Even the film's cinematography, by Tim Maurice-Jones, is singularly ugly, looking as washed out as an old print of an old TV movie.

The story, not that you should care, concerns "Vapoorizer," an invention by Nick Vanderpark (Black) to make dog poo instantly disappear. Nick and his wife Natalie (Amy Poehler) live across the street from Tim and Debbie Dingman (Stiller and Weisz). Once the product takes off -- Tim is offered half of the company early-on but turns it down -- the Vanderparks rebuild their small house, turning it into something that would put the Beverly Hillbillies' mansion to shame. Like a small theme park, Vanderland features many attractions, including a big carousel in the front yard.

The script by Steve Adams doesn't give the characters much funny to say or do. The movie's one big joke involves Stiller accidentally killing a horse. We've seen this before and recently. The last movie to use this joke (STARSKY AND HUTCH) didn't think it was so funny that they could make it the centerpiece of their plot.

It may come as no surprise that this picture, which was originally advertised as opening in the summer of 2003, has had a slew of release date changes. Our audience voted with their relative silence that this is a film which should have gone straight to video, where it could and should be completely ignored. Instead, many viewers are going to buy tickets, thinking "Ben Stiller and Jack Black -- I can't go wrong with them." These consumers are going to be very upset. "Vapoorize this movie!" is what they'll be thinking when they leave.

ENVY runs 1:39. It is rated PG-13 for "language and sexual/crude humor" and would be acceptable for kids around 11 and up.