The definition of a schmuck is an obnoxious or contemptible person. You would think that a movie called “Dinner for Schmucks” would be filled with bad people doing some bad things. Since it is a comedy, you would laugh with them while also being repulsed. “Dinner for Schmucks” does indeed have schmuck behavior, but it never quite reaches its potential. Sure it has plenty of laughs. I just expected more bite to the proceedings.
Paul Rudd is once again playing the straight man as Tim. This role is similar to the one he had in the much better “I Love You, Man”. Tim is stuck on the sixth floor at his job. He is striving to make it to the seventh floor where the big bucks flow. Tim has a great relationship with his girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak with very little to do). Tim recently proposed to her, but she isn’t ready to make that jump.
At work, Tim presents a big client to his boss Lance Fender (Bruce Greenwood). Fender doesn’t let Tim do the account, but he does invite him to his monthly dinner. At the dinner, associates bring the biggest idiots to basically make fun of them. The biggest idiot is given a trophy and shooed away. Tim knows that this is a big break. He also knows that he isn’t comfortable doing this. Tim tells Julie of the dinner and she naturally is appalled by it.
Tim promises Julie that he won’t do the dinner. Fate though has a way of presenting a way out. Tim nearly runs over Barry (Steve Carrell), an IRS agent who was trying to save a dead mouse. Barry likes to stuff mice and put them in various historical scenes and scenes from his life. Tim has his perfect patsy and Julie doesn’t have to know about. In Tim’s thinking, he can do this dastardly deed and get the much needed promotion. This will in effect improve his chances with Julie. Julie told Tim that she will spend the rest of her life with him, so it really makes no sense for Tim to go through with this.
“Dinner for Schmucks” is based on the French farce “The Dinner Game”. That movie was much darker than this film. The equivalent of Tim in “The Dinner Game” was a loathsome intellectual who thought he was better than anyone else. The audience got more glee when bad things started to happen to him. Tim is essentially a nice guy. He just wants to get ahead in his job, while trying to impress his girlfriend. The tone set by director Jay Roach (Austin Powers movies, “Meet the Parents) and screenwriters David Guhon and Michael Handelman is more goofy than mean spirited. I think this was done to placate the American audience which can be fickle in regards to black comedies.
Barry comes on the wrong night and all hell breaks loose. Barry has no social skills. He thinks he is doing the right thing when he really isn’t. He invites Tim’s stalker ex-girlfriend Darla (Lucy Punch in a one note role that gets old fast) to Tim’s place. This causes complications with Julie. Thus starts the endless maladies that befall Tim courtesy of Barry. In the movie, Barry also wrecks Tim’s apartment, causes Tim to be audited, ruins a lunch with the big client and brings work problems to Julie as well. As stated before, the movie would have been more effective with Tim being more unlikable. It is not as fun feeling sorry for Tim instead of laughing at his misfortune.
There are plenty of small scenes where the actors get to play around a bit. Jemaine Clement has a memorable role as Kieran Vollard, a pretentious painter who happens to be a big client of Julie’s. Kieran easily can be the movie brother of Aldous Snow of “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Get Him to the Greek” fame. I could picture Russell Brand in this role, but Clement made it his own. Kieran is full of himself and women seem to flock to him. It gives the film much needed balls and brazenness.
Zach Galifianakis also has a great role as Therman, a work rival of Barry’s. Therman fancies himself as a master of mind control. Therman’s meeting with Tim and Barry has predictably bad results for Tim. It is fun though seeing Therman get into the mind of Barry. Ron Livingston plays an office suck up that is the direct opposite of his “Office Space” character. That gave me a kick every time he walked on the screen.
The dinner party at the end brings some high moments as the film hurdles toward the inevitable happy ending. It all adds up to a sporadically funny film that could have been so much more.
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Running Time:
M.P.A.A. Rating: PG-13
Filming Locations: Los Angeles, California, U.S.A.
