Rating:  

Starring: Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum, Queen Latifah, Amy Morton, Chelcie Ross, Eduardo N. Martinez, Rance Howard, Clint Howard, Guy Van Swearingen, Troy West, Laura Whyte, Grace Rex, Mike McNamara.
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Director: Ron Howard
Rating: PG-13
Running Time: 111 Mins.
Release Date: January 14, 2011
Home Video Date: May 3, 2011
Box Office: $48.5 Million
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Imagine Entertainment, Spyglass Entertainment, Wild West Picture Show Productions, and Universal Pictures.

Written by: Allan Loeb.

I am not really all that sure what “The Dilemma” is attempting to say or what purpose it serves. There are elements of a screwball comedy found alongside moments commonly entrenched in a romantic comedy. There are rude and edgy attempts at humor alongside emotional and dramatic moments where characters lay their souls bare and are reduced to tears. In short, “The Dilemma”‘s dilemma, if you will, is that it has no idea what kind of movie it wants to be.

“The Dilemma” focuses on Ronny (Vince Vaughn), his girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly), and their married couple best friends, Nick and Geneva (Kevin James, Winona Ryder). They are the best of friends and share everything with each other. Nick and Ronny are car designers and are preparing a new car design for a very important meeting with Dodge. Nick has been spending countless hours working on the design and has been distant and unavailable for Geneva. Ronny is feeling the pressure to pop the question to Beth ad they are both getting older and he sees Nick and Geneva’s relationship as something he is finally ready for.

In an effort to plan an engagement surprise party at a botanical garden for Beth, Ronny stumbles onto Geneva cavorting with another man (Channing Tatum). To his horror, they are not just giggling and laughing, but soon embrace and share a passionate kiss while Geneva has no idea that Ronny is watching. And therein lies the unbearable dilemma. Does Ronny tell Nick? Does Ronny tell Beth? Does Ronny confront Geneva? If so, does he do it in front of Nick? All of this weighs on Ronny and the pressure of the betrayal and the increasing pressure of the car design presentation makes Ronny a boiling kettle about to spill over.

Screenwriter Allan Loeb is attempting to provide viewers with one of those “what would you do”-style scenarios and is seeking to find humor in uncomfortable and typically dark situations. For a minute, I did wonder what I would do if I were Vince Vaughn. That moment however, like my interest in the story, was momentary and fleeting.

The performances are largely fine, although if you are tired with Vince Vaughn’s fast-talking quip-heavy delivery, be warned – it is maxed out to the highest possible degree here. These characters, their lives, their foibles and their dramas leave them all in various stages of unpleasantness. Vaughn’s Ronny spends so much time talking and monologuing to people that it soon becomes surprising that anyone could take anything he ever says seriously. Kevin James and Winona Ryder comprise a marriage that consists of whining, making excuses, and bold justifications of rather abhorrent behavior. For awhile it seems that Jennifer Connelly provides the only character a viewer can rally around and stick with, until she makes a ridiculous and unrealistic assessment of Ronny; one which strips her of credibility and leaves her just as unlikable as everyone else.

There is simply too much happening here and if Ron Howard and Allan Loeb had found a way to make these characters bring forth some level of internal introspection, perhaps some of these annoyances would be tolerable. Sadly, Howard and Loeb take the easy way out and no character in “The Dilemma” truly looks for any redemption. They skim the surface, continue playing on each others’ weaknesses, and learn nothing about anything they are faced with. Worn down by the unpleasantness, I simply did not and do not care about these self-absorbed people in any way, shape, or form. And for this film, that may be the biggest dilemma of them all.

SHOULD I SEE IT?

Fans of Vince Vaughn and Kevin James will be interested in this and for director Ron Howard, “The Dilemma” is his first comedy since 1999′s “EdTV”

The marketing of the film as a romantic comedy from a male point-of-view will be appealing to some.

Maybe you enjoy watching people have uncomfortable confrontations right in front of you.

The film is a lot like taking medicine, except you will not feel better after completing your dosage. Everything here is just, I dunno, so unsavory.

I am not sure that woman are going to see the female characters played by Connelly and Ryder and feel compassion, nor would I want or hope that guys watching would feel sorry for Vaughn and James’ characters either.

The mean-spiritedness grows wearisome to say the least.