50
Metascore
31 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 70The New York TimesDana StevensThe New York TimesDana StevensA refreshingly mean-spirited gothic real estate comedy.
- 63Miami HeraldRene RodriguezMiami HeraldRene RodriguezIt's a mean little movie, but it's also thin and repetitive, a premise in search of a story.
- 50The Hollywood ReporterThe Hollywood ReporterMore demanding viewers hoping for the cruel wit of DeVito's "Throw Momma From the Train" or "The War of the Roses" will likely be disappointed by its lack of comic bite.
- 50The A.V. ClubScott TobiasThe A.V. ClubScott TobiasLooks and sounds like a black comedy, but by the time DeVito reaches the cutesy, nonsensical ending, he's lost the will to follow through on it.
- 50Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasIts drawback is that it's a one-joke affair, leading to a repetitiousness that makes the film seem overlong even at 87 minutes.
- 42Entertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumEntertainment WeeklyLisa SchwarzbaumRuns into construction problems, maybe from too many foremen. DeVito favors pushy slapstick; Stiller prefers hotshot sarcasm. Barrymore's comic talents are wasted; she's there for decoration.
- 40VarietyDavid RooneyVarietyDavid RooneySomewhere along the line, the comedy turned from dark and playful to mean-spirited and sophomoric. A waste of the considerable appeal and comic talents of leads Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore.
- 40L.A. WeeklyScott FoundasL.A. WeeklyScott FoundasCould have used two rangier lead players than Stiller (doing his patented aggrieved-yuppie shtick) and Barrymore (who's so perky you want to slap her); the 81-year-old Essell, however, is a wicked pleasure throughout.
- 38Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaPhiladelphia InquirerSteven ReaDuplex's tenant-from-hell scenario is as predictable as it is tedious -- a tinny, unsatisfying throwaway farce.
- 30Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonThis is a one-note deal, and it doesn't take long before you want to, well, just move out and leave these characters in their rent-controlled limbo.