“Dinner For Schmucks,” based on the 1998 French film “Le Dîner Des Cons (The Dinner Game),” starts off promisingly enough. The pairing of perennial funnymen Paul Rudd and Steve Carell seem like a magical pairing for a screwball comedy. The premise, while cruel, sounds like a great opportunity to procure some laughs, but “Dinner for Schmucks” unfortunately just falls short.
The story begins with very serious Tim Conrad (Paul Rudd), who is striving to climb the corporate ladder as an analyst at his financial company to prove to his girlfriend, Julie, that he is husband-material after she has rejected several of his proposals. In order to be promoted to the coveted seventh floor of his office building and to head a possible account with a new client, his boss and superiors (including Ron Livingston, of “Office Space”) tell him that in order to win the promotion, he must attend an annual dinner at his boss’s house. There’s a catch, however: Tim must bring a guest, an unwitting schmuck to provide some comical entertainment for the executives, all at the expense of the poor loser who has been invited to this exclusive dinner party. It’s a competition, and the person with the “best” schmuck wins the promotion and the account.
Tim’s schmuck is none other than Barry, played by Steve Carell, who has a talent for playing the loveable, dimwitted goofballs in “The Office,” and in such films as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Get Smart.” Carell’s charm is always at the forefront of his performances, and this role is no exception. Barry is an employee of the IRS whose hobby is to collect dead mice, have them stuffed at a taxidermy shop, dress them up, and put them in elaborate dioramas. If only the same amount of care that Barry puts into dolling up his dead mice was put into the script. It elicits a few giggles, and maybe a laugh or two. Barry’s character is so pathetic; the audience has no choice but to sympathize with him despite his morbidly creepy pastime and his destructive behavior. Tim meets Barry and realizes he has struck gold—Barry is the idiot he is searching for. Tim’s girlfriend is upset that he would be callous enough to invite Barry to a dinner, only for him to be turned into a laughing stock, but Tim reluctantly does so anyways, keeping in mind he want to be a man good enough for her to marry. Misadventures ensue, as Barry arrives a day early for the dinner, and proceeds to accidentally demolish Tim’s apartment, almost ruin his prospects of promotion, and wreck his relationship with his girlfriend by reintroducing Tim’s longtime stalker back into his life. Tim’s quest is to win his girlfriend’s trust back, all the while trying to calm down the “tornado of destruction” that is Barry, and get a better job in the process.
Paul Rudd is usually an absolute delight on screen, especially in cameos in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” and small parts in “40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up.” Rudd seems to have lost his luster here, playing the straight-laced guy versus Carell’s Barry. Rudd’s character just doesn’t fit his usual low-key, sardonic characters. The script could have been a little bit stronger, as the jokes and slapstick were mediocre. Carell is like a court jester here, dancing around and performing ridiculous gags for a cheap laugh. This is not Steve Carell at his best (neither is his odd hair color), but it’s not for lack of trying. He gives the role a great go. Zach Galifianakis plays Therman, Barry’s co-worker and resident “mind reader.” Sometimes Galifianakis strives too much to be funny and was oftentimes over the top, but in the film’s best scene, the titular dinner for schmucks, Galifianakis and Carell duke it out, having a mock-laser fight in the middle of the party. This is where the real laughs are found.
Overall, the laughs are weak but relatively frequent, and the film ends on a sweet note, resolving that everyone should be embraced for their uniqueness or oddities and even the weirdest person could end up being a great friend. As clichéd as it sounds, “Dinner for Schmucks” concludes with the right amount of saccharine you would expect from a summer comedy, without being too overdone, and the film’s premise luckily never devolves into plain cruelty. Jay Roach, the director, best known for directing the “Austin Powers” films and “Meet the Parents” didn’t make a comedic classic here, but it is good enough entertainment. “Dinner for Schmucks” proves to be somewhat satisfying, but leaving you hungry for a little more.
Rating: 2 1/2 stars
Where to Find It: In Theaters 7/30
The story begins with very serious Tim Conrad (Paul Rudd), who is striving to climb the corporate ladder as an analyst at his financial company to prove to his girlfriend, Julie, that he is husband-material after she has rejected several of his proposals. In order to be promoted to the coveted seventh floor of his office building and to head a possible account with a new client, his boss and superiors (including Ron Livingston, of “Office Space”) tell him that in order to win the promotion, he must attend an annual dinner at his boss’s house. There’s a catch, however: Tim must bring a guest, an unwitting schmuck to provide some comical entertainment for the executives, all at the expense of the poor loser who has been invited to this exclusive dinner party. It’s a competition, and the person with the “best” schmuck wins the promotion and the account.
Tim’s schmuck is none other than Barry, played by Steve Carell, who has a talent for playing the loveable, dimwitted goofballs in “The Office,” and in such films as “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Get Smart.” Carell’s charm is always at the forefront of his performances, and this role is no exception. Barry is an employee of the IRS whose hobby is to collect dead mice, have them stuffed at a taxidermy shop, dress them up, and put them in elaborate dioramas. If only the same amount of care that Barry puts into dolling up his dead mice was put into the script. It elicits a few giggles, and maybe a laugh or two. Barry’s character is so pathetic; the audience has no choice but to sympathize with him despite his morbidly creepy pastime and his destructive behavior. Tim meets Barry and realizes he has struck gold—Barry is the idiot he is searching for. Tim’s girlfriend is upset that he would be callous enough to invite Barry to a dinner, only for him to be turned into a laughing stock, but Tim reluctantly does so anyways, keeping in mind he want to be a man good enough for her to marry. Misadventures ensue, as Barry arrives a day early for the dinner, and proceeds to accidentally demolish Tim’s apartment, almost ruin his prospects of promotion, and wreck his relationship with his girlfriend by reintroducing Tim’s longtime stalker back into his life. Tim’s quest is to win his girlfriend’s trust back, all the while trying to calm down the “tornado of destruction” that is Barry, and get a better job in the process.
Paul Rudd is usually an absolute delight on screen, especially in cameos in “Forgetting Sarah Marshall,” and small parts in “40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Knocked Up.” Rudd seems to have lost his luster here, playing the straight-laced guy versus Carell’s Barry. Rudd’s character just doesn’t fit his usual low-key, sardonic characters. The script could have been a little bit stronger, as the jokes and slapstick were mediocre. Carell is like a court jester here, dancing around and performing ridiculous gags for a cheap laugh. This is not Steve Carell at his best (neither is his odd hair color), but it’s not for lack of trying. He gives the role a great go. Zach Galifianakis plays Therman, Barry’s co-worker and resident “mind reader.” Sometimes Galifianakis strives too much to be funny and was oftentimes over the top, but in the film’s best scene, the titular dinner for schmucks, Galifianakis and Carell duke it out, having a mock-laser fight in the middle of the party. This is where the real laughs are found.
Overall, the laughs are weak but relatively frequent, and the film ends on a sweet note, resolving that everyone should be embraced for their uniqueness or oddities and even the weirdest person could end up being a great friend. As clichéd as it sounds, “Dinner for Schmucks” concludes with the right amount of saccharine you would expect from a summer comedy, without being too overdone, and the film’s premise luckily never devolves into plain cruelty. Jay Roach, the director, best known for directing the “Austin Powers” films and “Meet the Parents” didn’t make a comedic classic here, but it is good enough entertainment. “Dinner for Schmucks” proves to be somewhat satisfying, but leaving you hungry for a little more.
Rating: 2 1/2 stars
Where to Find It: In Theaters 7/30
This is pretty much the nail in the coffin of my interest in seeing this film. All of the reviews are lukewarm at best and the premise just seems so utterly stupid. Steve Carrell is usually better at taking stupid plots of movies and making them interesting, but for every Date Night there is an Evan Almighty which is just as stupid as you'd expect. Paul Rudd deserves better though.
ReplyDeletehahaha, you know what's hilarious? I didn't see your name on the comment. I read it first and knew it was you. I know I tend to be a little bit more forgiving with some movies than you are, but when I walked out of the theater, I remember thinking you would hate it. With Date Night, he had Tina Fey to help elevate everything. Paul Rudd playing the straight guy just did nothing to add to Carell's performance or their chemistry.
ReplyDelete