FILM: DINNER WITH SCHMUCKS
“If you like nonsense comedy and cheap laughter this might be your thing. If not, steer clear.“
Review by Duncan McLeod
Starring; Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, Jemaine Clement,Stephanie Szostack
Director: Jay Roach
Synopsis:
When he finds out that his work superiors host a dinner celebrating the idiocy of their guests, a rising executive questions it when he’s invited, just as he befriends a man who would be the perfect guest.
Review:
DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is a buddy film. It is good to see Rudd and Carell in a film together and although this perhaps doesn’t sizzle with excellent comic timing and finesse, it is a decent flick that is more worthy of a movie night in than a cinema excursion.
Both Rudd and Carell are guilty of playing the same role in each of their films. While Rudd continues this here, Carell deviates from the path, if only slightly to give a colourful performance that plays to his strengths of goofiness and awkwardness though fleshes out the ‘hero-factor’ a little more than usual.
His character’s internal belief that he must do right by all creatures man or animal is heart-warming. Through the film, even his best intentions to protect his friend Tim (Rudd) get ruined and Barry (Carell) spends the rest of the film endeavouring to make it up to him with amusing consequences.
Rudd is, as stated, his regular self. This is okay for a while however it can and does become tedious.
This is a shame because for the most part this reviewer is a fan of Rudd’s work. Hopefully he will grow as an actor because he will need to do something to continue to demand attention.
Jemaine Clement brought a freshness to the film in his role as Keiran, an eccentric artist, who Tim and Barry suspect of having more than a working relationship with Tim’s girlfriend. Fortunately they cast a Kiwi to play a Kiwi, and didn’t go down the path of calling him an Aussie or casting an American to play the role. Clement rose to fame through FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS and audiences who have yet to experience his brand of humour are in for a treat. This is certainly a departure from his usual fare.
Sadly the women in this film don’t rate much of a mention. Even the performance of Stephanie Szostak as Tim’s girlfriend Julie could go on without a mention, though it was nice to see a European woman cast rather than sticking to an all American couple formula.
The grave disappointment comes by way of Zach Galifianakis. Having done so well in and since THE HANGOVER this role is his least impressive. The role and his casting in it seemed stupid and not in a comedic way. There is one exchange between his character, who plays Barry’s boss, and Barry that is mildly amusing but Galifianakis doesn’t hit the mark this time around.
Director Jay Roach has had success with the AUSTIN POWERS and MEET THE PARENTS series. This film doesn’t stand up against any of those. Here it seems like everybody is acting, directing and writing by numbers and no real effort to impress is made.
The interesting angle about Barry’s character being obsessed with mouse-people is a nice running theme through the film and could have been more effective if better handled though sadly this was not the case here.
It is interesting to note that Sacha Baron-Cohen is an Executive Producer on this film and was once tied to a role. If it was in place of Carrell’s character then this reviewer is glad he didn’t, if it was for Galifianakis, then perhaps he should have.
If you like nonsense comedy and cheap laughter this might be your thing. If not, steer clear.
