Pages: 1 2 |
|
 Print This Post
|
The majority of the film doesn’t take place at the actual dinner (as it appeared in the trailer). Instead it is a build up to the dinner that focuses on the awkward relationship between Tim and Barry. The first twenty minutes of the film lag a bit (especially the title sequence), but the wait is worth it. Once Tim and Barry meet, the laughs come more frequently as both Rudd and Carell play well off of each other (which makes up for somewhat of a tiresome story).
The film follows a story structure that is familiar to the director’s other films (i.e. Meet the Parents) where crisis and misunderstanding dominate a character’s life until he or she is eventually able to right the ship. While this is a staple of the comedy genre, it is only so because it often works. However, this type of film needs the right combination of good actors and characters to work, that way the people we meet along the way usually make up for an otherwise tiresome and overused storyline.
Regardless of some slow points, the wait always pays off and any hostility from the impatient viewer is released with the introduction of a funny new character or hilariously awkward situation. Most notable are the scenarios with Tim’s stalker, Darla (Lucy Punch), and Barry’s boss at the IRS, Therman (Zack Galifianakis).
Dinner for Schmucks is a funny film. The problem is that it’s only funny enough and could have been a little more daring (there is an overuse of mice-taxidermy jokes at times). This definitely isn’t the best from Rudd and Carell, butit was fun and I hope to see more of them in the future. The two actors carry the film enough to keep die hard fans happy. Schmucks may not be worth the price of admission for everyone, but it’s certainly worth a slot in your Netflix queue.
Film Grade: B-
