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By Mark Bazer
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This quirky modern-day fable from Barry Levinson is the kind of movie you appreciate more than enjoy. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor’s house that he bought with earnings from a miracle spray that makes dog poop disappear is the moral here, at least until the happy dénouement. Ben Stiller and Jack Black play two schlubby neighbors who toil in middle-management jobs at a sandpaper factory to support their families. Their lives really aren’t bad at all — Stiller’s character is buying a pool — but out of plot necessity (and a little Hollywood condescension), modest suburbia is painted as hell. Then Black, an eternally good-natured dreamer, strikes it rich with Vapoorizer and builds a ludicrous mansion on his property. Consumed with jealousy, Stiller sees his life turn to shit; he even has to cover up for having accidentally killed Black’s prized white horse in a drunken state. Most of the humor is more clever than laugh-aloud. That’s fine, but what could have been a tidy, smart little film is ruined in the final 20 minutes with first a lengthy discussion about envy and then a quick, convenient conclusion. Amy Poehler, Rachel Weisz, and a very funny Christopher Walken co-star. (99 minutes) At the Apple Valley, Entertainment, Flagship, Holiday, Providence Place 16, Showcase, and Tri-Boro cinemas.
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