The premise is straightforward: Ronny and Nick (Mr. Vaughn and Mr. James) are best friends and business partners. Currently up against a tight deadline, they have been tasked with making a hybrid automobile sound and feel like a muscle car. When Ronny, planning his proposal to girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly), spies Nick's wife (Winona Ryder) canoodling with another man at the botanic gardens one afternoon, he's at a loss for what to do. Instead of choosing one of many completely acceptable, sane solutions to that problem, he sets out to ruin his own life instead.
Okay, so maybe ruining his own life isn't a direct goal, but it may as well be: it's pretty much the only place he finds success. Nor is it too much of a surprise - in a situational 'comedy' like this, the humor is in the bumps along the way to the inevitable redemption. But this movie isn't a comedy. It's far too serious for that. Almost all attempts at humor are overpowered by the harsh light in which the film casts relationships, and scenes that should bring levity end up languishing instead.
The dilemma of "The Dilemma" (say that three times fast) is that Mr. Howard never figured out what he wanted to do with the script. It's certainly cast like a comedy, but it's too dark to be funny. While Queen Latifah and Tatum Channing, in supporting roles, do bring some humor, it feels out of place against the stark backdrop of so much misery. The end result is ill-paced and often unpleasant, with characters you don't really feel much sympathy for and a story that never comes together. The real dilemma? Choosing another movie to go see instead.
| Movie title | The Dilemma |
|---|---|
| Release year | 2011 |
| MPAA Rating | PG-13 |
| Our rating | |
| Summary | Much like the relationships of its lead characters, "The Dilemma" is a hot mess you want to stop watching pretty much from the get-go. |
