Carell & Co. yuk it up in 'Dinner for Schmucks'
Normally, I’m not a big fan of foreign film remakes. They usually lose a lot in translation and they’re dumbed down for what Hollywood perceives is a less-than-sophisticated American audience. Rude, I know. Fortunately, the 1998 French film "The Dinner Game" falls right into Tinseltown’s wheelhouse. You want dumb? Step aside and let the pros show you what true idiocy looks like. Tim (Paul Rudd) is a ladder-climbing executive in a financial firm. A recent firing means the suits upstairs are looking for fresh ideas, accompanied by fresh faces. Tim pitches a wealthy Swiss couple looking to invest $100 million. He’s already done the background work, but the account is handed to someone with more experience. However, he proves invaluable when Mueller and his wife come by the office for a visit. The big boss (Bruce Greenwood) likes what he sees in Tim, but the young exec must pass an ultimate test — bringing the biggest moron he can find to a company dinner. It seems these CE-yoyo’s like to make fun of the less intelligent — and the nuttier the better. The "winner" gets a trophy. The winner’s sponsor gets a corner office. This is where Barry (Steve Carell) comes in. He’s an IRS worker who for a hobby likes to dress up dead mice, put them in famous poses and photograph them. He calls his works "Mouseterpieces." Tim believes he’s found his sure winner. But Tim’s longtime girlfriend, Julie (Stephanie Szostak), can’t believe the man she loves would stoop to such cruelty just to get a promotion. He’s appalled, too, but can’t resist the temptation. And of course, Barry gets the day wrong and shows up early to Tim’s apartment, where tepid hilarity ensues. Frankly, at this point, I was a little worried. It was more of an awkward funny than a belly laugh ha ha, but that was about to change. Julie is an art promoter. Her biggest client, Kieran (Jemaine Clement), is this animalistic hedonist who puts his face in every portrait, usually with some kind of furry, horned intensity. As Tim describes the goat god’s latest showing — "so big, so many!" With Barry’s bumbling help, Tim gets into hot water with Julie as his "new friend" mistakes her for a crazy stalker named Darla (Lucy Punch) who appears to be having more fun than just about anyone else in this movie, save Steve Carell. This is definitely Carell’s best work on the big screen to date. His character’s sweet lunacy grows on you — as it does for Tim, who is feeling guilty for taking advantage of Barry’s innocent quirkiness. Which leads to Carell and Zach Galifianakis squaring off in a couple of comedic duels that are downright hysterical, overshadowing even the great Paul Rudd, who is a comedy favorite of mine. So, good times at "Dinner for Schmucks." It’s a slow, spicy cooker that eventually reaches just the right temperature for some seriously zany, naughty laughs.
