I was able to check out Dinner for Schmucks (Steve Carell, Paul Rudd) last Thursday up in Independence, MO, and I can say I was right on with my blog for The Dinner Game from my 151 Greatest Movies You’ve Never Seen.

Dinner for Schmucks is a remake of a 1998 French film called The Dinner Game. Thanks to seeing the original, I was unable to really sit and enjoy this film. The movie follows Tim (Rudd) who is trying to get to the top of his company that deals with money and assets. He gets his foot in the door when he introduces a lamp made from a deactivated bomb. His boss invites him to a special dinner on the weekend, but the catch is he has to invite a special person to come with him. Not just any ordinary person will do; he needs an idiot or schmuck. By chance, Tim is driving and hits Barry (Carell), who is trying to save a dead rat from getting run over. He’s saving this dead rat because his hobby is dressing up dead rats and putting them into famous scenes from history like the Wright Brothers’ first flight or Benjamin Franklin flying his kite. That part is actually pretty amusing, seeing all the famous scenes he puts his rats in—very good stuff. Tim invites Barry to the dinner and, of course, Barry agrees to go. The night before the dinner, however, Barry comes over to Tim’s house mistaking the dinner for that night and wreaks havoc on Tim’s life in a matter of a couple hours. The movie is right on with the remake minus the dinner part, because in the original, they never made it to the dinner. Some faces you might recognize in the film are Zach Galifianakis, who plays Barry’s boss who thinks he has the ability to control minds; Bruce Greenwood, who plays Tim’s boss; and Ron Livingston, who is trying to get the prize for best idiot at the dinner party.

If I could go back in time and not watch Dinner Game so i could enjoy this film a little more, it’d be nice, because I felt I would have laughed a little more. It’s hard—in my little hobby, with how many films I see—not to judge new films because they are remakes, and I compare it to the original when I know I shouldn’t, but I do—I’m a creature of habit. There were some dry spots in the movie, but it was funny overall, and I would suggest watching Dinner Game after you see this film, (though I know you might not, because it’s all in subtitles, but it is worth it). It was weird seeing how they translated some things from the old to the new, and they did it well. Good job by director Jay Roach for filling in the spots I wish they would have touched on in Dinner Game.

7.5 outta 10 wahoos

Nick Leach is seveneightfive’s resident movie expert. Check out his blog to follow along on his magical tour through the 151 Greatest Movies You’ve Never Seen.

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