Movie Review: THE DILEMMA

THE DILEMMA

2011
PG-13

You can watch the trailer here

The Dilemma is a 2011 comedy directed by Ron Howard that follows Ronny (Vince Vaughn) who finds his best friend’s wife Geneva (Winona Ryder) while she’s cheating on her husband Nick (Kevin James). All the while, Ronny and Nick are trying to seal a deal with a new type of car engine with Chrysler, and Ronny is trying to work up the courage to propose to his longtime girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly). Ronny starts to question whether he should tell Nick about what he saw, but he decides to take matters into his own hands and confronts both Geneva and her new boy-toy Zip (Channing Tatum).

We’re not getting much from the screenplay. It’s not entirely innovative, and it’s definitely predictable. As interesting as it is to see Ronny go through all the ups and downs while he struggles with this decision, you never really shake the thought that it’s all going to end up okay between him and Nick. I just never got the sense that there was actually a “dilemma,” so to speak. Yeah, there’s a situation on-screen, but I never felt like there was an urgency or anything pressing to it.

The acting is okay, but it’s not like the actors are knocking it out of the park. To be honest, when Channing Tatum is the best actor on the screen, there’s something a little bit wrong. Vaughn and James essentially mailed in their performances. Ryder and Connelly have their moments. But it’s Tatum who steals the scenes he’s in. I’m not sure whether it’s the fact that he brings his A-game or the fact that everybody else didn’t manage to bring more than their C-game. Oh, and Queen Latifah has a small role that almost makes the movie un-watchable. The filmmakers probably thought they’d get the rauchiness from her role, but it just comes across as annoying and unnecessary (no, seriously – they didn’t need that role).

I know that I’m kinda berating this movie a bit, but it’s not the most horrendous flick I’ve ever seen. It does enough to keep you captivated, and there are a few moments that are worth seeing. The Dilemma simply isn’t a movie that’s going to stick with you for a long time after you see it – it’s a one-and-done kind of film, and that’s probably all it ever set out to be.

Movie Review Summary:
Grade: C-
Thumbs Sideways