The Dilemma

This film is about a man finding out his best friend's wife is being unfaithful. Should he tell his best friend about it or not? The title and the poster suggest it's a comedy, and with Vince Vaughn and Kevin James, how can "The Dilemma" not be a comedy? Oh yes, in fact it is not a comedy! It's a semi-serious drama about this age old moral dilemma. I say semi-serious drama because neither the plot nor the actors give any emotional depth to make it a serious drama. This light-hearted execution undermines the credibility of the drama elements. For the comedy elements, it is overshadowed by the drama subplot. The film just drags on and on, without being serious or funny. "The Dilemma" is really so boring, don't let the comedic cast fool you.

Ronny and Nick have been best friends since college. The two are partners in their own auto design firm; their big dream comes true when they land a big deal with Chrysler. Nick has found a way to make an electric car sound and feel like a muscle car. Ronny's life has now turned for the worst when he catches Nick's wife cheating with another man. So does he tell his best friend about the other man, or should he wait until the Chrysler presentation is over. Vince Vaughn's character over shot itself. It was just too much Vince. Jennifer Connelly gorgeous as usual. You caught your best friend's wife cheating, but to stretch this topic for a movie for a 1 hr. 58 min was just way to long. Not enough funny parts to compensate for the boring slow pace of the film. Constant yada yada's. Not one of Ron Howard's best films. Soft 3 stars out of 5

Considering all the great actors, going in you would think it'd be, at the very least, a decent watch. But no, this movie is somehow so aggravating and annoying you want to yell at the actors and ask what in the world they were thinking.

I can usually find something I like about any movie. With this one there wasn't one thing. This is one of only a few movies I've ever rated under a 5 and it deserves it.

How could one go wrong with a cast like Jennifer Connelly, Vince Vaughn, Winona Ryder, Kevin James and Queen Latifah? While 'The Dilemma' isn't among the worst movies, it's still a big disappointment. The premise doesn't promise a classic but it sounded funny and since Vaughn and James were involved, I expected to laugh and with Ryder and especially Connelly, I expected some substance. 'The Dilemma' is a complete failure where substance is concerned. It did make me laugh on a few (very few occasions). Plot holes are very apparent and I also thought it was ridiculous how the story was making Ryder's Geneva to look like the villain when her husband is equally to be blamed for the same. In addition, the story deviates in the last half hour only to head further downhill. Vince Vaughn's Ronny is more vulnerable than the characters he usually plays and he does a good job. Kevin James's Nick suffers from poor writing. It's good to see Winona Ryder back in a meaty role (even though it was a small part). Luminous beauty and immensely talented Jennifer Connelly is criminally wasted. Ditto for the voluptuous Queen Latifah.

I like titles where one word can refer to multiple things occurring in the movie. "The Dilemma" can mean, will Ronny (Vince Vaughn) propose to girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly)? or when Ronny catches Geneva (Winona Ryder) cheating on best friend Nick (Kevin James), should he tell him? Will Ronny and Nick be able to land and keep the lucrative Chrysler deal to save their company? Unfortunately, none of these story lines are particularly interesting or very funny.

Vince Vaughn is his usual self, and Kevin James can be both funny and the nerdy engineer. But the problems occur at the very beginning, first when we realize that one of the best actresses in the cast, Ms. Connelly, is only there to smile and look pretty, and then we start concentrating on Winona Ryder who appears as though she's acting in "Girl, Interrupted" instead; her character is just way too deranged looking to be enjoyable. For what should be a simple buddy comedy, they added way too many sub-plots and although there were a few laughs, it was mostly boring and not all that funny.

By the end, the film settled down a bit more, and we got to concentrate on Ronny and Nick. Vaughn and James are the only two actors in the film who actually belong in such a film, and I enjoyed their camaraderie. They were good characters, funny guys, and decent people. "The Dilemma" isn't horribly written, had a few jokes, and I was smiling at the end, but it tested my patience just a bit too much.