen this before, on "Celebrity Rehab", and in the tabloids, and that book by James Frey. Some people just love taking their dirty past and airing it out, to show what personal demons they've overcome, and how they pulled out of their freefall and salvaged their life. The subsequent book deal is just icing on the cake, right? What a load of crap.
Am I supposed to feel sorry for this guy because he was forced to write comedy for a crappy show like "Alf"? Because he was in a green-card marriage and rejected attempts to turn it into a real one? Because he ruined friendships and relationships and was forced to work as a telemarketer and a fast-food cashier? Seems to me a much simpler solution was to never touch the smack to begin with, I'm just sayin'.
Ben Stiller just pulled off the asshole trifecta. Congratulations? While Jerry Stahl is now writing for shows like CSI. I guess that's more commendable.
The question, once again is - does this set of occurences deserve to be turned into a narrative film? Well, no, unless there is some value as a cautionary tale. But if a guy is making $5000 a week writing scripts and has a $6000 per week drug habit, I can't feel sorry for someone who doesn't see the problem with that math.
Also starring Maria Bello (last seen in "Grown Ups"), Owen Wilson (last seen in "Marley & Me"), Elizabeth Hurley (last seen in "Passenger 57"), with cameos from Fred Willard (last seen in "Youth in Revolt"), Janeane Garofalo (last seen in "Reality Bites"), Andy Dick (ditto), Connie Nielsen (last seen in "One Hour Photo"), Charles Fleischer and Cheryl Ladd.
RATING: 2 out of 10 typewriters
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