DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS Review; Funny, entertaining and stupid in equal measures

rating: 3

I have to be honest and state that I didn't know Dinner For Schmucks was a remake of a well-regarded French comedy until the opening credits. I also have to be honest and state that I didn't really know what to think of the trailers for the movie. On one hand, I loved the idea of Steve Carell and Paul Rudd working together again, but on the other, all the advertisements pointed towards low-brow stupidity. And that hand felt like the way I thought this would go. The movie stars Paul Rudd as Barry, an up and coming financial advisor with aspirations of reaching the illustrious 'seventh floor'. After nailing a high profile contract with an eccentric billionaire, Barry is invited to a special dinner put on by his boss where the guests invite people with useless talents and low intelligence to mock and crown biggest idiot of the night. People from work invited to this dinner often find that their careers skyrocket if the idiot they bring is good. Barry is hesitant about the party until he meets Tim, played by Steve Carell. What follows is a series of highly unfortunate events caused by Tim as Barry attempts to survive the time it takes to show up for the Dinner. Things get complicated as Tim jeopardizes Barry's relationship with his soon to be fiance Julie, played by Stephanie Szosta. What makes Dinner for Schmucks work is that it really handles its main characters with a large amount of respect. Though Tim is an idiot, he clearly means well, and is in love with the idea that Barry is a true friend. Because of this, he tries to do everything in his power to make sure Barry is happy, but by doing so, he only makes things worse. Rudd's Barry is very sympathetic, if also a tad bit stupid. Most of the movie's antics could have been prevented by a very simple call to the police, but the thought never seems to cross Barry's mind. Both Carell and Rudd pull meaty performances as their respective rolls, but the true star of this movie is Kieren, played by Flight of the Conchords member Jermaine Clement. Jermaine's portrayal of Kieren channels a lot of energy he clearly had left over from Gentlemen Broncos, but unlike that awful movie, everything about Kieren works. I buy every ridiculous minute that Kieren is onscreen, as every line this guy speaks is comedy gold. While Tim is stupid and good hearted, Kieren is stupid, mean spirited, and unique, a combo that makes for a riot when watching his scenes with Rudd and Carell. The film handles its comedy very deftly and manages to pack in a good number of really amazing jokes. My favorite has to be 'The Tower of Dreamers' at the climax, which would be a sin to spoil. The supporting cast all do a great job of packing up the antics of Tim and Barry, though I do think that Stephanie Szosta's Julie is a bit lifeless. Sure, the part of 'bickering girlfriend' may be a stock role, but Szosta's performance does very little to sell what little depth the writers attempted to give her. Of all the supporting cast, I would have to call her out on being the weak link, as her boring performance does a lot to sag down the energy of the scenes she's in. Having said all that, however, the film suffers from some major problems in the second and third act. There are a couple subplots set up in the second act involving Tim's personal life that really lead nowhere. The divorced wife subplot really seemed the least necessary for me, as this is really only in place to give the audience a reason to hate Zack Galifianakis' Therman (who's great, by the way). There's a lot of dead weight in the second act as Tim and Barry scramble to find Julie, which makes the film feel sloppy and uneven. True, there are some funny moments with Therman and some really great characterization scattered in with the extra runtime, but the added length really does little to help the movie. I think that if the movie's pacing were tightened we'd have a great contender for best comedy of the year. As it stands, however, Dinner for Schmucks is just a little too bogged down by extra subplots and jokes that really lead nowhere. If you're in the mood for a very entertaining comedy, Dinner for Schmucks is actually quite good, and while it may not be the laugh riot many people are hoping it will be, I still think it's a very entertaining and funny film. Catch a matinee or check it out on DVD, it's definitely worth seeing one way or another. Dinner For Schmucks is released in the U.K. on Friday.