Before I wandered into this one I wondered what all the fuss was about. I’ve had an inordinate amount people over the past few weeks ask me if I’d seen this or how I thought it would be which seemed odd for what looked like a pretty simple romantic comedy. After watching it I still don’t really know why this one is receiving any buzz, maybe people are starved for any comedy at all right now. Whatever that magic elixir that’s kept the hype going for this one is I suppose it won’t completely drown upon seeing it.
I will say the crowd reaction to You, Me, and Dupree was very positive so I might just be a curmudgeon here. The people all around me clearly loved the telegraphed jokes and the way the plot proceeded according to plan (except for one notable exception which elevates this one to slightly above average). The teeming masses even saw fit to talk back to the screen occasionally, always a good measure of both the engagement level of a film and the overall intelligence of an audience (note: high, and then very low). The story is just as directed in the trailers. Dupree (Own Wilson) is the down on his luck best friend of Matt Dillon who is newly married to Kate Hudson. They invite Dupree to live with them and the proper shenanigans ensue. The one part that probably isn’t clear from the marketing campaign is the presence of Michael Douglas as Kate Hudson’s quasi-crazy father.
The good news is Dupree does have some very funny one liners and a plot twist which makes it pretty watchable over the last hour. The ending is also executed very well which always makes the movie seem a little bit better than it actually is. It’s also a buddy film too which at times makes for a nice combining of genres. Owen Wilson basically worked on the comedy front and Dillon is decent as the straight man. As for Kate Hudson… well I don’t know what to make of her anymore. She’s good but a far cry from the potential shown in Almost Famous.
One jarring thing is just how old Michael Douglas seems on screen here. He’s about ready for Tales from the Crypt given his advanced look throughout. He’s funny enough in his limited time so I’m not going to knock his performance overall. My main problem with this one stems from the fact that it’s all been done before. The plot seems to be put out directly from the mad-libs style screenplay generator that Hollywood must have dozens of in every studio office.
I guess at the end of the day if you are Pirated out and just want to take in a comedy you’ll do okay here. It’s not nearly as funny as the two big dogs last year (40 and Wedding) but it’s not all bad either. I think the real race for comedy of the year starts and ends with Talladega Nights. That one looks innovative and can’t be playing up the serious side even a little bit (unlike this one). Hmm… maybe that there is a film that deserves a little fuss thrown its way.
