Dinner for Schmucks
Rising executive Tim Conrad works for a boss who hosts a monthly dinner in which the guest who brings the biggest buffoon gets a career-boost. Tim plans on not attending until he meets Barry, a man who builds dioramas using stuffed mice. Barry's blundering but good intentions send Tim's life into a downward spiral, threatening a major business deal and possibly scuttling Tim's engagement to his fiancee.
Insights
Plot Summary
A group of ambitious executives holds a monthly dinner party where each must bring an oblivious guest, a so-called 'idiot,' for the others to ridicule. The executive who brings the most eccentric guest wins. Tim Conrad, a rising executive, thinks he's found the perfect guest in Barry Speck, an unassuming IRS employee with a penchant for creating elaborate dioramas with taxidermied mice. However, Tim soon discovers that Barry's innocent presence brings chaos and disruption to his life and career.
Critical Reception
Dinner for Schmucks received mixed to negative reviews from critics. While Paul Rudd and Steve Carell's performances were often praised for their comedic efforts, many critics found the humor to be mean-spirited and the plot predictable, drawing comparisons to the original French film 'The Dinner Game' (1998) which was generally considered superior.
What Reviewers Say
- Steve Carell and Paul Rudd deliver strong comedic performances.
- The film's humor often relies on mean-spiritedness and ridicule.
- Many critics felt the remake did not live up to the original French film.
Google audience: Google users generally found the film to be a moderately funny comedy, appreciating the performances of the lead actors. However, some found the premise to be a bit too mean-spirited and the humor repetitive.
Fun Fact
The film is a remake of the 2006 French film 'The Dinner Game' (Le Dîner de Cons), which was also adapted into a successful stage play.
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