Dinner for Schmucks
There's only one thing keeping aspiring executive Tim (Paul Rudd) from corporate success. He must find the perfect guest to bring to his boss's monthly dinner party, where the winner of the evening is the one who arrives with the biggest buffoon. Luckily, Tim meets Barry (Steve Carell), a guy who re-creates famous works of art with stuffed mice. When the duo show up to dine, the lunacy kicks into high gear. It's a hilarious feast about two unlikely friends and one outrageous dinner!
Member Reviews
High Quality Version of Old Schtick - KevinJaques
The structure of the story is well used. A destructive and annoying failure guy with a heart of gold wins over and fixes our charming hero who is in danger of losing his warmth. But Steve Carrell manages to (mostly) walk that fine line where the character is so extreme that it’s funny and yet not so annoying that it’s torture to watch. Paul Rudd walks his own fine line, intolerant enough to move the story, warm enough to be sympathetic.
There is some clever banter and our hearts warm (somewhat) as intended.
But an unexpected bonus was the care that had been put into the 'terrible' art. Jemaine Clement, from Flight of the Conchords (I love that show!), was good as the pretentious artist with ‘animal magnetism’. All his art was sexual and of himself. Steve Carrell’s character made dioramas out of dead rodents. Astonishingly, the art they made was really really good! Not only was it fun to look at, but it made the whole premise far more plausible and the schmucks far more sympathetic.
The art and banter brought it near 4 star territory. But not quite.Carrell, Rudd can't save this one - eli_quincy
I'm not sure how often I've seen a comedy with this many talented people that has failed so spectacularly to elicit any laughs at all. Actually, Dinner for Schmucks starts fairly promisingly before devolving into a whole lot of mean-spirited, unfunny jokes. Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and pretty much everyone involved with this deserve much better.Delightfully Funny - GreenTomato
I thought this would be one of those dvds that you watch in the background of doing something else. But I was pleasantly surprised with how entertaining this was. Just the right amount of laughs, good acting and while it did go over the top in some spots, I really enjoyed the movie. One of the top ones on my list!
Member Reviews
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High Quality Version of Old Schtick - KevinJaques
The structure of the story is well used. A destructive and annoying failure guy with a heart of gold wins over and fixes our charming hero who is in danger of losing his warmth. But Steve Carrell manages to (mostly) walk that fine line where the character ...Carrell, Rudd can't save this one - eli_quincy
I'm not sure how often I've seen a comedy with this many talented people that has failed so spectacularly to elicit any laughs at all. Actually, Dinner for Schmucks starts fairly promisingly before devolving into a whole lot of mean-spirited, unfunny jokes. ...Delightfully Funny - GreenTomato
I thought this would be one of those dvds that you watch in the background of doing something else. But I was pleasantly surprised with how entertaining this was. Just the right amount of laughs, good acting and while it did go over the top in some spots, ...