Movie Review: "The Dilema"

  I am an ardent fan of the cinematic arts. Although I have certain genre preferences, I don’t let that stifle my curiosity and close myself to different flavors of entertainment. That said...I am a huge fan of science fiction, super hero and action movies! Please visit my other blog The Boxed Office for reviews, exclusively, on these types of movies.

The Cast: 

Vince Vaughn, Kevin James and Winona Ryder.

   Vince Vaughn is always a joy to watch for me as I’m personally in tune with his particular brand of humor. He brings it here, as always, as a man that has learned his best friend’s spouse is having an affair. Kevin James is a great comedian, but his role wasn’t supportive of his talents. Winona Ryder is the cheating spouse and plays the role superbly as a woman that has conviction in her actions.

The Plot: 

   Ronny Valentine (Vaughn) is half of a partnership of struggling inventors trying to land into a big time deal in the automotive industry. His best friend, Nick Brannen (James), is the other half and the true brains of the operation. Nick is unaware that his marriage has deeper problems than the secrets he is keeping while Ronny has stumbled upon a secret that will change everything...Nick’s wife is having an affair.

   Geneva (Ryder) is Nick’s wife. Seemingly faithful and happy, she is having a steamy affair with a younger man...and enjoying every bit of it until Ronny confronts her with the fact that he knows her secret. 

   What happens next is a cluster incidents and moral soul searching as Ronny must decide if he is going to tell Nick...and if so, when he should, as they are on the cusp of the biggest deal of their lives. The whole time, Ronny is compelled to continue uncovering answers even at the cost of raising more question...mostly about himself.

   

The Verdict: 

   “The Dilema” was a great idea with excellent casting, but didn’t deliver to anywhere near what I expected given the subject and talent.

   Ultimately it was the script that dropped the ball to the point that even the usual entertaining delivery of Vaughn couldn’t pull it off. Ryder was excellent in her role of estranged wife and brought a sinister quality to her character that made the movie much darker than expected for a presumed comedy.

   Kevin James played his role well, it just wasn’t a part that was written to really showcase his comedic talent and the dramatic weight of the role, coupled with Ryder’s delivery had me heavily relying on Vaughn to make this the comedy it could’ve been. Instead, it was the comedy that never was...leaving only two cinnamon sticks, out of five, in my cup of tea.