Cinema Verdict Review: The Dilemma

The Dilemma

OPENING: 01/14/2011

STUDIO: Imagine Entertainment

RUN TIME: 112 min

ACCOMPLICES:
Trailer, Official Site

The Charge
Two best friends. Nothing could come between them … or could it?

Opening Statement
Comedies are a hard breed to critique. I’m of the mindset that if they make you laugh they’ve done their job, which is why I’m a bit of a softie when it comes to Adam Sandler flicks. Yeah, they’re stupid but at least they deliver on their promise.

However, there exists a comedy sub-genre, consisting of the films that attempt to tackle a serious subject, but do so in a quirky, even offbeat manner. Films like As Good As It Gets, Knocked Up and, more recently, Funny People, are fine examples of this type–thought provoking, but ultimately hilarious films that tickle the mind, body and heart.

And so we arrive at Ron Howard’s The Dilemma, a funny but ultimately messy relationship comedy that fails as a film, but still offers plenty of laughs to merit a look or two.

Facts of the Case
Vince Vaughn and Kevin James star as Ronny Valentine and Nick Brannen, two lifelong buddies who love and respect one another–for better or worse–despite their unique differences.

Their relationship hits a sour note, however, when Ronny spots Nick’s wife Geneva (Winona Ryder) lip-locking with another man (Channing Tatum). A dilemma ensues: how do you tell your best friend that his wife is cheating on him? More importantly, when do you tell him? Certainly not amidst the most ambitious move of Nick and Ronny’s career involving an auto manufacturing company, and certainly not on the eve of Ronny’s planned proposal to long-time sweetheart Beth (a stunning Jennifer Connelly).

Attempts to resolve the situation only make matters worse, and Ronny soon finds his friendship with Nick, his career and marriage all on the line; all because of one little dilemma.

The Evidence
The Dilemma is a pretty damned funny film. By no surprise, Vaughn runs away with the entire production, what with his high-speed wit, and deft comic timing. Simply put, this is the actor’s best role in some time. By that I mean The Dilemma presents him with a chance to show off his more complex side. He cracks jokes, sure, but he also displays a quieter, darker demeanor, one that suggests a boiling temperament lurking beneath that plumpy, stuffed bear appearance. I liked Ronny, but only because I like Vaughn. His actions may be fully erratic, and slightly demented (he tries to capture the adulterers by snapping pictures outside their bedroom window), but due to Vaughn’s likeable charisma you hardly notice.

Unfortunately, Howard and co. cannot keep their film from bursting apart at the seams. Storylines intertwine, and practically strangle one another; characters, such as Ryder’s slightly demented Geneva, lack substance, or believable motivations. The entire production builds to a roundtable discussion that should’ve been funnier than it was, and lacks the sharp wit of, say, Norman Jewison’s Moonstruck. Howard and his writer Allen Loeb can’t decide if their making a comedy, a drama, or both, and so we get a comedy with some odd dramatic bits, or a drama with off-color humor. You decide.

That said, I laughed quite a bit at the proceedings. As situations intensify, and as Ronny’s predicament worsens, The Dilemma becomes more hysterical. With another 15-minutes or so to work with, Howard might have pulled it all together. As is, The Dilemma affords a good time, even if the end results are surely lacking.

I’m reminded of EdTV, Howard’s most recent comedy (not counting The Grinch, which was more headache inducing than funny) starring Matthew McConaughey (back when he, you know, actually acted) and Jenna Elfman. That film also struggled under the intricacies that Howard, for whatever reason, insists on bringing to the table. Indeed, Howard is at his best when he plays it straight – Apollo 13, Splash, Cocoon, and Parenthood – and tells simple stories/fantasies about uncomplicated human beings. His lesser efforts, namely EdTV, Backdraft, Far and Away and those Ron Brown adaptations, suffer because they try to do– and say–too much.

The Dilemma doesn’t quite hit the lows of Howard’s misfires, if only because Vaughn refuses to surrender, but it never reaches the highs of his greatest hits collection either. I’ll recommend it if only because as a comedy it gets the job done. Just don’t expect anything more.

On a final note, I should mention Kevin James and Jennifer Connelly. Both do their best with underwritten supporting roles. James displays sure-footedness in a fairly serious role, a trait lacking in those silly Adam Sandler productions in which he merely plays the bumbling fat guy. Connelly quietly unleashes her customary sexuality, even if her role calls for little more than an overabundance of sorrowful glances. The actress looks better with age, but deserves something juicier than the numerous one-dimensional roles she’s been handed ever since winning her Oscar for A Beautiful Mind (directed by Ron Howard, no less).

The rest of the cast, particularly Tatum, and an under-used Queen Latifah, provide a few quick laughs in bit cameo roles; whilst Ryder, looking more haggard than usual, does little besides lurk in the background casting hateful faces at Vaughn and company–although a bit in which she “acts” out her confession is alarmingly creepy. Her character should’ve been the lead in Season of the Witch.

What else can be said? Howard has done much better in the past. So has most everyone involved, except for Vaughn, who is the only one in the entire production that truly knows what funny is.

Closing Statement
The Dilemma returns director Ron Howard to the genre he does best–comedy–but fails to maintain a consistent tone throughout; instead filling the screen with an overabundance of characters and situations that never truly mesh. Still, a go-for-broke Vince Vaughn performance provides solid laughs, and almost saves the production. Almost.

The Verdict
7/10

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