The Dilemma

OPENING: 01/14/2011

STUDIO: Imagine Entertainment

RUN TIME: 112 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Two best friends. Nothing could come between them … or could it?

Opening Statement
Comedies are a hard breed to critique. I’m of the mindset that if they make you laugh they’ve done their job, which is why I’m a bit of a softie when it comes to Adam Sandler flicks. Yeah, they’re stupid but at least they deliver on their promise.

However, there exists a comedy sub-genre, consisting of the films that attempt to tackle a serious subject, but do so in a quirky, even offbeat manner. Films like As Good As It Gets, Knocked Up and, more recently, Funny People, are fine examples of this type–thought provoking, but ultimately hilarious films that tickle the mind, body and heart.

And so we arrive at Ron Howard’s The Dilemma, a funny but ultimately messy relationship comedy that fails as a film, but still offers plenty of laughs to merit a look or two.

Facts of the Case
Vince Vaughn and Kevin James star as Ronny Valentine and Nick Brannen, two lifelong buddies who love and respect one another–for better or worse–despite their unique differences.

Their relationship hits a sour note, however, when Ronny spots Nick’s wife Geneva (Winona Ryder) lip-locking with another man (Channing Tatum). A dilemma ensues: how do you tell your best friend that his wife is cheating on him? More importantly, when do you tell him? Certainly not amidst the most ambitious move of Nick and Ronny’s career involving an auto manufacturing company, and certainly not on the eve of Ronny’s planned proposal to long-time sweetheart Beth (a stunning Jennifer Connelly).

Attempts to resolve the situation only make matters worse, and Ronny soon finds his friendship with Nick, his career and marriage all on the line; all because of one little dilemma.

The Evidence
The Dilemma is a pretty damned funny film. By no surprise, Vaughn runs away with the entire production, what with his high-speed wit, and deft comic timing. Simply put, this is the actor’s best role in some time. By that I mean The Dilemma presents him with a chance to show off his more complex side. He cracks jokes, sure, but he also displays a quieter, darker demeanor, one that suggests a boiling temperament lurking beneath that plumpy, stuffed bear appearance. I liked Ronny, but only because I like Vaughn. His actions may be fully erratic, and slightly demented (he tries to capture the adulterers by snapping pictures outside their bedroom window), but due to Vaughn’s likeable charisma you hardly notice.

Unfortunately, Howard and co. cannot keep their film from bursting apart at the seams. Storylines intertwine, and practically strangle one another; characters, such as Ryder’s slightly demented Geneva, lack substance, or believable motivations. The entire production builds to a roundtable discussion that should’ve been funnier than it was, and lacks the sharp wit of, say, Norman Jewison’s Moonstruck. Howard and his writer Allen Loeb can’t decide if their making a comedy, a drama, or both, and so we get a comedy with some odd dramatic bits, or a drama with off-color humor. You decide.

That said, I laughed quite a bit at the proceedings. As situations intensify, and as Ronny’s predicament worsens, The Dilemma becomes more hysterical. With another 15-minutes or so to work with, Howard might have pulled it all together. As is, The Dilemma affords a good time, even if the end results are surely lacking.

I’m reminded of EdTV, Howard’s most recent comedy (not counting The Grinch, which was more headache inducing than funny) starring Matthew McConaughey (back when he, you know, actually acted) and Jenna Elfman. That film also struggled under the intricacies that Howard, for whatever reason, insists on bringing to the table. Indeed, Howard is at his best when he plays it straight – Apollo 13, Splash, Cocoon, and Parenthood – and tells simple stories/fantasies about uncomplicated human beings. His lesser efforts, namely EdTV, Backdraft, Far and Away and those Ron Brown adaptations, suffer because they try to do– and say–too much.

The Dilemma doesn’t quite hit the lows of Howard’s misfires, if only because Vaughn refuses to surrender, but it never reaches the highs of his greatest hits collection either. I’ll recommend it if only because as a comedy it gets the job done. Just don’t expect anything more.

On a final note, I should mention Kevin James and Jennifer Connelly. Both do their best with underwritten supporting roles. James displays sure-footedness in a fairly serious role, a trait lacking in those silly Adam Sandler productions in which he merely plays the bumbling fat guy. Connelly quietly unleashes her customary sexuality, even if her role calls for little more than an overabundance of sorrowful glances. The actress looks better with age, but deserves something juicier than the numerous one-dimensional roles she’s been handed ever since winning her Oscar for A Beautiful Mind (directed by Ron Howard, no less).

The rest of the cast, particularly Tatum, and an under-used Queen Latifah, provide a few quick laughs in bit cameo roles; whilst Ryder, looking more haggard than usual, does little besides lurk in the background casting hateful faces at Vaughn and company–although a bit in which she “acts” out her confession is alarmingly creepy. Her character should’ve been the lead in Season of the Witch.

What else can be said? Howard has done much better in the past. So has most everyone involved, except for Vaughn, who is the only one in the entire production that truly knows what funny is.

Closing Statement
The Dilemma returns director Ron Howard to the genre he does best–comedy–but fails to maintain a consistent tone throughout; instead filling the screen with an overabundance of characters and situations that never truly mesh. Still, a go-for-broke Vince Vaughn performance provides solid laughs, and almost saves the production. Almost.

The Verdict
7/10

Couples Retreat

OPENING: 10/09/2009

STUDIO: Universal Studios

RUN TIME: 107 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
It may be paradise… but it’s no vacation.

Opening Statement
There’s enough comic talent in the cast of Couples Retreat to supply two or three films. Unfortunately, the laughs are few and very far between, in this clunker of a comedy.

The Case
The film focuses on four different couples. Vince Vaughn (Fred Claus) and Malin Akerman (Watchmen) are semi-happily married and have two young children. Jon Favreau (Iron Man) and Kristen Davis (Sex and the City) have been cheating on each other for years. Faizon Love (Idlewild) is recently divorced and now dating a perky 20-year-old played by Kali Hawk (Lovers & Haters). Jason Bateman (Hancock) and Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars) are contemplating divorce, but before they make their decision, they want to go to an eccentric form of couples counseling on an exotic island retreat known as "Eden." Bateman convinces the other three couples to come along (after all, there’s a great group rate), and our adventure begins. Many wacky hijinks ensue, and somehow all the crazy events that take place over the course of the week cause each of the couples to learn something about themselves and grow closer to each other.

The plot structure may be the stuff of tedious sitcoms, but I had hopes the usually-reliable writing team of Vince Vaughn and Jon Favreau would provide a generous dose of character-driven humor to keep the proceedings afloat. Alas, the writing is groan-worthy and predictable, relying on an agonizingly unsubtle blend of forced sentiment and over-the-top gags. For reasons too contrived to explain, the overweight Faizon Love is forced to strip in front of everyone else. The punch line is a shot of his bare buttocks. Ho, ho. Jean Reno wears a much-too-tight speedo. A yoga instructor shows the couples how to flex in a risque manner that makes it look as though he is simulating various sex acts with them. A masseuse gives Favreau a treatment and causes an unintended physical reaction. And so on and so forth. In fairness, the audience I was with found most of this stuff nothing short of riotous. Perhaps you will, too. However, I expect there are quite a few of you, like myself, who will find this material remarkably disappointing, especially when contrasted with the verbal delights of Swingers or the smart n’ sweet combo of the average Judd Apatow-produced comedy.

The biggest crime committed by Couples Retreat is the manner in which it wastes a remarkably gifted cast. Those who have seen Arrested Development and Veronica Mars know just how good Jason Bateman and Kristen Bell can be. This time around Bateman plays one anal-retentive note over and over, while Bell has absolutely nothing of interest to do. The rest of the leading men are cardboard cliches while the rest of the women can’t even deliver their perfunctory dialogue in a convincing manner (Kristen Davis in particularly has a tendency to overdo everything). Jean Reno just looks uncomfortable and unhappy, perhaps because his scenes are some of the most ill-advised in the film. Oh, and how about that ending? If Reno was really anticipating the final outcome of the film the entire time, he must have far greater psychic powers than the film indicates. Couples Retreat isn’t evil or aggressively awful. I suppose it’s a relatively inoffensive comedy (if you can excuse the expected dose of homophobic humor) attempting to promote the positive idea that couples should do whatever it takes to make their relationship work, but it does so in such a remarkably banal and uninspired manner I don’t see why anyone should spend their hard-earned money to witness it. One of the biggest duds of 2009.

The Verdict
2/10