In \Duplex,"" a young, successful Manhattan couple, Alex and Nancy, are in the market for a more accommodating residence. In what seems like a stroke of luck, they find a lovely duplex in the neighboring borough of Brooklyn. But there is a catch. An elderly Irish woman lives in the upstairs apartment and because of New York City tenant laws, she cannot be evicted and still pays the original rent of $88 a month.
Complicating the situation, the geriatric tenant is hardly cooperative. She lets her television blare through the night, constantly asks Alex, a writer in the midst of finishing his second novel, for favors and on top of that, owns a parrot named after her late husband Dick. She is manipulative and seemingly malicious, eventually irritating the young couple to the point of contemplating murder.
With Danny Devito directing and Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore playing the lead roles of Alex and Nancy, it would appear that ""Duplex"" has all the necessary ingredients to be a successful dark comedy. Consider Stiller and Devito's history in dark comedies. Stiller directed the dark comedy ""Cable Guy"" and has starred in many successful comedies. In addition, Devito is known for making these types of movies, most recently ""Death to Smoochy."" However, in the end, it seems Devito remakes his first motion picture, ""Throw Momma from the Train"" and Stiller reprises his role as the helpless nerd who gets pushed around.
There are some laughs in this movie. Watching Alex (Stiller) try to revive the old woman using mouth-to-mouth resuscitation while Nancy (Barrymore) pounds her in the chest with a clenched fist is amusing. Yet the script takes these stunts to a level of such foolishness that the movie seems forced and contrived. In one such scene, Alex sneaks around the old woman's apartment and is forced to hide in the bathroom while the elderly tenant takes a bath and pleasures herself.
Beyond the ridiculous plot twists, the problem with ""Duplex"" falls in the laps of the director and the stars. Devito's 1987 ""Throw Momma from the Train"" is basically a sharper and funnier version of ""Duplex,"" as Devito and co-star Billy Crystal struggle to get rid of Devito's old decrepit mother.
Stiller falls back on what has become his staple. He plays a pathetic dork who the audience watches dance around while everything falls. While this role has provided many laughs with ""Something About Mary"" and ""Meet the Parents,"" it feels stale in this movie, almost as if Stiller himself is sick of the role. Likewise, Barrymore adds no additional spark to the movie, as her usual cute charm does not shine so bright.
Ultimately, this movie feels packaged. In many ways it represents what is so bad about Hollywood movies today. It advertises big names, reuses material and proves to be just another paycheck for its stars.
