The Kidd Vs. Dinner For Schmucks
CAUTION: SPOILERS AHEAD
DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is a somewhat difficult movie to review, because, without being able to see how a lot of the jokes play out in the context of others, it might not come across as funny to you. But rest assured, DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is absolutely funny. I would even go so far as to say it is downright hilarious. I’ll even go into forbidden territory, and say that you will LOL from beginning to end (yes, I actually went there). This summer has been lacking a lot of things – good movies, for one – but there has been a glaring hole this season, with a truly good comedy missing. That no longer is the case, as DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is brilliant, and a great deal of the credit goes to Steve Carell, who puts on a comedic performance that consistently brings the laughs, something that’s been missing from his last few movies.
The premise of DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is fairly simple. Tim (Paul Rudd in a rare role as the comic straight man) is a “stockbroker,” who is looking to move up in the ranks of the company he works for. After taking a big risk during a staff meeting, he gets invited to play with the big boys, but, before he can officially receive any promotion, he’s going to have to wine and dine with the higher-ups. That means accepting an invitation to a special dinner his boss hosts monthly, where each person is required to bring a very special guest literally. It’s a dinner for idiots, with each company exec trying to find the biggest idiot they can find in order to top the other idiots. Yes, this is what asshole rich people apparently do in their spare time. They find others who could easily be considered strange… or bizarre… or creepy, and they invite them in for a dinner, so they can laugh at their misfortune and make fun of them. Upon telling his girlfriend/almost-fiance what the plan is, she puts him on the spot as having to decide whether he’s the good person she thought he was or the asshole the rest of his co-workers are. As he struggles with the decision, he literally runs into Barry (Steve Carell at the top of his game)… with his car. After seeing the detailed dioramas Barry makes using dead mice in re-creations of various artistic masterpieces, Tim realizes he’s struck gold, and decides to go forth with the dinner anyway. The rest of DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is about the moral conflict Tim must battle, in trying to hold onto the fibers of himself that know he should do the right thing, while contemplating making the tough decisions that could help his career… and it all happens as Barry becomes an totally destructive force in Tim’s life right from the get-go.
The biggest issue created here, by misunderstanding as usual, is Barry inviting a crazy stalker bitch, played wonderfully and psychotically by Lucy Punch, back into Tim’s life, making for a messy situation where Tim’s fiance believes he’s cheating on her. That leads to Barry constantly trying to make things better, but, in each attempt, only succeeding at making it all far, far worse.
The dynamic between Carell and Rudd is what makes DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS really work, and there wasn’t a lot of room for error in creating their relationship/friendship. Rudd nails the balance Tim needs in walking that fine line between what is right and what is necessary. If he strays too far in either direction, the structure of the film will crumble. Being too moral deflates any sense of conflict within the film, but being too immoral paints him as a cold douchebag. It’s Tim’s heart that allows us to have sympathy for Barry, regardless of what a train wreck he is. Usually, we get the wise-cracking smartass Paul Rudd character, who seems so nonchalant about everything and exudes a certain don’t-give-a-shit attitude, and there are shades of that Rudd we’ve come to get comfortable with over his last few films. However, it’s Rudd’s ability to dial it down here that is his most valuable quality, allowing Carell plenty of room to shine. Rudd needs to be far more background with Carell on-screen, so as to not attempt to overshadow him in any way, and director Jay Roach was able to create a perfect give-and-take interaction throughout SCHMUCKS between them, that works in the film’s favor. Rudd isn’t reduced in any way, but, when he has to be lesser, he takes that spot, working to accentuate the rest of the scene unfolding around him.
Steve Carell is brilliant here, and it may be because there are parts of Barry that clearly look as if they were partially lifted from Carell’s 2 best roles to date – Andy (THE 40-YEAR-OLD VIRGIN) and Michael Scott (THE OFFICE). Barry is a bit further gone than either of those 2 characters, but there is this naive innocence that puts him on their level. He is as clueless and oblivious to the world around him as they are, but he’s a far more complex individual. The mice dioramas are pretty impressive, as they also help him visualize a more perfect world, but there’s a lot about this guy that is more than off. He believes Tim is the creator of the expression “Everything happens for a reason,” not to mention his inability to use complete John Lennon lyrics. He has no idea who Nelson Mandela is, thanks to Clint Eastwood’s INVICTUS, and finds that the best way to communicate with a Swiss businessman is to bust out with his best Swedish Chef vernacular. He’s the lovable loser, the guy you would unleash a verbal beating upon, if not for the fact that you feel bad for him. He always has the best intentions… even if the execution always gets fucked-up. He means well, and he wants to help, because he can’t have very many friends, but you don’t feel sorry for him. You just feel bad for him. Barry is a slightly brighter version of Jeff Daniels’ Harry Dunne in DUMB AND DUMBER. They, but there is a lot more emotion to the character. He was once married, and his wife left him for his sworn enemy, and that’s part of where these feelings you have for Barry really develop. You know he’s a mess, but you still root for him, because he’s a sweet guy, however misunderstood.
Carell really brings it for DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS, as the biggest laughs are delivered by him, and, at the same time, he is right smack in the film’s most heartfelt moments. This may not be Carell’s funniest performance, but, to this point in his career, it may be his most complex. SCHMUCKS goes as Carell goes, and it’s a good thing he’s great here, because that’s what makes SCHMUCKS an excellent multi-course meal.
However, the movie doesn’t stop with the 2 leads, and the cast comes out firing on all cylinders through SCHMUCKS’ entirety. Zach Galifianakis is able to stray a bit from being that guy from THE HANGOVER, as Thurman, the mind-controlling CPA whose Barry’s boss at the I.R.S. He still has a slightly offbeat character to play, but this one goes beyond bizarre. He has no powers whatsoever, regardless of what he’s convinced some other idiots (namely Barry). He’s written his own mind-control book that you can order from his website, or can purchase in-person, even though you’ll still have to pay the shipping and handling on it. He plays a perfect dickish villain to Barry, and makes for a tremendous foil in the world of idiots. It is a bit part with major importance, and Galifianakis holds his own comedic ground against Carell, as the 2 do battle on-screen in some very funny scenes together.
The other real stand-out of SCHMUCKS is Jemaine Clement (FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS) as artist Kieran Vollard, an individual who spends a good day arms deep in a zebra’s vagina helping birth baby zebras before heading off for some visceral sexy sex before he dies. I’ve been a fan of Clement’s since I discovered his comedy folk-acoustic band Flight of the Conchords, and somehow with the comic superstars in SCHMUCKS, Clement manages to steal every scene he’s a part of with his turn at this strange artist. Whether he’s creating artwork that involves him fitting a whole octopus in his mouth, or giving his take on the sexual nature of animals and the lack of mating history between humans and birds, Clement helps take the weirdness of SCHMUCKS to another place, which seems to be one of the running jokes of the film – that each new idiot seems to be more insane than the ones that came before them.
DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS spends quite awhile serving up the appetizers that, by the time you finally reach the the titular dinner, you’re already satisfied. And I wouldn’t call the dinner a letdown, but it is certainly not on par with the rest of the film. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is that funny, to the point that its climax can’t even keep up with all the laughter it produced prior to the main course. The dinner gets a little silly with the ultimate showdown between Barry and Thurman, in addition to the clear message that moral individuals triumph as the assholes get what they deserve. But, before we get to that point, there is a nice variety of other idiots to observe, and get a kick out of the competition, whether it’s the National beard champion of a few years ago or the ventriloquist who’s married to his breast-enhanced dummy or my personal favorite, the woman who can communicate with dead pets and animals.
DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is a movie you’re going to have to experience for yourself, but you will not be disappointing. The trailer and the TV spots cannot do this movie justice, focusing a bit on some Carell one-liners that don’t nearly carry as much weight as if you see them properly placed in the movie. It is a tough movie to market, because there is a lot more complex business going on than you think, which forced a quick transition for The Kidd, as things weren’t headed in the direction I originally expected at the outset of the movie. But it turned out for the best, as I had a remarkably enjoyable time watching DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS. Director Jay Roach has a history of working the interaction between actors well in a comedy, as evidenced by his hand in the AUSTIN POWERS franchise and the MEET THE PARENTS series, and he works his magic yet again, bringing out the best in his cast. It’s very rare that a film doesn’t seem to have a weak link amongst its characters, but DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is in the class. Each role is beautifully cast, with each actor and actress playing well off each other. And the script, by David Guion and Michael Handelman, is outstanding.
DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS is the comedy we’ve been waiting for this summer, and, if you haven’t been sold by their ad campaign, put it aside, and take a chance anyway. If you’re in the mood to laugh and laugh hard, then you won’t be disappointed with DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS. But I would recommend eating before you take in the movie, because you’ll have a hard time consuming anything during this film. That’s due to the incredible amount of time you’ll spend laughing… but I guess there are far worse problems to have in your life. I mean, you could be seeing THE LAST AIRBENDER. On that note, anyone up for coffee or dessert?
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lmboo i havent heard the last airbender joke in a while lol