Rated PG-13 for mature thematic elements including sexual content
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Winona Ryder, Jennifer Connelly, Channing Tatum, Queen Latifah
Director: Ron Howard
Vince Vaughn seems an ideal choice for the male lead in Ron Howard comedies. He possesses an acting style reminiscent of Michael Keaton in some of Howard's previous efforts ("Night Shift", "Gung-Ho", and "The Paper"). Like Keaton, Vaughn has a rapid-fire manner of speech coupled with an insatiable need to do right by his friends. That skill set is put to use in Howard's latest comedy, "The Dilemma," a so-so movie that boasts loftier ambitions than most buddy comedies and certainly knows how to set up its comic premise. Unfortunately, the film doesn't know how to close itself out. That proves to be its undoing.
The dilemma in "The Dilemma" is whether or not to inform your best friend of a painful truth. Vaughn plays Ronny Valentine, a Chicago-based car engine manufacturer and a recovering gambling addict who seems to have finally got his life in order. He is happily involved with the lovely Beth (Jennifer Connelly) whose stunning looks are matched by her kind, gentle demeanor. His best friend is Nick Brannen (Kevin James), the "brains" behind the manufacturing business. (Ronny works the clients; Nick works the engines.) Nick is married to Geneva (Winona Ryder). Theirs seems to be a happy union. That is, until Ronny sees Geneva in the arms of another man... a tattooed, guitar-toting goofball appropriately named Zip (Channing Tatum). Should he tell Nick? Should be an easy call, but Nick does have a nervous streak, and news like this could threaten the lucrative deal the men have with Chrysler Dodge. Thus the dilemma.
As I said, the movie does have admirably high ambitions. (Or at least, high for a comedy of this sort.) As the story opens, we see both couples dining out and engaged in a conversation about just how well you know another person... even someone you're closer to than anyone else. It's a strong theme that lays the groundwork upon which the story can build. Yet those very ambitions are the tipoff to what's wrong with the movie.
How? The movie attempts to introduce various complexities into the situation (when confronted by Ronny, Geneva informs him that there's more to their union than meets his untrained eye, and tells him he should butt out of her marriage... and later we learn that Nick may be engaging in his own extramarital affair), but then it inexplicably opts out of dealing with those complexities later in the story, perhaps because they would become a burden to the comic elements. Particularly the subplot involving Nick's infidelity. It's forgotten late in the story, somewhat cruelly so.
I realize this is a comedy and some may perceive my objections as taking the story too seriously. But when the lynch pin of your comic premise hinges around a bout of marital infidelity and you choose not to deal with that element in any way, shape, or form... that leaves--as they might say on "Seinfeld"--a pretty big Matzo ball you're asking your audience to ignore. The dissolving union between Nick and Geneva plays a curious second fiddle to the anguish Ronny faces in whether or not to tell Nick. The whole movie plays like a footnote to a much more substantial story.
Ron Howard's clout has managed to net him a pretty impressive cast. Vaughn is well-suited to this type of role. Kevin James and Winona Ryder put everything they can into their respective roles, but Allan Loeb's screenplay really isn't fair with either character. They're both asked to portray genuine emotions involved with marital strife, only to have their potential impact muted to make room for the comic elements. Jennifer Connelly somehow manages to bridge the gap between possessing staggering physical attractiveness and having the well-meaning heart of the girl-next-door. Channing Tatum and Queen Latifah provide solid comic relief. Particularly Latifah, playing a consultant for Chrysler Dodge with a curious affection for the quality of Ronny and Nick's work. ("I mean, I got some serious lady wood here." I don't know too many actresses that could pull that line off.)
The studio was obviously nervous about negative audience reaction, evidenced by both the January release date and the absence of critics' screenings. Truth is, the movie isn't quite that bad. There are some good laughs and the effort wasn't phoned in. The problem lies not in the execution, but in the conception. The idea either should have been thought out more fully, with more emphasis on how to bring the story full circle, or it should have been scrapped altogether. Quite the dilemma.
* * out of * * * * stars
The dilemma in "The Dilemma" is whether or not to inform your best friend of a painful truth. Vaughn plays Ronny Valentine, a Chicago-based car engine manufacturer and a recovering gambling addict who seems to have finally got his life in order. He is happily involved with the lovely Beth (Jennifer Connelly) whose stunning looks are matched by her kind, gentle demeanor. His best friend is Nick Brannen (Kevin James), the "brains" behind the manufacturing business. (Ronny works the clients; Nick works the engines.) Nick is married to Geneva (Winona Ryder). Theirs seems to be a happy union. That is, until Ronny sees Geneva in the arms of another man... a tattooed, guitar-toting goofball appropriately named Zip (Channing Tatum). Should he tell Nick? Should be an easy call, but Nick does have a nervous streak, and news like this could threaten the lucrative deal the men have with Chrysler Dodge. Thus the dilemma.
As I said, the movie does have admirably high ambitions. (Or at least, high for a comedy of this sort.) As the story opens, we see both couples dining out and engaged in a conversation about just how well you know another person... even someone you're closer to than anyone else. It's a strong theme that lays the groundwork upon which the story can build. Yet those very ambitions are the tipoff to what's wrong with the movie.
How? The movie attempts to introduce various complexities into the situation (when confronted by Ronny, Geneva informs him that there's more to their union than meets his untrained eye, and tells him he should butt out of her marriage... and later we learn that Nick may be engaging in his own extramarital affair), but then it inexplicably opts out of dealing with those complexities later in the story, perhaps because they would become a burden to the comic elements. Particularly the subplot involving Nick's infidelity. It's forgotten late in the story, somewhat cruelly so.
I realize this is a comedy and some may perceive my objections as taking the story too seriously. But when the lynch pin of your comic premise hinges around a bout of marital infidelity and you choose not to deal with that element in any way, shape, or form... that leaves--as they might say on "Seinfeld"--a pretty big Matzo ball you're asking your audience to ignore. The dissolving union between Nick and Geneva plays a curious second fiddle to the anguish Ronny faces in whether or not to tell Nick. The whole movie plays like a footnote to a much more substantial story.
Ron Howard's clout has managed to net him a pretty impressive cast. Vaughn is well-suited to this type of role. Kevin James and Winona Ryder put everything they can into their respective roles, but Allan Loeb's screenplay really isn't fair with either character. They're both asked to portray genuine emotions involved with marital strife, only to have their potential impact muted to make room for the comic elements. Jennifer Connelly somehow manages to bridge the gap between possessing staggering physical attractiveness and having the well-meaning heart of the girl-next-door. Channing Tatum and Queen Latifah provide solid comic relief. Particularly Latifah, playing a consultant for Chrysler Dodge with a curious affection for the quality of Ronny and Nick's work. ("I mean, I got some serious lady wood here." I don't know too many actresses that could pull that line off.)
The studio was obviously nervous about negative audience reaction, evidenced by both the January release date and the absence of critics' screenings. Truth is, the movie isn't quite that bad. There are some good laughs and the effort wasn't phoned in. The problem lies not in the execution, but in the conception. The idea either should have been thought out more fully, with more emphasis on how to bring the story full circle, or it should have been scrapped altogether. Quite the dilemma.
* * out of * * * * stars
