Duplex
A newly married couple's dream home becomes a pressure cooker when its charming elderly tenant refuses to move out.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- darkly comic
- exasperated
- absurd
- lazy sunday
- comedy night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the performances appealing but judged the contrived premise and weakly motivated dark humor unpersuasive.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Alex and Nancy purchase what they believe is an ideal home, only for the upstairs tenant to transform that dream into an ongoing crisis.
Alex and Nancy consider extreme measures to remove Mrs. Connelly, while her image as a sweet elderly woman complicates the intended comic payoff.
Mrs. Connelly refuses to leave the upstairs unit, driving the couple's repeated attempts to force her out.
The supposedly perfect new home gradually becomes a nightmare setting as the couple's desperation intensifies.
Films like Duplex, and why
The 'Burbs
Shares a darkly comic suburban premise in which domestic frustration escalates into increasingly extreme schemes against an obstructive neighbor.
Ruthless People
Combines black humor, escalating property conflict, and morally compromised protagonists trapped in an absurd domestic situation.
War of the Roses
Uses uncomfortable comedy and escalating attempts at manipulation to turn ordinary domestic life into a chaotic nightmare.
Movie Details
- Director
- Danny DeVito
- Release Date
- 2003-09-26
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (1858)
Cast
- Ben Stiller
- Drew Barrymore
- Eileen Essell
- Harvey Fierstein
- Justin Theroux
- James Remar
- Robert Wisdom
- Swoosie Kurtz
- Wallace Shawn
- Maya Rudolph
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel
- Rent
- 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 Duplex about?
- A newly married couple's dream home becomes a pressure cooker when its charming elderly tenant refuses to move out.
- What is Duplex like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Duplex as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Duplex violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Duplex as mild.
- What did critics think of Duplex?
- Critics broadly found the performances appealing but judged the contrived premise and weakly motivated dark humor unpersuasive.
- Which films are like Duplex?
- Films with a similar feel include The 'Burbs, Ruthless People, and War of the Roses.
- How long is Duplex?
- Duplex runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch Duplex?
- In United States, Duplex streams on fuboTV, Paramount Plus Premium, Paramount Plus Essential, Paramount+ Amazon Channel, Paramount+ Roku Premium Channel.
