I yearn for the days when Alvy Singer’s neuroses wooed Annie Hall, when Pee-wee Herman feuded with Francis Buxton, and when Wayne Campell and Garth Algar rocked cable access television. Comedies sure aren’t what they used to be and Dinner For Schmucks proves this to be true.
Dinner For Schmucks centers on Tim Conrad (Paul Rudd), an executive fighting for a raise within his company. He has nearly nabbed the position with his plan to reel in a multi-million dollar client, but there is one more hurdle to clear. He must attend a company “dinner for champions,” in which each attendee brings an extraordinary person with a unique talent. However, the champions are there to be made fun of, unbeknownst to them, and the biggest “schmuck” of the evening wins a trophy. If Tim’s guest wins, he gets the job. At first, Tim plans to avoid the dinner based on his moral standings, but then he meets Barry (Steve Carell), an IRS worker who makes dioramas based around in tact, dead mice that he collects in his spare time. Tim changes his mind, invites Barry to dinner, and 24 hours of chaos ensues.
Though this movie had my whole theater in stitches, I couldn’t manage to get on board with it. I offered up some laughs for Kieran (Jemaine Clement), the artist Tim’s girlfriend works for, and the interactions between Barry and his boss, Therman (Zach Galifianakis), but the whole plot is so over-the-top that I found myself frustrated rather than entertained. Neither the characters nor their actions are believable (there is no way Barry can wreak the havoc that he does yet work for the IRS) and their relationships to each other are thread thin at best. The script is so weak that it is really what the actors bring to their characters through ridiculous sounds and movements that provide comedy.
My opinion? Wait for the DVD. Better yet, wait for it to show up on cable. And sit tight; The Hangover 2 isn’t far off.
Rating: 1.5/5
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