Avery Walts A&E
From the opening song “Fool on the Hill” by The Beatles, I knew I would love this movie about the “schmucks” that surround us. Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, and a few side acts all make up the ingredients to a summer comedic wonder known as Dinner for Schmucks.
Carell’s Barry Speck is an IRS auditor who spends his spare time as a taxidermist, stuffing dead mice to create his unique works of art. Meanwhile, Tim Conrad (Rudd) is trying to work his way up the ranks as an L.A. financial analyst, but a catch is weaved into the story that tests his moral character.
In order to land the job, Tim must attend a monthly dinner held by his boss, Lance Fender (Bruce Greenwood). Each person must bring the biggest idiot they can find to win. Tim’s morals are challenged by his girlfriend, Julie (Stephanie Szostak), who is offended by the task right away. This is where Barry comes in. Tim happens to nearly kill Barry as he sprints in front of Tim’s car to save a dead, germ-ridden mouse. This accident turns into a spark of freak genius for the dinner of mockery.
Director Jay Roach echoes the laughter from previous works like the Austin Powers and Fockers trilogies by incorporating unexpected characters of mischief. Jemaine Clement (Flight of the Choncords) plays a bizarre artist who works along side Julie, creating larger-than-life pieces of himself in different animal forms. Now known as “that guy from The Hangover,” (Galifianakis) plays an employee of Barry’s who stands by his talent of “mind freezing.” Along with the wise guests at the dinner, perceived as fools, these characters add spice to the already hilarious tag-team duo that is Rudd and Carell.
The slow start to the movie is overshadowed by the performance of Carell, who never fails to deliver the laughs. Again, he pulls out a weird character from his arsenal to bring the movie to life, just like his mice dioramas. It was a bit lengthy for a comedy movie, and the dinner was later in the film rather than sooner, but the comedic shenanigans camouflaged all the plot delays.
Perhaps the best way to sum up Barry’s out-of-the-ordinary character is through one of his mice displays showing the famous “Last Supper” painting: “The Last Supper. They had bread and wine. For my last supper, I guess I’d go with shrimp scampi.” Add this all up and you have a recipe for disaster- a disaster in a Carell-Rudd fashion.