Search - Flirting With Disaster [Special Edition] on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Not For Children, Adult Language, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1996 DVD Release: 06/01/2004 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 33 mins Studio: Miramax Members Wishing: 3 Genres: Comedy, Road Movie, Comedy of Errors, Screwball Comedy, Sex Comedy See Also: Flirting With Disaster

In this satirical comedy, Mel Coplin (Ben Stiller) has a beautiful wife, Nancy (Patricia Arquette), and a four-month old son, and on the surface his life is good. But something's been troubling him: Mel knows he was adopted, and he can't resolve his issues with the mother who gave him away years ago, much to the annoyance of his adoptive parents (George Segal and Mary Tyler Moore). Mel decides it's time he met his birth parents and resolved his feelings once and for all, and Tina (Tea Leoni), a psychology student, has offered to tag along to capture the event on video for a research project. But after a few minutes with Mel's "real" mother, they discover that a mistake has been made and they've been directed to the wrong person. A second meeting, this time with Mel's supposed dad, also turns out to be a mistake, and it's quite some time before Mel, Nancy, and Tina are finally face to face with Mel's biological parents -- a pair of burned-out hippies (played by Alan Alda and Lily Tomlin) who support themselves by dealing blotter acid daubed onto pictures of Ronald Reagan. It doesn't help that Mel finds himself attracted to the very leggy Tina, or that Nancy's head is turned by a bisexual ATF agent (Josh Brolin). Writer/director David O. Russell previously made a splash with his independent debut feature, 1994's Spanking the Monkey. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Ben Stiller - Mel Coplin
Patricia Arquette - Nancy Coplin
Téa Leoni - Tina Kalb
Mary Tyler Moore - Mrs. Coplin
George Segal - Mr. Coplin
Alan Alda - Richard Schlicting
Lily Tomlin - Mary Schlicting

David O. Russell's sophomore directorial effort, the literate and pointed comedy Flirting With Disaster becomes part of the Miramax Collector's Series with this release. The widescreen anamorphic transfer preserves the original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.85:1, and is an improvement on the first DVD edition of the film. The English soundtrack is rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1, while a French soundtrack has been recorded as well. Supplemental materials include deleted scenes and bloopers. While this may not be the most special "special edition" on the market, the disc does offer solid sound and picture quality. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide