Rotten Tomatoes

Movies / TV

    Celebrity

      No Results Found

      View All
      Movies Tv shows Shop News Showtimes

      Flirting With Disaster

      1996, Comedy, 1h 32m

      56 Reviews 5,000+ Ratings

      What to know

      Critics Consensus

      Darkly funny, solidly cast, and surprisingly thoughtful, Flirting with Disaster proved David O. Russell's Spanking the Monkey was no fluke. Read critic reviews

      You might also like

      See More
      The Castle
      Love Serenade
      I Got the Hook-Up
      The Pope Must Diet
      Mediterraneo

      Where to watch Flirting With Disaster

      Rent/buy Rent/buy Rent/buy

      Rent Flirting With Disaster on Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, or buy it on Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu.

      Rate And Review

      User image

      Verified

      • User image

        Super Reviewer

        Rate this movie

        Oof, that was Rotten.

        Meh, it passed the time.

        It’s good – I’d recommend it.

        Awesome!

        So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

        What did you think of the movie? (optional)



      • You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

      • User image

        Super Reviewer

        Step 2 of 2

        How did you buy your ticket?

        Let's get your review verified.

        • Fandango

        • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

        • Cinemark Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Regal Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Theater box office or somewhere else

        You're almost there! Just confirm how you got your ticket.

      • User image

        Super Reviewer

        Rate this movie

        Oof, that was Rotten.

        Meh, it passed the time.

        It’s good – I’d recommend it.

        Awesome!

        So Fresh: Absolute Must See!

        What did you think of the movie? (optional)

      • How did you buy your ticket?

        • Fandango

        • AMCTheatres.com or AMC AppNew

        • Cinemark Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Regal Coming Soon

          We won’t be able to verify your ticket today, but it’s great to know for the future.

        • Theater box office or somewhere else

      Flirting With Disaster  Photos

      Flirting With Disaster (1996) Flirting With Disaster (1996) Flirting With Disaster (1996) Flirting With Disaster (1996) Flirting With Disaster (1996) Flirting With Disaster (1996)

      Movie Info

      Adopted as a child, new father Mel Colpin (Ben Stiller) decides he cannot name his son until he knows his birth parents, and determines to make a cross-country quest to find them. Accompanied by his wife, Nancy (Patricia Arquette), and an inept yet gorgeous adoption agent, Tina (Tea Leoni), he departs on an epic road trip that quickly devolves into a farce of mistaken identities, wrong turns, and overzealous and love-struck ATF agents (Josh Brolin, Richard Jenkins).

      • Rating: R

      • Genre: Comedy

      • Original Language: English

      • Director: David O. Russell

      • Producer: Dean Silvers

      • Writer: David O. Russell

      • Release Date (Theaters):  original

      • Release Date (Streaming):

      • Box Office (Gross USA): $14.8M

      • Runtime:

      • Distributor: Miramax Films

      • Production Co: Miramax

      • Sound Mix: Surround

      Cast & Crew

      News & Interviews for Flirting With Disaster

      Critic Reviews for Flirting With Disaster

      Audience Reviews for Flirting With Disaster

      • Dec 12, 2019

        The idea, that a new father previously adopted goes searching for his real parents, is only a device (and a thin one at that) for Mr. David O. Russell to have his characters (in search of a play) to argue with one another about whatever their individual priorities happen to be, or simply to showcase the actors acting - which is not a totally bad thing. It's just not going anywhere specifically. To underline this he has his crew move about the country from place to place, but it never really matters because the friction goes on regardless of location, which is the only take away I garnered from this. Do they argue creatively? That'll be for you to decide. I enjoyed Patricia Arquette, George Segal, and David Patrick Kelly, but that was just me.

        kevin w Super Reviewer
      • Jul 05, 2016

        A classic awkward comedy starring Ben Stiller as a father on a quest to find his biological parents with the help of an incompetent case worker, 2 gay BTA workers and his wife. It had some really hilarious moments and the cast were all great at playing their characters. I like the amateur look of the film that made it all the more realistic to put yourself in their shoes.

        Super Reviewer
      • Oct 26, 2015

        Pointless shlock, Flirting with Disaster lacks focus and doesn't deliver very many laughs. After becoming a father Mel Coplin attempts to discover his roots by finding his birth mother, but the journey takes some strange turns as his case worker tries to track her down. Starring Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, and Tea Leoni, the casting's fairly solid, however the performance aren't that good. And the comedy is all over the place, resulting in an uneven tone. A poorly made film, Flirting with Disaster is an unfocused, rambling mess.

        Super Reviewer
      • Jan 14, 2013

        A great "existential farce" that only gets better as Stiller unwittingly collects more oddball characters on his bizarre journey.

        Super Reviewer

      Movie & TV guides

      View All