The Film
OK, stop me if you've heard this one... So there's these two guys, right? Nice guys. And they're best friends. One of them is married and the other one is on the verge of proposing to his girlfriend. OK, so the unmarried guy accidentally finds out that his best friend's wife... is screwing another guy - a real pinhead too!
And?
That's it! Funny stuff, right? Right??
(crickets)
With the possible exception of Jodie Foster's Beaver (hee hee), I can't think of any film that's presented this big a marketing challenge since Death to Smoochy. (And here I was thinking I'd never write that phrase in print again.) Said another way, I have no doubt that the Universal marketing folks tasked with selling The Dilemma found no shortage of irony in the film's title.
The Dilemma stars certified funny guys Vince Vaughn and Kevin James as Ronny and Nick, the aforementioned best friends/business partners. As you can probably glean from the title, the film's story revolves around the intricacies of Guy Code as it pertains to marital infidelity. Do you tell your friend about his wife's adulterous behavior? If so, when? How do you tell him? Easy questions these are not. Ripe for comedy though, that's for sure!
The Dilemma boasts a surprisingly top-shelf supporting cast which includes Jennifer Connelly as the good girlfriend, Winona Rider as the bad wife, and Queen Latifah as an utterly bizarre business associate of the boys. A few shelves down is Channing Tatum as the home-wrecking pinhead. And did I mention that the film is directed by Ron Howard? Yeah, that Ron Howard. Apollo 13, Cinderella Man, A Beautiful Mind Ron Howard. Suffice to say, The Dilemma is a strange brew if ever there was one.
But you know what? I kinda liked it anyway.
What about our own Beth McCabe, you ask? See what she thought of Ron Howard's Dilemma in her review.
The Picture
Universal brings The Dilemma to Blu-ray and the results are quite good from a technical perspective. The film takes place in Chicago and the Windy City looks downright lovely in 1080p. With lush greens and natural skin tones on display at the botanical gardens of Garfield Conservatory, and the strong shadow detail during Ronny's nighttime spy session, The Dilemma is a winner in the video department. (And for the record, Jennifer Connelly can wear a Cubs jersey like nobody's business.)
The Sound
With a "comedy" such as this, you don't expect much in the way of surround sound. Consequently, I was rather surprised by just how good The Dilemma sounds on Blu-ray. This lossless DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack has quite a bit going on in the surround channels, adding nicely to the ambience - particularly when the film shifts to center ice at The United Center. Even the bass kicks in now and then, exhibiting substantial growl when Nick gives an engine noise demonstration of his electric Charger to the suits at Dodge/Chrysler.
The Extras
In addition to Universal's now customary BD LIVE and pocketBLU support, on-disc extras include a fair number of deleted scenes introduced by Ron Howard, a featurette about the genesis of this oddball picture, an alternate ending, and my favorite - a "tour of Chicago," which takes us through four of the film's shooting locations. Like the film, it's a bit strange, but fans should enjoy the segment on The Green Mill, an old Chicago bar frequented by Al Capone back in the day. This quick tour is hosted by the bar's current owner and delivers an interesting look at this unique establishment.
Final Thoughts
Like every relationship, The Dilemma has its fair share of ups and downs and it can often get downright messy. It would be an understatement to say that tonally, The Dilemma is all over the map. Is it a buddy comedy? Is it a romantic comedy? Is it a black comedy? Is it a serious examination of marriage and infidelity? Is it a commercial for Dodge muscle cars? In the end, The Dilemma is all of those things. That said, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious where this thing was headed and I'm glad I went along for the ride. I can't promise you'll love it, but I'm pretty sure you won't soon forget it.
Product Details
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