inkblot11 Review of Dinner for Schmucks

Dinner for Schmucks (2010)

You won't be a schmuck for renting this one, for it has its moments, but, the film does go flat, at times

[7/10 · 8 September 2010]

Tim (Paul Rudd) is in love with a beautiful woman, Julie (Stephanie Szostak), and its hard. She is a budding art museum curator and, although she seems to love him, she won't put the ring on her finger that Paul constantly takes out of his pocket. To help his case, Tim is trying hard to climb his investment firm's ladder and, in fact, comes up with a brilliant idea to lure a wealthy Swiss man into becoming a client. The head honcho (Bruce Greenwood) is pleased. However, to ensure that Tim has the right stuff, the bossman lets Tim know that his relevance at an upcoming dinner party will be critical. Each member of the company that attends must bring a "schmuck", a loser, to the event. The person whose guest is the "worst" will snare a trophy AND be a top dog at work. When Tim tells Julie of the dinner, she is appalled and asks that Tim not do such a despicable thing. Unfortunately, a prime candidate, Barry (Steve Carell) literally runs in front of Tim's car and falls to the ground. This IRS employee is earnest but dimwitted and makes dead mouse dioramas in his spare time. Hanging out for a day or two together, Barry messes up Tim's life in a big way. A psycho ex-girlfriend of Tim's comes calling, thanks to Barry's Internet invitation, and Julie, getting caught in the fray that follows, bolts out the door and into the arms of a client. Eventually, there is nothing for Tim to do but take Barry to the dinner. Will Tim win the competition but, more importantly, will Julie come back to him and will Barry be hurt by the dinner's raison d'etre? Based on a French film, this American translation lacks something, being very uneven. Sometimes its very funny and other times, the jokes fall flat. But, the cast is wonderful and the movie's best asset. Carell and Rudd are a great duo, like Abbott and Costello, and Zach Galifianakis, Greenwood, Szostak, Ron Livingston, and all of the others truly "make" the film a success. That said, the settings are also very fine, with Rudd's apartment absolutely stunning in its decor. Costumes, too, are well-selected and the camera work is also nice. As stated above, however, the script and direction are on again, off again, making for a wee bit of disappointment in the overall final picture. No, you will not be a schmuck if you see this one, it has some great moments. Likely it is, however, that you will suffer a small letdown as the ending credits roll.