RATING:** (2 stars)
Tim (Paul Rudd) is an executive at a firm that is just barely treading water and looking for the next big money maker. He finds it, but before his promotion becomes official he has to attend a dinner held by the owner of the firm. At this special dinner each of the members is supposed to bring along an idiot. Tim is ready to call of the whole thing until he meets Barry (Steve Carrell).
Dinner for Schmucks is a comedy looking to give you some laughs and little more. The story is pretty simple when you break it down and not very thought-provoking by itself. Really, the concept itself is even a little off-putting. Thankfully the presentation works well enough, perhaps in part to the cast being so chock-full of comedians that it's hard to gauge how much of the hilarity was written and how much was improvised on set.
From beginning to end the film is stuffed with one-liners and tongue-in-cheek jokes that are sure to catch on and get tossed around in conversation over the next few weeks. I wasn't lying about the cast either, aside from Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell, you can expect to see Jemaine Clement, Zack Galifianakis, Jeff Dunham, Ron Livingston, and Larry Wilmore. Hands down the show-stealer is Jemaine Clement, of "Flight of the Conchords" fame, portraying the wildly outrageous artists Kieran.
Beyond the one-liners however, there really isn't much to Dinner for Schmucks. It is very much a film that you can see once and then forget about, though some of those one-liners might stick with you for a little while. Nothing spectacular here, and really a film better saved for a movie rental on a slow weekend... if you can't find something better.
Trailer
