Why is this hilariously cringey exploration of toxic male selfishness so difficult to track down? Back in the ‘70s, the film was partly funded by a pharmaceutical company (it was the ‘70s after all). Now Bristol-Myers Squibb owns the rights to a handful of films including The Heartbreak Kid, The Stepford Wives, and the classic mystery movie Sleuth. And bizarrely, they won’t release any of them on Blu-Ray – probably because withholding in-demand products is just how big pharma operates. The same company was just sued for more than $6 billion for allegedly delaying a cancer drug in order to “avoid payments to shareholders.” Which, admittedly, sounds like a way more important issue than the availability of a Charles Grodin movie.
What makes this all extra-infuriating is that the crappy remakes of all these movies are readily available to rent or buy, including the Farrelly Brothers’ version of The Heartbreak Kid starring Ben Stiller –
– which completely negates the point of the original by making the protagonist’s bride a maniacal coke-fiend who, understandably, drives him into the arms of a beautiful stranger. Until this drug magnate comes to their senses, at least there’s a semi-decent copy of the original up on YouTube.
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Top Image: Palomar Pictures