Charles Grodin and Cybill Shepherd star in this off beat comedy that ends up being more dramatic and poetic than funny. Charles Grodin has always been on the border line when it comes to being funny and serious. Much of his comedy career has been played serious and his dramatic appeal is sometimes hilarious. Unlike Chaplin, Keaton or the Marx Brothers, Grodin's punchline is not necessarily funny. Most of the times, the outcome of the joke / hilarious situation turns into a political / ethical realization. Grodin's character is likable but by the end of the movie you either lose total interest in the character or you become so attached to him that you feel bad during the final frame of the story. In many ways, Grodin resembles a young W.C. Fields character where you hope for his achievement in the relationship with Cybill Shepherd and his family. Then again, Grodin puts himself into situations where he is the butt of the joke and the victim of the circumstance. A wonderful movie, made before its time. The Heartbreak Kid is a story about a middle aged kid (much like Fields) who is in need of getting his heart broke.