Envy

Tim Dingman and Nick Vanderpark are neighbours, co-workers and close friends whose lives mirror each other so closely that even their families and cars seem interchangeable. The balance breaks when one of Nick's eccentric ideas, a spray that makes dog waste vanish, turns into a real business and makes him enormously wealthy. Tim, who had laughed at the scheme and turned down a chance to share in it, is left watching his friend's new life of conspicuous luxury, and his jealousy hardens under the influence of J-Man, a dubious figure who pushes him toward a damaging act.

Barry Levinson directed Envy, the eighteenth of the twenty-eight films he has directed in chronological order, following Bandits and preceding Man of the Year. He also produced alongside Paula Weinstein, from a screenplay by Steve Adams. Ben Stiller plays Tim and Jack Black plays Nick, with Rachel Weisz as Tim's wife Debbie, Christopher Walken as J-Man and Amy Poehler as Nick's wife Natalie; forty-three cast members are credited in all. The comedy runs 99 minutes.

Made for a budget of 40 million USD, the film returned about 14 million USD worldwide, a substantial shortfall. On IMDb it holds 6.7/10 from 82 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 4.9/10 from 566 votes, the far larger sample there pointing to a generally poor audience response.