Duplex - An Underrated Comedy

How bad could sharing an apartment with an old woman be?

Duplex moved into theaters in 2003. A young couple moves into a duplex in a New York City neighborhood. There’s one catch - The tenant, Mrs. Connelly, is a sweet old woman who lives upstairs. A series of chaos and broken boards occurs, and they must get rid of Mrs. Connelly.

Duplex packs in all the meanspirited comedy one could get away with for the early 2000s. I love comedies, and this film made my grandmother and me howl in laughter. Duplex revels in its black comedy on how to put up with neighbors you want to throw down the stairs.

Ben Stiller and Drew Barrymore take the reins as the film’s comedic duo as Alex and Nancy. They made a great pair and worked well off one another. Alex and Nancy both suffer turmoil, all from an old woman who lives upstairs. They were so hilarious that Barrymore and Stiller even made each other giggle, having to turn away from the camera.

A standing ovation is well-deserved for the late Eileen Essell as Mrs. Connelly. Essell has only had a handful of acting roles in her short acting career. She was a stage actress for most of her life and retired from that in 1958. Mrs. Connelly is considered her most popular role, and it’s not hard to see why.

She may seem like she’s putting on the usual old lady cliches, but Essell has new moves up her sleeves. Mrs. Connelly interrupts and ruins her neighbors' lives with constant questions, a loud TV at night, and various shenanigans. Essell is hilarious in her line deliveries.

The supporting cast is made up of well-known comedic actors in the early part of their careers, like Harvey Fierstein, Maya Rudolph, Wallace Shawn, Justin Theroux, and Robert Wisdom. They’re all comedy naturals and add laughs to scenes.

Now for the comedy portion of Duplex, because that’s what this movie is built on. Duplex is one laugh after another. How can I describe it, you ask? Oh, there are way too many scenes you need to witness for yourself. With all the apartment chaos, walls collapse, pipes leak, and mishaps occur on the stairs.

In a rarity, Duplex uses dark humor. Dark humor is rare nowadays. Granted, it hasn’t aged well since the movie’s release, but I didn’t care about that at the time. As their frustration builds, so does the darkness of the humor. Their actions raise eyebrows with the police.

The young couple’s attempts to rid themselves of Mrs. Connelly turn increasingly desperate—and hilariously unethical. One character fantasizes about an evil act against another character. I laughed the hardest when Alex and Nancy had to fix the sink pipes, and a disgusting (but hilarious) moment happened.

It’s no surprise, seeing that Danny DeVito directed the film. He directed the comical 80s film, Throw Momma from the Train. He knew exactly how to push the twisted comedy just shy of being cartoonish. Duplex needed to be a live-action cartoon because the bulk of the insanity makes it even more hilarious.

Critics have had mixed opinions about the comedy, saying it’s “not plausible.” It’s a movie. Movies are allowed to take breaks from reality. Duplex is over-the-top as ever.

Sharing a room or apartment is relatable to most viewers. We’ve all had to put up with loud roommates. Sometimes you have to tolerate it, but don’t copy any of the ideas here.

We could all use a good comedy right now, so take a look at Duplex. Random scenes come to mind, and I laugh sometimes.