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Movie Review - You, Me and Dupree (2006)
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(What this rating means)
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| Director: |
Anthony and Joe Russo |
| Starring: |
Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas, and Seth Rogen |
| Rated: |
PG-13 (for sexual content, brief nudity, crude humor, language and a drug reference) |
| Length: |
108 minutes |
| Genre: |
Comedy |
| Tagline: |
Two's company. Dupree's a crowd. |
| Studio: |
Universal Pictures |
| Website: |
You, Me and Dupree |
| Release: |
July 14, 2006 |
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PLOT
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Carl (Dillon) and Molly (Hudson) enjoy a beautiful Hawaiian wedding with Carl's best friend Dupree (Wilson) serving
as Best Man. Upon returning from their honeymoon, the we're-so-cute-and-not-afraid-to-be-cheesy newlyweds are
eager to have a little fun and revel in married life. Unfortunately, a nice little wrench is thrown into that
matrimonial engine when Carl finds out that Dupree has lost his job and is now living on a cot in the back of a
local bar.
Carl can't help but feel partly responsible when Dupree reveals that he was fired because of the week he took off for
the wedding. Apparently the vacation was never approved. Dupree blames it on a lost email. His conscience weighing
heavily on him, Carl invites Dupree to come stay with him and Molly for a while.
Naturally, Dupree claims it'll only be for a couple of days, until he can get back on his feet again. But everyone
with an IQ higher than Paris Hilton's shoe size can tell this plan will somehow go awry. Tensions mount, jealousies
arise, and threatened friendships ensue.
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JOHNNY'S TAKE
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Whenever a movie mistakenly thinks a bad pun of a tagline ("Dupree's a crowd" anyone?) is gonna rope in ye olde
moviegoing audience, there is officially room to be concerned with what you're about to watch. OK, so the tagline
isn't as bad as some, but it is enough to raise a red flag. However, is it enough to indicate what's to come?
Welp, I'm happy to say that once again I'm gonna keep my distance from all your unfavorite (I'm makin' up words, baby!)
stuffed-shirt critics out there who are giving You, Me and Dupree a merciless shredding because it doesn't meet
the inherent level of pretension they so girlfriendlessly demand. That's right, folks. I, Johnny Betts, enjoyed
You, Me and Dupree. I'm one of about three movie reviewers to boldly make that claim, but doggone on it, I'm
sticking by it.
Granted, my enjoyment was heightened due to the fact that I kept my expectations low and didn't have to pay to see
the movie, but I was entertained all the same.
It's only fair that I be perfectly honest and admit I'm somewhat easily amused when it comes to watching actors and
actresses that I really like, and Dupree sports a great cast. Mileages will vary depending on your tolerance
level of the actors involved.
Owen Wilson is one of my constant comedic favorites, once again displaying that crooked nose we all love and
projecting child-like innocence with his signature charm. I also love his ability to sincerely deliver outrageous
and cheesy lines in ways that make them seem not quite so outrageous or silly.
Then there's Kate Hudson, only the absolute cutest thing that Hollywood has going for it. She plays this role a
little more low key than usual, but she's still irresistible, evidenced by her black bikini scene where she
proves that she inherited what was always her mom's best *ahem* asset.
Rounding out the cast, straight-man Matt Dillon's cool as always, and Seth Rogen, though woefully underused, brings
an impressive laughs-to-screentime ratio. Most of you will remember him from The
40 Year-Old Virgin, but he'll always be Ken Miller and Ron Garner to me. If neither of those names means
anything to you then we need to have a serious talk about a couple of DVD sets you might want to consider
acquiring.
Is this a film that'll find its way to the top of any of these actors' resumes? No. Is it a non-stop laugh-fest?
No. Is it a film I can watch over and over and cry with laughter every time? Nah. Will you be disappointed if
you're expecting something along the lines of The Wedding Crashers? Most likely.
After all, I never said the movie doesn't have its flaws. Some of the humor is a little too conventional and
predictable, and the dramatic dialogue isn't exactly the most compelling to grace the screen, so no, this isn't
gonna go down in the Book of Comedy Classics, nor do I feel a necessity to pencil it in as a future addition to
my DVD collection (unless the special features are loaded with Kateness). But I found it to be a fun,
light-hearted, silly way to take a 2-hour break from the real world. As I mentioned in the paragraphs above, its
greatest strength is in its likable cast and their chemistry, and I appreciate the charm it displayed in never
taking itself too seriously.
Plus, the majority of the screening crowd seemed to enjoy it. I've personally never had nor been a third wheel like
Dupree, but those of you who can relate to such an experience might appreciate it on a different level.
I can't say that You, Me and Dupree is a film that just absolutely demands to be seen on the big screen, but
it's certainly the kind of movie that you usually watch with friends and family where most everyone will walk away
with a good chuckle, no one will be overly offended, Aunt Ella will comment on how "it was cute," no one's life will
be dramatically altered, and Uncle Larry's uninvited segue into some boring recollections about his own "Dupree"
experiences will wake everybody back up to their nightmare reality.
All in all, if you think no one can bring seven different kinds of smoke like Owen Wilson, and you find Kate Hudson
to be seven different kinds of smokin' then there's something here for you to enjoy. Be it at a matinee or as a
future rental. It might just help you discover your "ness."
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ODDS & ENDS
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- The film went from concept to screenplay to the first day of shooting in under a year - an extremely short
gestation period by Hollywood standards.
- Kate Hudson is absolutely adorable.
- Johnny had a 6th grade teacher who once got mad because when she made a reference to "Matt Dillon - the fictional
sheriff from Gunsmoke" there were a couple of students in the class who thought she was talking about
"Matt Dillon - the real-life dude from The Outsiders." The teacher seemed genuinely disgusted by what she
no doubt saw as an example of the degradation of 6th grade youth.
- Keep an eye out for a small Lance Armstrong cameo.
- Kate Hudson is a pretty good soccer player.
- Soccer was one sport that Johnny never really had any interest in playing. He figured he could get the same
results by jogging for 90 minutes.
- The movie has absolutely nothing to do with soccer.
- Johnny has never known nor met anyone named Dupree.
- Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared are the two DVD sets I was referring to in relation to Seth
Rogen.
- Matt Dillon was in There's Something About Mary with Ben Stiller who was in Flirting with Disaster
with Josh Brolin who was in Hollow Man with Kevin Bacon.
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MAMA'S APPROVAL
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The movie isn't overly explicit, but there are scenes that Mama wouldn't be very comfortable sitting through in their
unedited form. Parents should be aware that there's a scene where we see Owen's pasty white buttocks while he's
sleeping and another slice of Owen side-nudity when he runs out of the house naked, covered in the front and back
by nothing more than a couple of pillows. But who hasn't been there?
Profanity consists of a few G-d**ns, one f-bomb, and a handful of other salty words you don't want your kids
repeating. And if for some inexplicable reason you do want your kids repeating them then I sincerely weep for our
future. There are also some sexual situations that might make you uncomfortable if you happened to watch them with
mama, grandma, or the kids.
This isn't ideal viewing fare for your pre-teens, but it in no way pushes the edge of its PG-13 rating.
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TRAILER COMPARISON
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To be honest, I wasn't completely sure what to expect from the film based on the trailer. It contains some funny
moments but doesn't really possess knock-out power. If you bust a gut watching the trailer then consider it an
excellent guide. If the trailer doesn't do much for you then let your fondness for the actors involved serve as a
better indication of what to expect.
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THE GIST
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You, Me and Dupree might not deliver two solid hours of nothing but out-loud laughter and the dramatic
elements might falter at times, but there's no denying that the cast is great, and if you love those involved
then you'll find some enjoyment here. I wouldn't pay more than matinee prices, and if you don't have a lot of
spending money to throw around then just save it for a rental.
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