YMMV / The Heartbreak Kid (2007)

• Alternative Character Interpretation:
  • Who is the real bad guy, Lila or Eddie? Yes, Lila is an annoying and borderline abusive psychopath, but by the end of the movie, Eddie has become a total sleazebag with no ability or desire for commitment.
  • Did Lila purposely hide her whole bizarre personality until marriage because she feared it would push Eddie away? Or did she really do it all without malice? The fact that she didn't want to have sex with him at the beginning of their relationship could be a genuine feeling or a sign that she already knew that she could scare him with her addiction in rough and painful sex (something she should have revealed to him if the love between them was really sincere). Also, did she marry Eddie interested in his money? The film establishes that Lila has several debts, and in the end of the movie, she gets Eddie's sports store in the divorce.
• Best Known for the Fanservice: Many fans remember this movie more for the scenes of Malin Åkerman in a bikini or naked, especially scenes where Lila has sex with Eddie in a very painful way (for him).
• Cross the Line Twice: The two sex scenes where Eddie finds out in the worst possible way that his new wife Lila is a nymphomaniac addicted to rough and painful sex. It should be disturbing, but the way these two scenes are filmed and written, with Lila's obscene comments, is so exaggerated that it makes everything hysterical.
• Designated Villain:
  • Lila is portrayed as the antagonist of the story for hiding (purposely or not) her bizarre personality and her dark past from Eddie until the marriage... but that doesn't justify Eddie blatantly betraying her on their honeymoon while she is forced to stay in their room, suffering from sunburn. Also, Eddie and Lila are on their honeymoon for a few days, with him apparently thinking that is enough time to decide on a divorce, even after she apologizes for her behavior. Lila burning Eddie's passport and money and leaving him in Mexico was horrible... but Eddie also deserved that punishment.
  • Miranda's family is painted as this as well, particularly Martin.
• Fridge Horror: Eddie meets Lila when he tries to save her from a man who is stealing her purse. The man appears terrified, begging Eddie to let him go and claiming the purse is his. After Eddie marries Lila, he discovers that the thief was her ex-boyfriend. Which makes the viewer wonder how many other boyfriends Lila has tricked (accidentally or on purpose) by hiding her real nasty personality until it's too late.
• Fridge Logic: Mac constantly tries to pressure Eddie into marriage and tells him how wonderful it is when it's obvious that he's as whipped as a race horse. He could just be trying to get his friend married because misery loves company.
• He Really Can Act: Non-fans of Mind of Mencia was surprised at how genuinely funny Carlos Mencia was as Tito.
• Just Here for Godzilla: Some people just watch this movie to see Ms. Fanservice Malin Åkerman devouring her scenes as the crazy and hilarious Lila.
• Moral Event Horizon:
  • Eddie crosses it at the very end when he is about to dump his second wife the second Miranda comes back into his life. Granted, he seems to knowledge this by ending the movie with an exasperated "Fuck me."
  • Lila burning Eddie's passport and money and leaving him in Mexico... but it depends on whether or not the viewer likes Eddie at this point in the plot.
• Rooting for the Empire: On the one hand, we have Michelle Monaghan playing a sweet and friendly character... but it's easy for her to disappear completely compared to Lila, played by Ms. Fanservice Malin Akerman, who is crazy, bizarre, a nymphomaniac, and hilarious.
• They Wasted a Perfectly Good Plot: Lila could have discovered Eddie's betrayal with Miranda much earlier in the plot. Lila's confrontation with Miranda could have been hilarious. Instead, Lila only finds out after Miranda leaves, and the consequences occur off-screen.
• Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: It's a movie about a man who discovers on his honeymoon that his wife is an unpleasant human being. Rather than trying to give their relationship one last chance or to divorce right away, he tries to cheat on her during their honeymoon with another woman, lying and manipulating her. Miranda is the only pure and innocent person in this whole story, but she's also manipulated by Eddie, barely aware of Lila's existence, and unable to do anything. Why should we care about these characters?
• Unintentionally Sympathetic: The movie tries to portray Lila as a horrible human being, and although many aspects of her personality are unpleasant, there's no denying that the movie never confirms whether she hid it from Eddie on purpose or accidentally. Besides, nothing justifies Eddie to not even at least give a little more time or chance to their relationship, or cheat on Lila with Miranda on her own honeymoon, lying to her and even manipulating her emotionally, even when Lila demonstrates genuine regret for his actions and is also revealed to truly love him. Honestly, when we find out that Lila burned Eddie's money and passport, leaving him in Mexico, it is impossible not to think that she was right and that he deserved that punishment.

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