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Flirting With Disaster

Play trailer Poster for Flirting With Disaster R 1996 1h 32m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
88% Tomatometer 56 Reviews 69% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
Adopted as a child, new father Mel Colpin (Ben Stiller) decides he cannot name his son until he knows his birth parents, and determines to make a cross-country quest to find them. Accompanied by his wife, Nancy (Patricia Arquette), and an inept yet gorgeous adoption agent, Tina (Tea Leoni), he departs on an epic road trip that quickly devolves into a farce of mistaken identities, wrong turns, and overzealous and love-struck ATF agents (Josh Brolin, Richard Jenkins).
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Flirting With Disaster

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Critics Consensus

Darkly funny, solidly cast, and surprisingly thoughtful, Flirting with Disaster proved David O. Russell's Spanking the Monkey was no fluke.

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Critics Reviews

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Jonathan Rosenbaum Chicago Reader 06/14/2022
The results are watchable enough–sometimes funny, sometimes over the top–and fairly fresh, though also a bit calculated. Leoni has an interesting comic presence one would like to see in toothier material, though this certainly has a few bites. Go to Full Review Jason Bailey Flavorwire 04/09/2016
It's a road movie, and a family comedy, and neurotic Woody Allen-style rom-com, but none of those crisp, compact boxes can properly contain this wild, strange, unruly picture. Go to Full Review Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly 09/07/2011
B
David O. Russell has a twisted mind; I like that in a man. Go to Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review 09/20/2022
4/4
Russell’s deceptively wise film sustains those insane, out-of-touch moments of behavior and prolongs them, making the experience torturously funny, but rewarding on multiple levels. Go to Full Review Sheila Reid Women in the Life 05/31/2022
It's a hilarious lesson about accepting your family no matter how crazy they may be. Go to Full Review Mal Vincent The Virginian-Pilot 03/15/2022
3.5/4
It's well worth the trip that this wacky lot maps. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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thiago s @Thiagostone Mar 8 Filme fraco, o roteiro é fraco, as cenas são fracas, a história é ruim, o filme tenta trazer cenas de comédia entre casais, mas não consegue e falha miseravelmente, o elenco tenta ajudar mas não consegue, com tudo isso, eu não recomendo esse filme. See more P K 01/08/2025 Definitely not a mainstream easy watch, but amazing genre bending film from start to finish. All of the cast shines, but super kudos for getting Mary Tyler Moore to work wayyyyy against type See more Steve D 02/15/2023 The whole thing is too ridiculous and poorly written to work. See more Celeste B 12/24/2022 This movie is super underrated. It is excellent with an outstanding cast. The themes are hilarious - a must see! See more Diane B @BklynWriter 08/13/2022 Underrated comedy with the incomparable Mary Tyler Moore and Ben Stiller propelling us along with an all-star cast of wackos. You can't choose who your family is -- but you can be damn glad they gave you away. See more Kevin L @Lakeman 08/18/2021 Yeah, so I saw it finally, and seriously doubt I'll do that again. Ben Stiller is stiff as a board throughout. Leoni is a sexy stick woman. Patricia Arquette is fine but so lowkey, but we do get lots of nice b-cup cleavage. But I really could've done w/o Tyler-Moore's. I have never, ever understood the attraction of George Segal. Just another grumpy, neurotic 'What the hell are you doing? Are you crazy?' actor. Jenkins is good, but he always seems to be. Brolin isn't bad either. Seems like they wanted to make this some sort of wacky road with far-ranging types like the cornball 'honey hush-yo-mouth' southerner, the meathead trucker, the acid lab people w/ the lame performance by Glenn Fitzgerald as the uber-spoiled over-anxious gay son. But it didn't fit well together. For one, Alan Alda is NOT wacky; not for a long time now. Just not enough funny lines, scenarios, or performances. I liked it for the few laughs I got, a couple of the performances, and Arquette's breasts. We'll go with 2.8 stars See more Read all reviews
Flirting With Disaster

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Cast & Crew

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David O. Russell

Director

Ben Stiller

Mel Coplin

Patricia Arquette

Nancy Coplin

Téa Leoni

Tina Kalb

Alan Alda

Richard Schlichting

Mary Tyler Moore

Mrs. Coplin

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Flirting With Disaster

Flirting With Disaster (1996) Flirting With Disaster (1996) Flirting With Disaster (1996) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Adopted as a child, new father Mel Colpin (Ben Stiller) decides he cannot name his son until he knows his birth parents, and determines to make a cross-country quest to find them. Accompanied by his wife, Nancy (Patricia Arquette), and an inept yet gorgeous adoption agent, Tina (Tea Leoni), he departs on an epic road trip that quickly devolves into a farce of mistaken identities, wrong turns, and overzealous and love-struck ATF agents (Josh Brolin, Richard Jenkins).
Director
David O. Russell
Producer
Dean Silvers
Screenwriter
David O. Russell
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Miramax
Rating
R
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 22, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 7, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA)
$14.8M
Runtime
1h 32m
Sound Mix
Surround
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