In The Dilemma, much has been said about the comedic partnering of Kevin James (Paul Blart: Mall Cop) and Vince Vaughn (Dodgeball), but for me it was all about Channing Tatum. What a delightful surprise. This guy was hilarious. After seeing him in films like Dear John and Step It Up, this performance from him was completely unexpected, but he ended up being my favorite part of the movie.
The Dilemma tells the story of two best friends who are venturing out on their own as a car design team. Together since college, they make an excellent partnership, Ronny as the smooth talking promoter and front man and Nick as the design genesis. Their goal is to convince a major car company to let them design a vehicle that is both eco-friendly and sexy, capturing the sound and excitement of a muscle car.
Right before their first big presentation, Ronny (Vince Vaughn) discovers that his best friend’s wife is cheating on him. The dilemma is whether or not to tell Nick (Kevin James). Geneva, Nick’s wife (Winona Ryder) is stepping out with Zip (Channing Tatum), a muscle bound, tattooed, yet over-sensitive pretty boy. When Geneva is confronted she tells Ronny to butt out, that there is more to their marriage than he can see. But Ronny doesn’t heed her advice and tries to fix things on his own. What he does is screw things up even further and injures his own love live with his girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly).
The Dilemma is not a light hearted comedy, it is rather dark. Vince Vaughn’s character has a gambling problem and Kevin James’ Nick is a manic workaholic that visit’s massage parlors to reduce stress. Winona Ryder’s character is cheating on her husband, but is using blackmail to keep it a secret. She still loves her Nick and doesn’t want to hurt him, but she is lonely and trying to fulfill her own sexual needs. Jennifer Connelly’s Beth has trust issues and rightly so. She immediately thinks the worst and jumps to the wrong conclusions.
I did not mind the tone of this film, I actually like dark humor, but this film had a hard time remaining balanced. Director Ron Howard has made this a message film which makes things even more strange. This movie asks us how much we really know about the people we love and where does trust end? But overall I liked the film and found enough there to keep me entertained. It was nice seeing Kevin James and Vince Vaughn stretching their dramatic chops, but what was even nicer was discovering a new comedic talent in Channing Tatum. I’m telling you, Channing Tatum is funny. I look forward to more from this talented young man.
Rating: Bargain Matinee A dark comedy with a few bright spots
About Me
- Melanie Wilson
- My Reviewer's Philosophy: I believe that every film has its audience. One man’s Citizen Kane is another man’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre. My purpose is to help you spend your entertainment dollars wisely. A bad review never kept me from going to a film I wanted to see, but a good review will sometimes get me to a film I never considered. As a movie lover I want you to go to the movies. When more people go to the movies, the more movies get made. But, I also believe that if you enjoy the films you see, you naturally will be inclined to go more often. So join me in supporting our film industry by going to a movie today. Hopefully I can steer you towards a good one. See you at the movies. Melanie Wilson
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Movie had it's moments, but overall - was bad. Someone left there cell phone on and it rang in their jacket, and even though the person was slow in getting too it, no one seemed to care much. Seemed they were more agitated by the movie. Love the actors, but more of a drama than a comedy.
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