‘Tower Heist’ Casts Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy as the Little Guys

We had heard "Tower Heist" pitched as a "comedic 'Ocean's 11,'" which we found strange considering, uh, "Ocean's 11" is kind of funny. We think they meant "has funny people in it," which is definitely true: Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy are such diametrically opposed comedic actors that their meetings would inevitably be fronts that would create wind. And when you add in Brett Ratner, Precious and Matthew Broderick? Intrigued!

The first trailer for "Tower Heist," and it's clear it's going to attempt to make you cheer for Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy because they are poor working-class stiffs screwed over by rich people. Eh, just run with it. Alan Alda is a Madoff-ian character -- they should probably just call him "Bernie" and get it over with -- and Stiller is the head of his building's staff who bands the staff together to steal back their pension funds. It's a populist comedy-thriller! From Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC/Universal, a subsidiary of Comcast, a subsidiary of Kabletown.

Ratner's involvement in this makes us nervous, but the potential of a Stiller-Murphy pairing is undeniable. Murphy's always at his best when he has something to prove, when he's working off material that isn't specifically tailored for him -- his work in Steve Martin's "Bowfinger" might still be our favorite of anything he's ever done -- and he appears ready to bring it this time. And yeah: We'll stay for a Murphy-Gabourey Sidibe sex scene, absolutely.