Dinner for Schmucks – Table for two, please
And Teh Awesome award for Entertainment goes to…..
Drum roll, please.
My DVD player!!!!
After crapping out last week while I was trying to watch Percy Jackson, I worried I’d have to rush out and buy a DVD player. But I wouldn’t be able to just buy a DVD player, I’d have to upgrade to Blu-Ray and start picking up some of my favorite films in Blu-Ray. In about 15 minutes after buying the player, I’d be broke, but man, it would be gorgeous.
A few days later, I thought I would take a chance with my DVD player. I had two discs from Netflix waiting to be viewed, along with a small-ish stack of DVDs I own and need to watch, and I really didn’t want to spend the money on a new player. Lucky for me, it turned on! And it opened! And it played a movie without freezing!
Must-see hilarity.
And that’s the story of how I watched Dinner for Schmucks. And loved it.
I honestly can’t remember why I put this film into The Queue. The trailers looked entertaining, but critics lamblasted the film. I do not recall hearing a single good thing about it.
Something must have clicked in my brain. Maybe it’s the fact that I have thought Paul Rudd was hot since I first caught him in Clueless. Or maybe it’s the fact that I think Steve Carell is one of the funniest people on this planet. I would prove it, but I cannot find my ace in the hole: video of him from when he was a correspondent on “The Daily Show” reporting on the pheromones of large cats. He spritzes some and then starts crawling on Jon Stewart’s desk, rubbing sensually up and down on it.
I tell you, I have never laughed so hard in my life. Not even that time when I fell on my face and flashed my underwear to the entire office when I hit the ground. It’s okay to laugh about that, I still do.
Dinner for Schmucks doesn’t just star these two comic geniuses. Special comedy guests include Zack Galifianakis (The Hangover), Jermaine Clement (“Flight of the Conchords”), Kristin Schaal (“Flight of the Conchords” and “Bob’s Burgers”), and David Walliams, one half of the comic awesomeness that is “Little Britain”.
Tim (Rudd) desperately wants to impress his boss and make it to the coveted Seventh Floor. So when his boss (Bruce Greenwood, who you’ll probably recognize from Double Jeopardy) invites him to bring a guest to the Dinner for Schmucks, Tim doesn’t hesitate, much to the chagrin of his girlfriend. When he meets Barry (Carell), he’s pretty sure he’ll be movin’ on up.
What I love most about this film is the comedy. Yes, it’s stupid comedy, but not in the same vein as all those “Movie” films like Disaster Movie, Date Movie, Superhero Movie, and Why the Heck are People Paying to See These Movies? The characters are bizarre but well-meaning – the “Schmucks” anyway. They’re people you know and experience yet walk a wide berth around when you pass, and they’re presented in a way that makes you want to keep watching.
The idea that I found to be most surprising about Dinner for Schmucks is the heart. You start to care about the “Schmucks,” especially Barry, even though he’s crazy as all get out. By the end, you start to root for him. It really is an underdog film, just with the craziest assortment of characters I think I’ve ever seen on film. I’m not even going to describe them; I’m just going to post some pictures and let you guess.
I’ll be honest, I haven’t seen The Dinner Game, the French film upon which Dinner for Schmucks is based, but I really want to, especially if it’s as hilarious as this. I really enjoyed this film, regardless of what the critics say. Put it in your queue, because you might just love it as much as I do.