Dinner For Schmucks is a solid comedy, but I was expecting a little bit more on my plate

On June 5th, 2009 America flocked to movie theaters to see one of the biggest comedies of the last decade, The Hangover. Many people have fallen in love with that movie, and it was crowned the biggest and best comedy of 2009. And in the aftermath of The Hangover, people have been expecting a big laugh out loud summer comedy in 2010. So far, we haven't really gotten one. But I saw a small glimmer of hope in the next big release from director Jay Roach, who announced a remake of a 1998 French film The Dinner Game, and thus, we got Dinner For Schmucks. Is it thecolossal comedy event of 2010? Well... kind of.Overall, it's a funny movie with good characters and you leave the theater with a smile on your face, but at the same time it's not that giant movie that everyone starts quoting from the get go. It's somewhat hard to tellhow I truly felt about it. It's worth seeing for someof the comedy bits, but there are quite a few scenes that aren't needed and feel more likejust filler than essential moments to the story. Normally in comedies, those kinds of scenes are okay, but here they just kind of drag on, and they sort of shove the plot down your throat, so the whole time you're kind of eager for those straggler comedy bits to end. It's a good thing I have my The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly system or else I would have no idea how to analyze this movie.

The Good

• Everyone is cast perfectly and there are no bad performances. The standoutshowever are Steve Carell (of course) and Jemaine Clement (whom some of you may know from Flight of the Conchords)
• The characters themselves are well written andoddly interesting
• When there are good jokes, some of them can be REALLY funny
• These days, it's rare to have a touching comedy, and this is certainly one of those rarities
• The dinner scene itself is hilarious and completely worthit even if you didn't enjoy everything that came before it
• The movie itself does a good job of blending screwball comedy and dark comedy
• The soundtrack does a good job of adding to the movie's chaotic and crazy atmosphere especially the inclusion of The Beatles song "TheFool On The Hill"

The Bad

• Some of the jokes feel forced and just don't work
• In the first half of the movie, Steve Carell's character is unrealisticallystupid and you find it hard to believe that he can survive inmodern society
• It could use a lot of editing. There are multiple scenes that could be shortened and made better
• Alot of parts are unrealistic, in that no one in the real world would tolerate the crazy things that are happening

The Ugly

• It feels a lot longer than it really is. The movie clocks in at an hour and fifty minutes,but it feels like it's almost two and a half hours, and the scenes that really drag on feel like they're never going to end

Overall, Dinner For Schmucks is a comedy that is overall worth seeing, if you can get past the scenes that just really drag on

Letter Grade:C+