Rating: 4/5
Note: I've never seen the original French film, nor did I hear of it until recently.
Dinner For Schmucks is the story of Tim Conrad, a financier who, in order to impress his boss, must bring an unsuspecting idiot to a corporate dinner in order to make fun of him. Whoever brings the biggest buffoon wins the promotion.
Enter Steve Carell as Barry, an IRS agent, and Tim's fool of choice. After the characters and dinner are introduced, you guessed it, hijinks ensue. And thankfully, most of these hijinks are pretty damn funny.
Though most of the humor tries to be awkward humor, which does not always work, there are enough genuinely funny jokes and situations to carry the movie. However, I think that Steve Carell's back must be hurting. Why? Because HE carries the movie. Even though the cast is all good, whenever Barry is on screen you have to watch him. Other great characters are Zach Galifianakis and Jemaine Clement, the latter of whom I wish had more screen time.
All in all, while it is a bit cheesy, Dinner For Schmucks is funny, and I enjoyed it. Try it out.
