I admit that I went to see Envy expecting the worst. After all, how good could a movie be when dog excrement is one of the most important elements of the plot? But, the film has a strange charm and manages to use its subject delicately without devolving into obvious toilet humor.

Jack Black plays the same loud, irritating character that he always does. Also typical is Ben Stiller's role as he hunches through the film hating himself and all those around him. Rachel Weisz and Amy Poehler play their parts according to Hollywood's perception of the good wife, buffeted through life by their husbands' fates. The real comic jewel in this film is Christopher Walken. He brings his odd intensity to the role of a wise fool, dispensing wild advice to Stiller.

While it is certainly no masterpiece of the cinematic arts, I recommend this film. It is a refreshingly simple and unpretentious comedy.