Review: Dinner For Schmucks (2010)

Dinner for Schmucks- (Jay Roach's adaptation of the French film, The Dinner Game) stars Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. Schmucks is about Tim (Rudd), a rising executive who has discovered that in order to attain his promotion he must attend a dinner hosted by his CEO that celebrates the stupidity of poor souls (i.e. Carell's character Barry) chaperoned by his boss's inferiors. Torn between the immorality of humiliating an honest man and his desire to advance by any means necessary, Tim must make a tough ethical decision. Having not seen the original French film, I can only guess that either the cast and crew of Schmucks lost the comedy of the original in translation, or there's a major cultural difference interfering. The film seems to be fueled by physical humor, awkwardness, and the implausible stupidity of Carell's character. Not to say the film doesn't have its funny moments. Zach Galifianakis is a saving grace of the film, simply due to his on-screen charisma and facial expressions. This is not enough to save the film from plummeting further and further as the predictably ironic scenes unravel. I don't much care for awkwardness in real life, much less do I like paying to experience it on the big screen to the extent that Schmucks dishes out. Carell's character tends to be more obnoxious than humorous. Having come from the man who brought us Meet the Parents, Borat, and Bruno, I would like to perceive this as a mere speed bump in Roach's directorial career. The film had a phenomenal cast, including Ron Livingston, Jemaine Clement from Flight of the Concords, and David Walliams of Little Britain USA. I must add that although I am not alone on my opinion (Dinner currently has a 50% on RT), I personally know a collection of individuals that loved the film. Although arguably an acquired taste for some, this viewer would feel like a Schmuck if he scored it any more than 2 stars.