Review of The Dilemma

The Dilemma (2011)
6/10
Yet again a comedy which isn't a comedy
27 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Ronny (Vince Vaughan) unwittingly witnesses Geneva (Winona Ryder), the wife of his best friend and business partner Nick (Kevin James) having a clandestine romantic encounter with Zip (Channing Tatum). The eponymous dilemma is what should he do? Should he do nothing, speak to Geneva, or Zip,, or tell his friend Nick? This dilemma is compounded by various factors - they are under time pressure at work (not that he seems to do any - Nick does it all), he had a one night stand with Geneva before she and Nick got together, he is under pressure to propose to girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly), and everyone is concerned that his odd behaviour means that he has reverted to his gambling habit of a couple of years ago.

I was puzzled. Director Ron Howard has made some pretty heavyweight movies over the years, but they haven't included comedies since his early days. You'd think that, with all those years in Happy Days, he'd have a good grasp of comedy. Yet this movie has virtually no laughs at all despite the fact that the trailer strongly sells it as a comedy. It is not a comedy, and every time it tries to be, it falls flat on its face (Vaughan's speech at the anniversary dinner, clearly intended to generate the comedy of embarrassment, merely embarrasses). As a comedy, the film is a total failure. And Vaughan's performance is one-note, depressingly identical to the performances he has given in his last half dozen films - he badly needs to start showing some range).

But there are some good things in it, and chief among these are the real - and touching - relationships between Vaughan and friend James and, particularly, girlfriend Connelly.
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