Dinner for Shmucks

If I had to say anything about this film, it would be see it with friends. This film is so hit and miss, that it is worth having someone lean over to ask about the joke and vice versa.

The flick begins with Tim Conrad, an employee at a firm that does something that was never actually explained. They sell things. I think... Anyway. He acquires a chance at promotion after suggesting they make negotiations over lamps with a Swiss business man, Martin Mueller, (which is rather disappointing performance from David Walliams - maybe due to the American director underestimating him in terms of funniness.) Tim must now impress his boss with his business skills and by finding the biggest idiot he can to attend a "Dinner for Winners."

It's all going to plan until he runs over the main attraction to the film - and the idiot -, Barry. Barry is a lonely man who builds scenarios with dead mice. He's creepy, humorous and mostly what you've come to see. Tim plays the dead pan man, as Barry begins to slowly ruin his chances. Whether it be crashing the meeting with Martin, having his girlfriend believe that he's cheating on him, or destroying his apartment with Tim's psycho ex.

It's a fantastic thing to see play out, but I feel it started too slow and crumpled up the whole funny bit into the space of half an hour. Until the clique moment of Tim letting Barry stay over and realise what he went through, the laughs are spread too thinly. And I'm talking about nearly half an hour to 45 minutes into the film until it starts getting side splitting roars of laughter.

But enter Therman Murch, (Zach Galifianakis,) Barry's boss, and ultimately the best counter part to Barry. It's a super shame that he spends about 15 minutes total on screen. He's a looney - a bigger looney than Barry - and believes he has mind powers. This plot point is used fantastically at the end, with a battle of mind powers between the two.

Lightly speaking of the end, this was possibly the most superbly made and brilliantly hilarious moment of this year and of this film. It has the big build up, the revelations and the antics to have hit all the check points of a fun end to the summer film.

Closing out this review, I have to say wait for the DVD. It's just far better with a bigger crowd of people to discuss the film during the best moments and after the antics of Tim and Barry. It's full of laughs, but the big ones are all shovelled into one clump; it's not a necessarily bad thing, but it would've been better to see them lovingly spread out throughout the whole film and not as it was. Overall though, I left happily, and would gladly watch it over. I call this the "Hangover Effect."