Remaking it right

Ten movies that prove Hollywood's habit of recycling can be a good thing

By Brett Buckalew

October 1, 2007

Remaking it right
"The Departed" (Credit: Warner Bros.)
Photos:
“The Thing” (1982) “Dawn of the Dead” (2004) “3:10 to Yuma” (2007) “The Manchurian Candidate” (2004)
“The Heartbreak Kid” reunites gross-out maestros Bobby and Peter Farrelly with their “There’s Something About Mary” star Ben Stiller. But more than just a reunion of the forces behind one of the most successful comedies of all time, the Farrellys’ latest is also…a remake.

Taking its inspiration from a 1972 comedy of the same name, Stiller’s character follows in the footsteps of Charles Grodin’s newlywed who unexpectedly falls for another woman while on his honeymoon.

While it’s true that many remakes fall short of well-regarded originals—witness superfluous re-dos like Gus van Sant’s shot-for-shot copy of Hitchcock’s “Psycho”—there are quite a few out there that give the concept a good name.

Which is not to say that everyone appreciates a second (or third, or fourth) take on familiar material. Debates inevitably rage over which version of a film is better, and whether the original can (or maybe even should) be replaced.

Here are ten movie do-overs we think are worth fighting for.

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