By Katelan Cunningham
Ron Howard is not who I expect to see directing a movie like “The Dilemma.” With some of his biggest titles being “Cinderella Man,” “A Beautiful Mind” and “Apollo 13,” he’s not a regular in the comedy genre. But this comedy is not all laughs.
When the trailer for “The Dilemma” was released, it was under fire by some of the gay community, specifically, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD). The trailer opens with Vaughn saying, “Electric cars are gay.” He goes on to justify “I mean not homosexual gay, but you know, ‘My parents are chaperoning the dance’ gay.”
Howard agreed to take it from the trailer, but not the film. You could argue that it was offensive, or it’s just the evolution of the word, but I’m not bringing this up to take sides. The tone of that line, or maybe the way it was executed, had audiences reacting in the same way I felt through a lot of the film, “Should I laugh?”
Ronny Valentine (Vince Vaughn) sees his best friend’s (Kevin James) wife (Winona Ryder) kissing another man. He has a choice to make. It’s not an easy choice, but according to “guy code,” it’s a simple one. “If you don’t tell your friend, then you’re basically doing her too.” So Ronny Valentine (Vaughn) has to find the best time to tell his best friend since college, Nick Brannen (James), that his wife is cheating with a man named Zip (Channing Tatum).
Vaughn’s character is not far from his role in “The Break-Up” or “Wedding Crashers,” the talk-my-way-out-of-anything charmer. His role is best opposite James as Nick Brennen. The two play friends since college who are trying to sell Dodge an electric engine with the “rockandrollness” of classic muscle cars. Valentine is the salesman and Brennan is the mechanic.
This role gives James more opportunities than some of his past roles as a mall cop or a zookeeper. New for James, he plays the straight guy in the duo with Vaughn the joker.
Valentine’s girlfriend is Beth, played by Jennifer Connelly. The role didn’t offer much for her talents. She’s just a girlfriend. Ryder’s role as Geneva, on the other hand, had the most to offer. Valentine learns her conniving acts are not as unjustified as they seem. This is when the villainous Geneva becomes human and through Ryder’s portrayal of the role, the film hits its stride.
There is backstory that is carefully, sometimes forcefully, placed. Sometimes, the lines were a bit contrived, but I applaud the effort. Still, the whole film missed the mark, mostly because I wasn’t positive which one it was attempting to hit. It was funny, embarrassing and had moments of honesty, but I think Howard didn’t delve completely into the comedy genre. It was funny, then dramatic, then funny, all the while lacking the heart that Howard’s films always have.
A film with Kevin James and Vince Vaughn is bound to get some laughs, and “The Dilemma” definitely lives up to that expectation. But instead of “laugh-out-loud hilarious,” it’s “laugh it up for now, because it’s going to get awkward in a second.”
