As far as the history of film is concerned, there may not be a more fan-favorite decade than the 1990s. It was replete with titles from every genre you can muster, from westerns and war films to slices of life and science fiction romps. But of course, there were also a bevy of hilarious comedies starring actors such as Jim Carrey, Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, and even more contemporarily underrated guys like Chris Tucker.
But there were also filmmakers who stood out during the decade at hand for providing film fans with well-made and sidesplitting projects. The Coen Brothers come to mind off the bat, along with others such as Kevin Smith, The Farrelly Brothers, Harold Ramis, and Wes Anderson. But as for the film at hand — Flirting with Disaster (1996) — the product was directed by David O. Russell. And while you may not know him by name, you’ll undoubtedly recognize the titles of his other legendary films.
The Career of David O. Russell
Nowadays, David O. Russell is among the most acclaimed directors Hollywood has to offer thanks to projects like The Fighter (2010), Silver Linings Playbook (2012), and American Hustle (2013). Those three films accrued twenty-five total nominations at the Academy Awards in just a four-year time span. And although he’s received a bit of flack as of late due to the lackluster release of his latest project Amsterdam (2022), that can’t away from the accolades accrued by those three aforementioned films.
But the early years of O. Russell's career were just as well-received by critics. He debuted with Spanking the Monkey (1994) before moving onto the film at hand. And with regard to his first ever feature: it released to great success across the critical and commercial boards. With a 92% approval rating on critical consensus website Rotten Tomatoes in tandem with more than $1 million accrued on a $200,000 budget, the numbers speak for themselves.
But it also holds up wonderfully today as a comedy in general — as does Three Kings (1999), the director's third ever feature. A war film with George Clooney, Ice Cube, and Mark Wahlberg leading the cast, it truly does hold up as a hilarious romp from the film’s opening frame until the last gunshot rings out. And, honestly, plenty of O. Russell's projects have gone down as underrated throughout the years, just like Spanking the Monkey and Three Kings.
But not all of them — while Joy (2015) received decent acclaim, Accidental Love (2016) was so horrid that O. Russell legitimately had his name removed from the project via a pseudonym: Stephen Greene. Then, there’s I Heart Huckabees (2004) with Dustin Hoffman, Jude Law, and Jason Schwartzman. It doesn’t hold near the name value of other comedies from its time. But in the end, one film from David O. Russell has gone down as so overlooked, that it’s easily among the most overlooked comedies from its decade.
Other Underrated Comedies From the '90s
Plenty of films from this decade hold comedic value despite not achieving a groundbreaking narrative. Take most of the films from this period that featured Adam Sandler, for example, like Happy Gilmore (1995) and The Wedding Singer (1998). But it’s hard to argue that critics were harsh when it came to films like Billy Madison (1996) and The Waterboy (1998). Then, there are films like Big Daddy (1999), which received mediocre review scores and equally shameful money at the worldwide box office.
The sports comedy Kingpin (1996) was underrated too despite the Farrelly Brothers directing some fairly big names — Woody Harrelson and Bill Murray, for example. It holds a 49% on Rotten Tomatoes and accrued $32 million at the box office on a budget of $25 million. Not the worst numbers, and this isn’t to assert that they should have been exponentially higher, or anything. But there’s undoubtedly an argument therefor.
The same can be said for Bowfinger (1999), with Steve Martin and Eddie Murphey. It could most easily be considered overlooked from a more modern perspective, as it made great money in theaters and garnered (arguably) even better numbers in terms of review scores. But again: audiences have seemingly forgotten it over time.
There are also films from this period that received great praise from critics in tandem with impressive numbers at the box office but have still managed to slide under the contemporary radar. What About Bob? (1991), for example, along with Grosse Point Blank (1997) and even Analyze This (1999). But ultimately, one film in the end stood out as the most underrated comedy of the 1990s.
Why Flirting with Disaster Stands Out
As a writer-director, David O. Russell can be classified as an auteur. His scripts generally have a primary focus on character — their maturation process from point A to point B. How they grow as people, in other words, in tandem with how they interact with one another. Their dynamics, so to speak. It’s a lot to keep up with from a perspective of sheer character development, but O. Russell was more than up for the challenge re: Flirting with Disaster.
It stars Ben Stiller as Mel Coplin, a young and newfound father who goes searching for his biological parents with the help of his wife, portrayed by Patricia Arquette. But things get truly intriguing when an adoption agency employee named Tina emerges. Played by Téa Leoni, she and Mel develop a fling that provides the film as a whole with its most meaningful source of conflict. At least, as far as emotional development is concerned.
On the outside, Mel is obsessed with finding his real parents to trace his familial roots now that he's married with a child of his own. But what he didn’t know he needed was a close partner to satisfy his true desires. The love triangle created therefrom produced some truly tangible dynamics that flourished until the film’s final frame.
And ultimately, that’s what stands out so prominently about Flirting with Disaster. Its director adheres closely to the concept of character in general, their dynamics and developments both. This isn’t just an entertaining love story that often times makes you laugh — it’s also a tremendous film in general with a witty, well-structured script and legitimately impressive performances to boot. Critics undoubtedly recognized this in the decade at hand, and the film did double its $7 million budget. But nowadays, this David O. Russell comedy doesn’t get near the love it deserves.