Flirting with Disaster
An anxious new father turns a search for his biological parents into a chaotic cross-country collision with eccentric relatives, mistaken identities, and the limits of family belonging.
Overview
A comedic journey of self-discovery leads to unexpected revelations about family and identity.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- irreverent
- awkward
- lazy sunday
- comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a darkly funny, sharply constructed screwball comedy with a strong cast and surprising thoughtfulness.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mel's search for his birth parents repeatedly expands into clerical errors, mistaken identities, sexual chaos, and family confrontations.
Mel pursues biological origins while his adoptive parents feel rejected and his newly discovered relatives prove emotionally disorienting.
The Coplins travel across the United States from their home toward remote New Mexico while encountering misplaced friends, lovers, and bureaucratic confusion.
The film mixes a baby's naming dispute and adoption questions with super-charged libido, drug use, and uncomfortable reunions.
Films like Flirting with Disaster, and why
What's Up, Doc?
shared screwball structure, escalating misunderstandings, and irreverent family dynamics
The Big Lebowski
shared fast-moving road comedy, eccentric characters, and escalating situational chaos
The Royal Tenenbaums
shared darkly comic tone, dysfunctional family encounters, and uncomfortable social absurdity
Happiness
shared adult ensemble comedy, identity confusion, and collision-driven farce
Movie Details
- Director
- David O. Russell
- Release Date
- 1996-03-22
- Runtime
- 93 min
- Rating
- 6.2 / 10 (276)
Cast
- Ben Stiller
- Patricia Arquette
- Téa Leoni
- Mary Tyler Moore
- George Segal
- Alan Alda
- Lily Tomlin
- Richard Jenkins
- Josh Brolin
- Celia Weston
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV
- Rent
- JustWatch TV, Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Flirting with Disaster about?
- An anxious new father turns a search for his biological parents into a chaotic cross-country collision with eccentric relatives, mistaken identities, and the limits of family belonging.
- What is Flirting with Disaster like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Flirting with Disaster as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Flirting with Disaster violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in Flirting with Disaster.
- What did critics think of Flirting with Disaster?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a darkly funny, sharply constructed screwball comedy with a strong cast and surprising thoughtfulness.
- Which films are like Flirting with Disaster?
- Films with a similar feel include What's Up, Doc?, The Big Lebowski, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Happiness.
- How long is Flirting with Disaster?
- Flirting with Disaster runs 93 minutes.
- Where can I watch Flirting with Disaster?
- In United States, Flirting with Disaster streams on fuboTV.
