Film
The Heartbreak Kid
Other titles called The Heartbreak Kid: the 1972 film.
Ben Stiller's 40-year-old bachelor marries impulsively, then meets someone better during his honeymoon and has to choose between his nightmare wife and genuine connection. It's a broad romantic comedy that swings between cringe, slapstick, and sincere moments—funny enough if you're in the mood, grounded by Stiller's specific brand of awkward charm.
If you liked this
There's Something About Mary1998
The Farrelly Brothers at their peak, with Cameron Diaz magnetic and hilarious, Matt Dillon perfectly pathetic, and genuinely inventive gags that still land. Pure comedic joy.
But If you find gross-out humour tiresome or dated, this is ninety minutes of semen jokes and bodily functions. It's a lot.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall2008
Jason Segel vulnerable and funny as a man rebuilding after heartbreak, with Kristen Bell, Mila Kunis, and Russell Brand all perfectly cast. Smart, warm, genuinely romantic underneath.
But The plot is predictable from the start. If you need surprise, this won't deliver it.

I Love You, Man2009
Paul Rudd and John Favreau have an easy, believable chemistry. It's a romance that's also a buddy comedy, with real heart and surprisingly touching moments about connection and vulnerability.
But The supporting characters are thin, and the second half loses some momentum. It drifts into familiar rom-com beats.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Heartbreak Kid
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Punch-Drunk Love2002
Both centre on men in emotional crisis recognizing genuine feeling during a moment of relationship chaos, but this one treats that reckoning as something profound rather than comedic.
Paul Thomas Anderson's only romantic comedy, starring Adam Sandler as a lonely, angry man seeking connection. It's visually stunning, emotionally raw, and genuinely strange—a love story told with art-film intensity and tenderness.
But It's serious and formally experimental in ways that might feel heavy if you want lightness. The tone is nothing like The Heartbreak Kid.

More like this (6)
Old School2003
Will Ferrell in full commitment mode, going to absurd extremes. Fast, dirty, and genuinely inventive—lines and set-pieces you'll still repeat years later.
But It's a frat-comedy in the most literal sense. If that premise doesn't appeal, nothing here will change your mind.

Bridesmaids2011
Kristen Wiig carries the film with real vulnerability; the ensemble is exceptional. It finds genuine emotion in failure and female friendship without sacrificing laughs.
But Some of the gross-out sequences are deliberately uncomfortable rather than funny. The tone shifts can feel uneven.

Along Came Polly2004
Lightweight and charming, with chemistry between Stiller and Jennifer Aniston. It knows exactly what it is: comfort food with humour and a little romance.
But It's aggressively slight. Nothing here will linger or surprise you in any meaningful way.

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story2004
Vince Vaughn in his charm era, absurdist humour that mostly works, and a cast game for anything. It's silly in a way that feels intentional and committed.
But The jokes are broad and the plot is non-existent. If you need substance alongside your laughs, keep looking.

National Lampoon's Van Wilder2002
Ryan Reynolds before he was huge, light-hearted fun about extending college rather than growing up. Unpretentious and easier to watch than you'd expect.
But It's thin and forgettable. You'll struggle to recall specifics by the time credits roll.

Chungking Express1994
Both films use romantic confusion and the search for the right person as their engine, but this one suggests that sometimes the answer is surrender and acceptance rather than running toward someone better.
Wong Kar-wai's neon-soaked romantic comedy about two lonely people in Hong Kong missing each other by inches. It's visually rapturous, melancholic and funny at once, with a melody that becomes emotional architecture.
But The pacing is meditative rather than comedic. If you need consistent laughs or plot momentum, this drifts at its own speed.

People
Cast
Ben StillerEddie Cantrow
Malin AkermanLila
Michelle MonaghanMiranda
Rob CorddryMac
Carlos MenciaTito
Scott WilsonBoo
Polly HollidayBeryl
Danny McBrideMartin
Roy JenkinsBuzz
Stephanie CourtneyGayla
Amy SloanDeborah
Directing
- Bobby FarrellyDirector
- Peter FarrellyDirector
- Hal OlofssonFirst Assistant Director
- Steve GehrkeScript Supervisor
- Greg GuzikSecond Assistant Director
- J.B. RogersSecond Unit Director
Writing
- Neil SimonOriginal Film Writer
- Bobby FarrellyScreenplay
- Kevin BarnettScreenplay
- Leslie DixonScreenplay
- Peter FarrellyScreenplay
- Scot ArmstrongScreenplay
Production
- Ellen DumouchelAssociate Producer
- Hal OlofssonAssociate Producer
- Joseph MiddletonCasting
- Rick MontgomeryCasting
- Kris MeyerCo-Producer
- Mark CharpentierCo-Producer
- Matt WeaverCo-Producer
- Tony LordCo-Producer
- Charles B. WesslerExecutive Producer
- Joe RosenbergExecutive Producer
- John DavisExecutive Producer
- Marc S. FischerExecutive Producer
- Omar Arias GonzálezLocation Manager
- Bradley ThomasProducer
- Ted FieldProducer
- Marc S. FischerUnit Production Manager