So I went to see 'The Dilemma' last week - it was my mom's choice but I admit I didn't fight it. I am usually a fan of Vince Vaughn and figured it would provide some hilarious bromantic hi jinks. But alas, it was predictable, dull and void of any laugh out loud moments. Here are my thoughts on this film (including the only reason you might want to check it out).
1. Vince and Kevin - as I said in my review of Grown ups, Kevin James is kind of a dud. I hardly find him funny - he is slightly amusing at best. Vince Vaughn is one of my favorite comedic actors (I could watch Wedding Crashers on repeat for hours and of course Swingers), but he was disappointing in this film. He played that same fast talking, bumbling yet brilliant, big personality type character he does in every film and for some reason it just didn't work for me. I think it is because he doesn't have someone on an equal level to play off of (like Owen Wilson or Jon Favreau). The only scene that was amusing was his "toast" to his girlfriends parents at their anniversary party, but the scene was sort of ridiculous (plot wise) so instead of laughing - I was just irritated.
2. Winona and Jennifer - I am not sure why Jennifer Connolly decided to portray such a one-note character (you know the "perfect" girlfriend role). She is above this flawless stereotype. While Winona Ryder is horribly miscast as the manipulative shrew (and Kevin James wife. He somehow gets the 'Seth Rogan' treatment - girls that are too hot for him. Leah Remini, Winona Ryder & Maria Bello? For reals?). Winona was painful to watch in this film - except her scene where she showed how easy it was for her to cry (that was actually kind of brilliant to watch - and shows that she is in fact a talented actress). Both women were boring, linear and severely underused for their talent.
3. The 'gay' thing - so I remember all of this uproar about the scene where Vaughn says "electric cars are gay". I honestly never read more than the headlines to these stories so I assumed it was a part of much bigger scene that was offensive, which is why they were asked to cut it. After seeing it I am baffled at what the big deal was. I admit the line between funny and offensive is often blurred, but I was much more offended at films like The Hangover (I winced at the "paging Dr. F..." line. While I loved The Hangover - I never condone the use of this word). Lets focus on the bigger offenses before we start nitpicking. I understand the negative implications of saying something is "gay" - but this is often used as joke (even Glee had it's gay character, Kurt, describe their choreography as "gay" and that show is often applauded by gay rights activists). So, basically people just need to get a sense of humor. Humor is often offensive - get over it.
4. The foreshadowing - You can literally write the film yourself. Every moment is a foreshadow of what will happen a few scenes later. It was sort of a fun game to play as I sat through the boring dialogue and the somewhat depressing subject matter.
5. Channing Tatum - The ONLY reason to sit through the film. He was hilarious. It was refreshing to see him in a completely different role and surprising to watch him hold his own against Vince Vaughn.
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