Dinner for SchmucksCast: Steve Carell, Paul Rudd
Direction: Jay Roach
Rating: 1 and half
A remake of the 1998 French farce,
The Dinner Game (source also of the popular 2007 Hindi flick,
Bheja Fry), Dinner for Schmucks is one of those asinine comedies that Hollywood produces with increasing frequency nowadays.
A wannabe corporate executive (Rudd) is tasked with bringing an idiot to his boss’s weekend dinner party for the amusement of the guests.
So far, so laugh-lite. Next: our smug hero attends the event along with a well-meaning dolt (Carell) who creates artworks with stuffed mice.
A cringe-inducing comedy of errors ensues. The screenplay is more sappy than scathing. The direction by Roach (Meet the Parents) wallows in its own distastefulness.
Fans of the buddy-buddy genre could have overlooked the lack of substance if the banter between the lead pair was enjoyable. It’s decidedly not, just like everything else associated with this unappetising confection.