The Ex (2006)

19% of critics liked it
(100 reviews)
35% of users liked it
(153,072 ratings)

Acclaimed music-video director Jesse Peretz made his third feature with this comedy starring Zach Braff and Jason Bateman. Tom (Braff) is an aspiring chef whose wife Sofia (Amanda Peet) has just quit her high-paying job to stay home with their new baby. When it becomes abundantly clear that they can… More Acclaimed music-video director Jesse Peretz made his third feature with this comedy starring Zach Braff and Jason Bateman. Tom (Braff) is an aspiring chef whose wife Sofia (Amanda Peet) has just quit her high-paying job to stay home with their new baby. When it becomes abundantly clear that they can no longer maintain their New York City lifestyle, the family picks up and moves to Sofia's hometown in Ohio, where Tom is hired to work at her father's ad agency. It is there that Tom meets Chip (Bateman), the agency's wheelchair-bound golden boy, who also happened to have a one-night stand with Sofia while the two were cheerleaders in high school. Suddenly, Tom finds himself sabotaged by Chip at every step as the nefarious paraplegic schemes to steal Sofia from him and destroy any chance he might have of success at the agency. Released briefly in 2006 under the title Fast Track, the film was retitled The Ex before receiving a wide release in the Spring of 2007. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 24 min.
Directed By: Jesse Peretz
Written By: David Guion, Michael Handelman
Genres: Comedy, Romance

In Theaters: May 11, 2007 Wide
On DVD: Aug 21, 2007
Studio: The Weinstein Co.

Critic Reviews

Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper
Mildly amusing but far too timid.
Hap Erstein, Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Braff has a natural likability, but the screenplay gives him so many stupid, far-fetched and annoying things to do that The Ex loses credibility quickly.
Gregory Kirschling, Entertainment Weekly
What if Zach Braff acted in one more quarter-life-crisis movie, and instead of Sundance it went straight to video? If only that's what had happened to The Ex.
Geoff Pevere, Toronto Star
Delayed, re-titled and presumably at least partially re-shot, Jesse Peretz's troubled office-bound romantic comedy The Ex is as half-baked as you'd expect it to be, but the better half -- the office half -- really does cook.
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
It's really pitiful.
Claudia Puig, USA Today
It's a pretty twisted concept, bordering on offensive. But mostly it's just not funny.
Heather Huntington, ReelzChannel.com
Jokes just somehow hung in the air instead of collecting their laugh and moving on.
Jeff Bayer, The Scorecard Review
It should be good. It's got a well-known, talented cast from top to bottom and the subject of ex-boyfriends is limitless. Instead it has the feel of a straight-to-DVD failure.
S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media
Uneven Braff comedy OK, but lacks ex-citement.
JoBlo, JoBlo's Movie Emporium
This movie ain't all that funny.
Prairie Miller, Long Island Press
No less than two Ex-men do battle in Jesse Peretz's dog eat dog comedic career brawl The Ex, and it's all about romantic rivalry, office turf wars, and yet another movie along with Waitress, about dining out.
, IGN Movies
All in all, this flick is sure to make even the staunchest movie-goer reassess his or her notions about date movies. It's a "laugh out loud on more than one occasion" kind of movie full of good writing, good acting and characters you'll become invested in
Linda Cook, Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)
Here's a quirky comedy that has its moments %u2013 many of which we've seen before in previous films.
Karina Montgomery, rec.arts.movies.reviews
The whole movie is so generic feeling and such a blatant waste of precious smart-comedy resources, I can't advise anyone to see it. I gave it Network with Snacks because Jason Bateman needs a vehicle for his brilliance wherever he can get one.
Cynthia Fuchs, PopMatters
Zach Braff brings what he always does -- a basic mopey charm, some sarcasm, even a rudimentary self-awareness.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Similar to Are We Done Yet? this insipid comedy pits the idiotic hero against an impossibly perfect villain. As a result, the movie has no intelligent, truthful or sympathetic characters.
Steve Davis, Austin Chronicle
The movie's rhythm is off-kilter and oddly paced. Moreover, the film's script seems truncated at points; a lot of the plot details feel underdeveloped.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
Even if The Ex doesn't always work, on some level you have to respect a summer Hollywood comedy that is daring enough to make you want to see the guy in the wheelchair thrown down the stairs.

Read all 18 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Bethany M

Appauling. Wasn't even that funny.
Thomas B

Occassionally funny but avoid if you can. Full review later.
Manu G

Pretty good movie, had quite a few smirks but not laughs, it's really a movie to be seen on DvD with some friends and some popcorn at your house or friends house, Very simple story.. In Manhattan, Sofia's an attorney and Tom's a cook who has a hard time holding a… More
Pretty good movie, had quite a few smirks but not laughs, it's really a movie to be seen on DvD with some friends and some popcorn at your house or friends house, Very simple story.. In Manhattan, Sofia's an attorney and Tom's a cook who has a hard time holding a job. When their first child is born, they agree that she'll be a full-time mom and he'll get a promotion. When he gets fired, he takes a job in Ohio working at the ad agency where her father is assistant director. Tom's assigned to report to Chip, a competitive, hard-driving guy who's in a wheelchair and who's Sofia's ex-boyfriend - from high school. Chip still carries a torch for her, so he connives to make Tom's work life miserable. As Tom's frustrations mount, it may be that Sofia will take Chip's side. Is Tom doomed to fail yet again?
Film C

This film is an alright movie, it is funny and does keep you laughing! but one thing i hate with some movies is that they make the story that really gets on your nerves because everything happens to the good guy causing him problems and then in the end everything works out for him and… More
This film is an alright movie, it is funny and does keep you laughing! but one thing i hate with some movies is that they make the story that really gets on your nerves because everything happens to the good guy causing him problems and then in the end everything works out for him and the bad guy gets his comeupence! Zach Braff plays a bloke whose very out spoken and that isnt helpful when trying to keep a job so when he loses his job as a chief just before his wife gives birth he decides to take up the job offer of his wifes dad which means they have to move to ohio,, Zach Braff ends up working with a disabled ex of Amanda peet his wife which is played by jason bateman and he sems contempt in ruining things for him! Zach Braff hates his job, Amanda Peet hates being stuck at home and there marriege is strained which leads to comic humour! its a watchable movie and is worth a watch!!
Leigh R

Nothing exceptional, except maybe that it may be the only movie I like Amanda Peet in...
Nicki M

Nothing amazing, but had some funny bits, particularly as the movie went along - starts off kind of bad.
Lady D

Occasional funny parts, but to be truthful, most moments of laughter were included in the trailer and that had made it look a much funnier film than it actually was. There were some really odd parts and it most definitely had it?s fair share of cringeworthy parts too. Come on Zach… More
Occasional funny parts, but to be truthful, most moments of laughter were included in the trailer and that had made it look a much funnier film than it actually was. There were some really odd parts and it most definitely had it?s fair share of cringeworthy parts too. Come on Zach Braff, we know you can be funnier than this!!!!
Bobby H

This movie is fun to watch. Its a pretty simple plot and some scenes are over the top but it does have a lot of laugh out loud moments. Zach Braff and Charles Grovin give solid performances. It's definatly worth watching but probably not something you'd add to a classic… More
This movie is fun to watch. Its a pretty simple plot and some scenes are over the top but it does have a lot of laugh out loud moments. Zach Braff and Charles Grovin give solid performances. It's definatly worth watching but probably not something you'd add to a classic collection of comedies.
Dean M

Outrageous funny with Zach Braff and Jason Bateman battle it out in this comedy about work, women... and wheelchairs. So hilarious and such a great cast, <i>The Ex</i> is well worth a look.
Red L

I watched it all the way through, but I wondered if there was any point to watching it. Don't pay to rent it.
Fernando Rafael Q

BAD timing, LOUSY script, few funny moments, too much falling and/or crashing, neither Zach Braff nor Amanda Peet were especially good, the best part of this film is JASON BATEMAN (Hilarious) and the kid Lucian Maisel (really funny and talented)...no wonder it flopped
Tim B

Search this movie under "The Ex", and you come up dry. Apparently it's been changed to "Fast Track", perhaps hoping for new life in DVD. I've heard that this movie did horribly in the theatres. I'm sure that the fact that it opened opposite summer… More
Search this movie under "The Ex", and you come up dry. Apparently it's been changed to "Fast Track", perhaps hoping for new life in DVD. I've heard that this movie did horribly in the theatres. I'm sure that the fact that it opened opposite summer blockbusters like Spiderman 3 and Harry Potter didn't help. I also heard that the "Directors Cut" is actually a few minutes shorter than the theatrical release. That's funny. Anyway, the movie itself is poorly made. The pacing seemed odd, and the comedic timing is off. However, at it's heart, it's still a funny movie. If you enjoy comedies about loosers who can't catch a break, it's worth checking out. Plus, Charles Grodin is really funny in it.
A.D. V

Love Braff but this movie couldve and shouldve been funnier.
James A

This movie seemed to have a goal of not having any original jokes or even any humor at all. Not even Jason Batemen could save this horrible fucking clone of a bad 80's type movie.
Fascade F

Add a star and a half in you like Amanda Peete...she always brings a humorous presence to the screen....you can see this if you want...it's okay for a light comedy.
Christopher H

This was pretty much Scrubs except not in a hospital, no voice over, and more in depth. But Zach Braff owned this movie. Just the way he delivers lines makes his character hilarious. If you like scrubs you will love this movie. Jason Bateman plays a good villian. Amanda Peet continues… More
This was pretty much Scrubs except not in a hospital, no voice over, and more in depth. But Zach Braff owned this movie. Just the way he delivers lines makes his character hilarious. If you like scrubs you will love this movie. Jason Bateman plays a good villian. Amanda Peet continues to gain my respect. Overall nice flick.
Deb S

Tom (Zach Braff) is a bright man who just can't seem to hold down a job. As he is married to beautiful Sofia (Amanda Peet), a successful lawyer, this has not been a life-changing problem. They both agree that after the birth of their child, she'll be a stay home mum.… More
Tom (Zach Braff) is a bright man who just can't seem to hold down a job. As he is married to beautiful Sofia (Amanda Peet), a successful lawyer, this has not been a life-changing problem. They both agree that after the birth of their child, she'll be a stay home mum. However, hours before Sofia is set to give birth to their son, Tom promptly loses his latest job as a chef. They decide to move to Ohio where Sofia's parents are and Tom takes a job in the ad business. Here, he's working under Chip, a guy in a wheelchair that Sofia used to date. Chip doesn't really care for Tom and is always trying to make him look bad. Jason Bateman does a fantastic job of making the audience despise his character, Chip Sanders. This is a fairly amusing show but there is nothing great, memorable or brilliant about it! Disappointing!
Philip P

Odd. I mean it was funny, very dry and very random moments that made me laugh, but it wasnt consistent and seemed thrown together. It was as if they couldnt figure out how to end it right so they just said "Let's make it stupid." Braff and Bateman seem like a dream to… More
Odd. I mean it was funny, very dry and very random moments that made me laugh, but it wasnt consistent and seemed thrown together. It was as if they couldnt figure out how to end it right so they just said "Let's make it stupid." Braff and Bateman seem like a dream to watch with their sarcastic wits going at each other, it was mildly entertaining, I just wish they would have found a better premise on which to perform...maybe another time.
Yinalí R

Funny movie!! I recomend it!
William G

Only Bateman's worth watching in this laughless romp.