The Ex [P&S] [Rated]

Director: Jesse Peretz

Overview

Acclaimed music-video director Jesse Peretz made his third feature with this comedy starring Zach Braff and Jason Bateman. Tom (Braff) is an aspiring chef whose wife Sofia (Amanda Peet) has just quit her high-paying job to stay home with their new baby. When it becomes abundantly clear that they can no longer maintain their New York City lifestyle, the family picks up and moves to Sofia's hometown in Ohio, where Tom is hired to work at her father's ad agency. It is there that Tom meets Chip (Bateman), the agency's wheelchair-bound golden boy, who also happened to have a one-night stand with Sofia while the two were cheerleaders in high school. Suddenly, Tom finds himself sabotaged by Chip at every step as the nefarious paraplegic schemes to steal Sofia from him and destroy any chance he might have of success at the agency. Released briefly in 2006 under the title Fast Track, the film was retitled The Ex before receiving a wide release in the Spring of 2007.

Product Details

Release Date:	08/21/2007
UPC:	0796019801171
Original Release:	2006
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Weinstein Company
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Full Frame]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:29:00
Sales rank:	24,083

Special Features

Deleted scenes; Alternate endings; Blooper reel

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Zach Braff	Tom Reilly
Amanda Peet	Sofia Kowalski
Jason Bateman	Chip Sanders
Charles Grodin	Bob Kowalski,Summers
Mia Farrow	Amelia Kowalski
Amy Poehler	Carol Lane
Donal Logue	Don Wollebin
Josh Charles	Forrest Mead
Paul Rudd	Leon
Lucian Maisel	Wesley,Wesley
Amy Adams	Abby March,Steve's Mom
John Benjamin Hickey	Wesley's Dad
Fred Armisen	Manny
Marin Hinkle	Karen
Yul Vazquez	Paco
Ian Hyland	Steve
Tarina Pouncy	Ticket Agent
Sig Libowitz	Hassidic Guy
Eddie McGee	Wheelchair Basketball Player No. 2
Robert John Burke	Colonel
Romany Malco	Doctor
Lauren Weedman	Alice
Michael Lawson	Busboy
Edmund Lyndeck	Mr. Hordhaus
Frank Girardeau	Fire Inspector
Michael Cumpsty	Jack Connor
Katie Barrett	Executive
Sarah Bennett	Nancy
Ed Shearmur	Composer,Composer

Technical Credits

Michael Handelman

David Guion

Michael Handelman	Screenwriter
David Guion	Screenwriter
Anthony Bregman	Producer
Ted Hope	Producer
Anne Carey	Producer
Mike Uguccioni	Special Effects
Brian Smyj	Stunts
Jeanne McCarthy	Casting
Todd Wagner	Executive Producer
Mark Cuban	Executive Producer
Marc Butan	Executive Producer
Ray Angelic	Executive Producer
T.J. O'Mara	Sound/Sound Designer
Harvey Weinstein	Executive Producer,Executive Producer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- The Ex
1. Baby Names [5:51]
2. Oliver [5:02]
3. Ohio Welcomes You [3:43]
4. First Day At Sunburst [4:22]
5. Mr. Stinkywinky [5:24]
6. Three-Prong Strategy [5:22]
7. Able-Bodied Basketball [4:11]
8. Moushiwake Locker Room [5:12]
9. Baby Buddhism [4:22]
10. Lion's Pride [:33]
11. A Toast [3:50]
12. Manny The Listener [2:34]
13. Tape Mixup [5:06]
14. Sunburst Into Flames [3:36]
15. Hot Wheels and The Family [5:04]
16. News Flash [5:08]
17. They'll Never See What Hit 'Em [3:39]
18. The Kids a Natural [5:38]
1. Tom and Sofia Decide to Leave NYC [:55]
2. "I Promise" [:23]
3. Sofia and Her Mom [:33]
4. Tom At Copier [:36]
5. Chip's Car [:42]
6. Drinks With Carol [:41]
7. Nancy Gives Book to Tom [:48]
8. Carol Quits [1:17]
9. Tom's Nightmare [1:15]
10. After the Fire [:48]
11. Chip Returns Tape Dispenser [:50]
12. Chip Beats Up Tom - Alternate Version [:41]
13. Mother/Daughter Chat [1:32]

Menu

Disc #1 -- The Ex
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Captions and Subtitles
English For the Hearing Impaired
Spanish
Subtitles: None
Scene Selection
Special Features
Deleted Scenes
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Alternate Open
Alternate Endings
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Alternate Ending #1
Alternate Ending #2
Bloopers
Theatrical Trailer

Editorial Reviews

The spirit of a good Farrelly brothers movie comes alive in The Ex, a surprisingly likeable comedy, with just enough oddball curves up its sleeve to avoid feeling overly familiar. In fact, in the same year the Farrellys released their misanthropic version of The Heartbreak Kid, director Jesse Peretz reminds them how to get their own tone right -- without losing the naughty edginess. To extend the analogy, Zach Braff plays the role that Ben Stiller used to play better than he currently does, exasperated yet earnest. In such a broad physical comedy, Braff could have slouched toward his tired Scrubs mugging, but here he shows that his more highfalutin projects have rubbed off on him -- at least a little bit. That broad physicality is no indictment, however, as the definite key to this film is Braff's rival, played by Jason Bateman, who's wheelchair-bound yet unworthy of the sympathy usually associated with that. Any viewer who wondered how they were going to pull that off need not worry -- Bateman makes his Chip deliciously detestable, but without crossing over into camp. Their bitter jockeying plays out over a number of good set pieces, most awkwardly, when the able-bodied Braff gets tricked into a game of wheelchair basketball -- where everyone else thinks he's paralyzed. The writing zips, with Amanda Peet giving it more oomph than anyone. Even Charles Grodin has a winning supporting role as Peet's father, showing he's still got whip-smart comic timing. It's risky to hand out such accolades to a relatively inconsequential comedy, but The Ex needs a little extra help, as it was brutally received by a number of critics. That's a shame, because there are a lot of laughs in this movie -- and not just guilty ones, either.