You, Me and Dupree
Owen Wilson's performance is the best bit of the film
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Thursday, 31, Aug 2006 01:35
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, out August 25th 2006, cinema, starring Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon and Michael Douglas, running time 109 minutes.
In a nutshell.
Cluttered. Unimaginative. Low-maintenance. Popular. Mediocre.
What's it all about?
Chilled-out layabout Dupree (Wilson) and his polar opposite - the highly-strung and successful Carl (Dillon) - have apparently been best mates for years.
Following Carl's speedy nuptials to Molly (Husdon) at the film's opening, Dupree swiftly moves in on the newlyweds' sofa, staying with them "just for a couple of days", after he suddenly finds himself out of a job and strapped for cash.
Dupree proceeds to wreak havoc on the apparently perfect lives of this all-American couple, setting fire to their living room and interfering in their newlywed business, until he falls in love with a librarian and has to find a justification for all that free time.
Who's in it?
Matt Dillon (There's Something About Mary) fades into the wallpaper as the straight guy and is regularly outshone by the inanimate objects around him, while Kate Hudson (How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days) and Michael Douglas (Traffic, The American President) are badly sold short. Hudson is reduced to a Barbie doll and given minimal opportunity to show her usual comic flair but Douglas simply looks bored.
Owen Wilson is the movie's saviour. Quirky and difficult to read, it's hard to tell whether he's as innocent as he looks, or actually laughing at the movie; and he raises a lot of hearty laughter from the audience.
As an example.
Early in his stay, Dupree manages to interrupt an intimate evening between Molly and Carl in order to block up their en suite with - er - the after-effects of some chicken wings, leading the way for a couple of funny moments from Hudson.
Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars
You, Me and Dupree has a fairly wide appeal - there were noises of appreciation from most corners of the packed screen. With a line-up of actors like this, it's likely to do pretty well at the box office almost by default. It is not really an Oscar contender, but likely to appeal to the punters.
What the others say
"Wilson goes from crashing weddings to crashing newlyweds in a comedy that's as tired as week-old wedding cake." - Empire.
"It puts together an amiable comedy-entertainment package, and Wilson is a genuine original among America's new comedians: a funny guy who can carry a romantic lead." - The Guardian.
"Predictable, yes, but diverting enough when Wilson's on screen doing his half-pixie, half-surfdude routine, even making sense of the script's rather forced arc from anarchistic anti-nesting nuisance to empowering anti-establishment spirit." - Time Out.
So is it any good?
This harmless comedy has nothing but the cast list going for it and yet does a surprisingly adequate job of entertaining the audience.
The cast list is impressive, but stinks of the casting director being thrown too big a budget and the writers failing to keep pace. There simply isn't enough plot to convincingly hold on to so many big names all vying for the spotlight.
We've heard all the jokes before, so while it might raise a giggle to listen once more, it's not a movie that will leave you with food for thought. I actually found myself thinking about how nice the wooden flooring on the set was during the comic climax, which can't be a good sign, but left having spent the majority of the film with a smile on my face.
If you're an intellectual or a film buff, steer clear. Otherwise, you'll probably get your money's worth.
6/10
Kate Merriam