"FLIRTING WITH DISASTER" (1996) - (Smart Comedic Video Risk) Intelligent comedy with enough dumb slap-stick for everyone. David O. Russell ("Three Kings") directs Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, and Tea Leoni, together with a host of classic television and movie actors (like Alan Alda and Mary Tyler Moore), in a film about a boy, his wife, his baby without a name, and a search for his real parents.

THE STORY - Its a road picture! Ben Stiller is a likeable upwardly mobile twenty-something with a beautiful wife, Patricia Arquette, and new baby to be named later. Stiller is adopted and will not name his baby until his discovers his birth parents. His adoptive parents, Mary Tyler Moore and George Segal, do not take the news very well, and his wife is supportive but would rather just name the kid Ethan and be done with it. Together with a neurotic hyper-sexual employee of the adoption agency, Tea Leoni, the four, baby included, take off to find Stiller real parents.

THE REVIEW - Everybody is tweaked but hip and smart. Every neurosis seems to be appropriate and real, not forced like many Woody Allen characterizations. Although the story attempts to do too much (like the overdoing it on the travel bit), it contains enough true wit to keep discerning audiences awake and entertained.

The idea of an intelligent comedy may be off-putting to some viewers. One of the problems with slapstick comedy is that while really good slapstick is brilliant (see the way it was intelligently handled in "Funny Bones"), such films often lack content and depth. It is hard to take the characters seriously when they are falling down all the time or participating is some ridiculously funny stunt.

In "Flirting with Disaster," there are genuinely funny scenes of the slapstick variety. The reason why such scenes work is because the characters themselves appear to be sincerely surprised when such events occur. In addition, the event is managed afterwards with civility and intelligence. Without intelligence and civility, this film would have faded into something akin to "Police Academy 4."

In "Flirting with Disaster" some of the funniest scenes involve how the characters deal with the aftermath of some larger outrageous event. Alan Alda and Lilly Tomlin are hilarious making their getaway when they realize the professional of two of their houseguests.

"Flirting with Disaster" works the same way that "Something About Mary" and "Kingpin" charmed movie-goers. These films benefit greatly from appealing, extremely likeable actors who keep straight faces.

Patricia Arquette is one of personal favorite actors. In "Flirting with Disaster" she is adorable but doesn't come off as just another bimbo wife or girlfriend. She is hip to the attraction her husband in the film, Ben Stiller, may not realize he is exhibiting toward Tea Leoni. Her insightful comments provide a center to build the story around. George Segal as Stiller's adopted father is an additional voice of reason that gives the film balance.

Rent "Flirting with Disaster" and prepare to laugh and think funny thoughts.

Jonathan Hickman