Dinner for Schmucks
| Directed by: | Jay Roach |
|---|---|
| Written by: | David Guion, Michael Handelman |
| Cast: | Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Ron Livingston, Bruce Greenwood |
| Studio: | Paramount Pictures |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Official Site: | www.dinnerforschmucks.com |
Basic Plot: Tim, in hopes for a promotion, is invited to a dinner party where he is asked to invite an idiot for entertainment.
Director: Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, Austin Powers)
Starring: Paul Rudd, Steve Carrell, Jeff Dunham, Jermaine Clement, Zach Galifianakis
Liked: It has a generic plot and characters we have all seen before; I think this film would have fell flat without Steve Carrell's elevated performance. I loved everything to do with the mice; they were ridiculously cute and I never once thought about them actually once being alive. Jermaine Clement as the over-the-top artist Kieran was hilarious, he reminded me of a Aldous Snow. The dinner party was a quite the payoff at the end of the film seeing all of the guests show off all of their "talents." On top of all the humor, this film also manages to send a genuine message about relationships and friends to give a second tone.
Disliked: This movie felt like it had a PG-13 cloud reigning over it the entire time; there are too many sexual references that are toned down to fit the rating. I would have liked to have seen a few more minutes spent on the relationship between Tim and Julie at the beginning of the film. They immediately get into an argument and she spends the majority of the film mad and inadvertantly making Tim jealous. I also felt Galfianakis was trying too hard and lets down his breakout performance as Alan in The Hangover.
Favorite Performance: Steve Carrell; I'm a big fan of The Office and the man himself, and although his character feels like a mix of his The 40-Year-Virgin and Michael Scott counterparts, you can't discredit is natural ability to make you laugh.
Favorite Scene: Barry's dinner presentations; they were pretty damn funny.
Laugh-o-meter (1-10): 6/10; it's funnier than your average comedy, due to Steve Carrell's performance, but I never found myself laughing hysterically.
T&A: You see Lucy Punch, a fairly unknown actor, in a corsette and panties; she has a decent body, but her character is a complete turn-off.
