Film

What's on at the cinema plus reviews of the latest movie and DVD releases

The Dilemma (2011)

Time Out rating

Average user rating

5 reviews

Synopsis

Ron Howard returns to his comedy roots with this slapstick man-com about a businessman (the ubiquitous Vince Vaughn) who discovers his best friend's wife is having an affair.

Movie review

From Time Out London

‘The Dilemma’ is a bit of a puzzler. It’s a story about a man (Vince Vaughn) struggling with the suspicion that his best friend and business partner’s (Kevin James) wife (Winona Ryder) is cheating on him, while he tries to keep his relationship with his own girlfriend (Jennifer Connelly) from imploding. It’s basically a chick flick for guys – a picture about emotions, friendships, loyalty and growth in which the men are the prime movers – which is a pretty novel approach for a mainstream studio picture. Any credit for this move, however, is outweighed by the film’s nervy tone and tedious politics: it lacks faith in its story, characters and audience.

It’s clear from the opening scene, in which our two couples bask in mutual bliss, that trouble is on the cards. It’s less clear, however, whether we’ll care. Vaughn’s character veers between smug and obsessive, James’s between tetchy and wet, while the female characters are essentially devices (the patient paragon, the wily deceiver) headed for their just deserts. The script offers more subtle observations on committed relationships but they’re decisively stifled. As if wary of suspicions that all this emotion stuff might be a bit, well, girly, there are also laboured sports motifs, awkward slapstick and punch-ups. The two lead characters’ day job is developing an electric car engine that sounds and feels like a gas guzzler and therefore is not ‘gay’. It’s a shame this closeted movie is too embarrassed by its own tendencies to do them justice.

Author: Ben Walters

Time Out London Issue 2109: 20 – 26 January, 2011

Email Tweet Share

User reviews of this film

orin x said...

Posted on Feb 05 2011 18:02 this film is quite good but it takes a while to get into ! it is worth goin to see

Report as inappropriate
ARCHGATE said...

Posted on Feb 02 2011 20:25 Quite simply the worst film of the year so far. A complete waste of money time and effort. Vince Vaughan is a charmless oaf.

Report as inappropriate
Kara said...

Posted on Jan 30 2011 11:07 This film is not very good but I woulnt say it was not worth watching like some people have commented. This film is ok I slightly enjoyed It and I think it was a film for people with a great sence of humour.

Report as inappropriate
Laura+Chloe said...

Posted on Jan 30 2011 10:58 This is a funny hilarious film that is a great show for 12 and over.

Report as inappropriate
Trisha said...

Posted on Jan 24 2011 12:02 This film is listed as "The Week's Worst Film" on Razzies.com (the site that hosts the Golden Raspberries for the film industry's worst films). Shouldn't films that have "turkey" written all over them be reviewed by long-serving Time Out staff for more realistic reviews?

Report as inappropriate