Directed by Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Meet The Parents), Dinner For Schmucks is a comedy based on a French play The Dinner Game (Le diner de cons). Starring comedic heavy hitters Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and Zach Galifianakis, Schmucks should have, and could have been much funnier than it actually was.

Tim (Paul Rudd) is up for a promotion, a promotion he’s worked hard for and deserves. When his superiors invite him to a special dinner, its the qualities of his guest that could make or break the promotion. As fate would have it, Tim meets the perfect guest that very day. Now Tim must deal with the moral implications of his actions while trying to hold everything together through the accidental storm that is Barry (Steve Carell).

Don’t get me wrong, there were some genuine laugh out loud moments throughout the film, but unfortunately it doesn’t really start coming together until the third act… the dinner. Personally I like Paul Rudd, but he seemed bored with the part, and Steve Carell… well I’m getting a little Office’d out of. Zach Galifianakis and Jerrmaine Clement were actually pretty funny, and in my opinion stole the show with the small parts they had. Even a small bit with Jeff Dunham was kinda funny… doing what he does best… a puppet. The acting wasn’t terrible, it just seemed uninspired, and with a comic cast like this… Schmucks could have scored big!

Overall, Dinner for Schmucks is not a bad film, it’s just not a great film… kinda following suit with a summer of lackluster releases. I wouldn’t rush out to the theatre to catch this one. Check it out on cheap night or wait for a rental. Schmucks is fine to pass the time, but it’s not going to be taking up any long term real estate memory wise.

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