My epic films with Vince Vaughn continues, now the turn has come to the film “Dilemma”, where in addition to Vince Vaughn in the film starred Kevin James, Jennifer Connelly, Winona Ryder, Channing Tatum, and the film was directed by none other than Ron Howard.
Vince Vaughn played the role of Ronnie, Kevin James played the role of Nick, Ronnie and Nick - best friends, who are also going to present a new car project. Everything happens in turn, until one day Ronnie catches his wife (played by Winona Ryder) Nick with a random guy (Channing Tatum), and after that Ronnie began to have great doubts about whether to tell Nick about all this or not, but the most interesting thing is that Ronnie himself began to have minor moral and psychological problems, it even came to his own detective investigation.
Ron Howard does not have bad films, after this film he made an amazing film “Race”, so the quality of his directing work is not in doubt. This film is not the strongest of all his directorial works, given also the genre of the film, but the actors gave their all to the full program and their acting they were able to decorate the film. I really like Vince Vaughn in comedy movies, but also, and as I mentioned in my last review, he can and does play more serious roles, and he doesn't look ridiculous. In this film he has one of the main roles and he coped with it perfectly.
Kevin James was also not bad, although he was not quite as good as Vince Vaughn.
Chennig Tatum surprised a little and pleasantly, although he had a very small role.
The female half of the film also pleased: Winona Ryder, whom we do not see so often on the big screens, who performed Nick’s wife, convincingly played her role. Jennifer Connelly played the wife Ronnie, not the best role of Jennifer, but this role for her was quite simple, so she did not have to play a lot.
The film "Dilemma" - more for married couples and people who are married, also the film characterizes male friendship, honesty, rightness, self-esteem. 'Dilemma', though a simple film and a little played, but still cute and pleasant to watch.
I have long wanted to write a review of the film, but could not choose which film. And so the choice fell on a rather criticized, failed comedy film Dilemma. So why this particular movie? Because I think that this film is quite good and it was worth paying off, there are many advantages in the film, there are also disadvantages, but there are few of them. Some consider the film a drama, some a comedy drama, but it is rather a comedy not designed for unrestrained laughter from beginning to end. Most likely, people expected more from the film than an in-person comedy, because there is simply an amazing in every sense of the cast from comedy to famous dramatic actors and an excellent Oscar-winning director Ron Howard. So, why did I like this movie? Let's put it all together.
Pros
Actor's play. I really like the actors in this film, and thank goodness none of them failed, almost. Vince Vaughn is one of my favorite comedy actors, and although he plays the same everywhere, but I still like him, a good guy, a friend who will help in any difficult moment, talkative, charming, funny, no more from him.
Jennifer Connelly and Winona RyderChanning Tatum Small but funny part. I began to like Tatum even more after this role, a natoothed, sensitive, handsome young man with an unusual house, loving fish. For this character I even had sympathy, he is, one might say, a victim of circumstances which caused small, but still damage. Definitely Tatum coped with the role.
The comedy component In this regard, the film does not boast a huge, endless amount of humor that comes from all sides. The film is quite funny, and if you are not a fan of vulgar or youth comedies, then you will definitely laugh. I at least laughed heartily during Vince Vaughn and Channing Tatum's fight, (one of the funniest moments) and of course Vince's jokes and delivering dialogue and funny situations.
Disclosure of the film The theme of the film (to tell a friend or not to tell) was fully disclosed, because this situation can happen to everyone, and not everyone will decide what to do. The actions of the hero Vaughn look quite natural, which is good.
Cons or minus
Kevin James I didn’t like his character and his acting work. I didn't get the feeling that this is a real friend for whom you have to do desperate things. He constantly whines like a seven-year-old boy, and like a seven-year-old kid insecure, and instead of thanking or understanding a friend, he will scold or even hit him. Kevin himself is not suitable for this role, it is too dramatic for him, he did not cope with it, almost constantly overplays or underplays, I do not want to offend those who love this actor, but my opinion about him is that he is bad in this role. Much better would be Seth Rogen, say, or any other actor who could do what Kevin didn’t do, play both dramatic and comic. Neither of these things happened to James.
I did not find any more disadvantages, since I watch comedies without load and do not particularly follow the details, because comedies should be funny, make sense and please good actors. I saw it all and was very pleased. This film does not claim to be the funniest comedy in the world, it does not try to please everyone, it tries to be kind, funny and soulful. I think he did it.
It is not so rare that the preliminary hype for a film, if it does not fight for the honorary title of a blockbuster, is not done by actors, although the composition of "Dilemma" is truly chic: Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Wynonah Ryder, Jennifer Connelly and Channing Tatum, and the name of the one who took up the post of commander-in-in-chief at the production, that is engaged in directing. The film "Dilemma" shot neither more nor less, but Ron Howard himself.
Who doesn't know his paintings? For people who are not particularly interested in cinema, this name may not say anything, but his track record is breathtaking: "Far - Far", "Mind Games", "Knockdown", "The Da Vinci Code". It should be noted that all his paintings were very serious, worthy of repeated viewing, whose paintings of the director were forever included in the gold collection, but there were no comedies among them, and the pre-Christmas fantasy fairy tale "The Grinch is the thief of Christmas" can not be attributed to completely comedic ones in any case, there is rather a moral-narrative tale.
But did something make Ron Howard go into this field? Of course, a talented person is talented in everything, but it is not always brilliant. I'd like to think that it wasn't $10,000,000 that made Howard take on the production, but the desire to try something new, to push the boundaries, so to speak. Did Howard do anything in this eccentric comedy about love and friendship?
It is impossible to say that everything came out of the director. The picture "Dilemma" can easily be called a passing point in the career of this remarkable filmmaker. He did not become Richard Curtis or Woody Allen, in which light entertainment tapes with morals in context come out great spectacle, and Howard, for all his talents and merits, came out ordinary cinema with a bias on the romcom. He played long-tattered cards about how things happen in life that are worth realizing how they will affect the future of existence. In such films, they try to reach the romantically tuned hearts of the audience and put grains of goodness and responsiveness there, show how to do the right thing, but Ron Howard has long been accustomed to a strong movie that you expect much more from him, and here he seems to relax, having received a huge fee.
By the way, this tape can teach something, but, most likely, it will quickly fade from memory, since a fairly large number of light evening tapes come out every year and it is impossible to remember all of them, and often they are mixed. But there are obvious advantages in "Dilemma". First, I would like to note the carefully written lines and dialogues of the characters by screenwriter Allan Loeb ( "Twenty-One", "Wall Street: Money does not sleep"), they are easy to lay down in an auditory manner and do not contain much pathos, and do not interfere with watching the action.
I want to say a little for the actors involved in the tape, because as was said in the first paragraph there is a chic cast. I liked Channing Tatum the most. Of course, his appearance and texture predispose to play handsome heart-eaters, the good thing is that the range of this guy is much wider. here he played a seducer, a little short-sighted, but this and funny. His fight with the hero Vince Vaughn is a clear decoration of the whole film and the most memorable scene in all of it. Vince Vaughn himself also showed himself well, especially since I am rather biased towards him after the pictures "Four Christmases" and even "Uninvited guests". here he did not walk like a goose stuffed. Kevin James plays the role he has due to his appearance - a cute loser, nothing special, although the actor is very warm.
The female composition was not pleased at all. Jennifer Connelly, who received her Oscar after starring in the film Ron Howard, was on the outskirts, from her heroine get a little emotion. Winona Ryder, who once gave great hopes, only in a couple of scenes so gazed with her bottomless eyes that goosebumps ran, but nothing more.
In general, the picture is suitable for rest, but such a director, such actors ... I wanted something more than just entertainment. The movie will like if it gets under the mood, but if not, it can serve as an extra irritant.
Unfortunately, this film did not receive widespread recognition and did not receive deserved praise, which personally upsets me. The film is not perfect, and strictly speaking, it is not a comedy either. This movie bribes others. He bribes with his simplicity, his realism and his honesty. Apart from two or three humorous episodes, the film is a soft, unobtrusive drama that gives the viewer the opportunity to have a cozy time.
The cast here is impressive and each actor played properly. Starting from the changing Vaughn before his eyes and ending with the funny, almost episodic, role of Tatum. Of course, it’s not Jennifer Connelly’s best role, not in the sense that she didn’t perform well, but in the sense that it was too easy for her, so it felt like she was using even less than half of her acting arsenal. Staying consistent, I will focus on one more detail. Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Connelly are wonderful, amazing actors, but together they do not look at all, and it immediately prevents you from watching the film. Jennifer perfectly harmonized with Jared Leto, she looked great with Russell Crowe, very well combined with Bradley Cooper, but with Vince Vaughn such a harmonious combination is not observed. In American Divorce, Vince Vaughn formed a duet with another inimitable Jennifer, Aniston, but their couple had the right to exist. Vaughn and Aniston just looked great in one shot, which can not be said about this film. This is by no means a fault, but a purely subjective remark.
The plot is unimaginable, of course, it is impossible, and it does not play a key role here, oddly enough. This film is not about infidelity in a relationship, nor about betrayal in love. This film is about friendship, about real, male, strong and indestructible friendship. This story is without unnecessary pathos, it does not have inappropriate pomp or pompous drama, but there are vital and close to us realities. I’ll even dare to say the following, and I’ll be pitied for it, but I believe that this film is much stronger, more touching and sensual than the same “Love Actually”. Only the second film collected a huge box office, and the first could not even pay off, which is a mystery to me.
To summarize, this film is definitely worth your attention. "Dilemma" is included in the category of the so-called "Good" cinema. Yes, there are drawn-out moments, there are useless characters, and there are a huge number of negative reviews of film critics, but specifically in this case it is worth turning a blind eye, because if the film is able to make you smile, then it definitely deserves at least one of your viewing.
8 out of 10
Ronnie learns that his best friend and business associate Nick is going left. The question of whether to tell a friend about the infidelity of his wife is very depressing, against which he himself begins to deteriorate relations with both the bride and a friend.
“Dilemma”, which at first is perceived as a comedy, quickly rolls towards drama, but the plot conflict, itself sucked out of a finger and clearly does not deserve to be muzzled two hours in a row, is still stubbornly hung with gags and jokes. The duet of Vince Vaughn and Kevin James is not at their plate here - they are trying to humor the whole film, but the established framework that the situation is supposedly more serious just makes them strangers at this holiday. But two screen idiots in the film was not enough, so to enhance the effect, its creators added to the second plans of the characters of varying degrees of “dumbness” – and if the wonderful half-dumb performed by Channing Tatum was the decoration of this gathering “dumb and even dumber”, the crooked Queen Latifah caused a real cognitive dissonance. Who did not let this sad buffoon slide into the abyss - it's Jennifer Connelly and Winona Ryder, unfortunately, these ladies were not given too much screen time, and they especially did not have to play, but they clearly brightened up this dull untragicomedy.
At once, it should be said that this picture will not be interesting to everyone. It's more for older people. For those who know a serious relationship. First of all, it's not a comedy. There's humor here, though.
I won't touch the plot. I can only say that this picture is about real friendship, about difficult choices, about trust and truth. The conclusion is simple: abandon the infidels, and do not let yourself be led by the nose. As the movie says, the truth always comes out. Let it happen sooner or later. Great music and acting have a positive effect on viewing. Vince Vaughn and Kevin James did a great job. They showed a true loyal friendship. These two look alike. For female roles took Jennifer Connelly and Winona Ryder. Good choice, I'll tell you. The actresses did a good job. Channing Tatum appeared in this picture. He doesn't have much time, but he's remembered. I’m not going to write about the others.
I don't think there's much to say about the merits and disadvantages of the film. I recommend getting acquainted with family people, couples, and just adult viewers. This film is moderately instructive, moderately funny, and it is interesting to watch what is happening. Trust, but verify. Thank you very much.
"To honesty!" To honesty! - And for common interests! No, just for honesty!
Yes, indeed! This is an up-to-date film.
The film combines two directions, the first of which is the price of friendship. What is she like, a strong friendship? And what's behind it? The second direction of the film is a sore theme of all times and peoples. Sincerity in relationships with loved ones.
We are so used to lying that at the slightest attempt to bring us to the surface, we use the most “weighty” arguments to justify ourselves. Is it time to face the truth?
I would like to highlight Kevin James’ performance in the film as Nick. I met this artist once only in the movie “Rules of Removal”. The Hitch Method (if I am not mistaken). His presence in this film, as in many others, stirs up additional interest in the film, and fills it with light humor.
Ron Howard's Dilemma is a great dramatic film, with comedy elements (though not frequent). More suitable to view rather for viewing with your favorite (-m). Light, not tensing, looks in one breath. I highly recommend it!