Starring Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Jemaine Clement, Jeff Dunham, Bruce Greenwood and Ron Livingston, the film tells the story of a rising executive who finds out that his work superiors host a dinner celebrating the idiocy of their guests and questions it when he's invited, just as he befriends a man who would be the perfect guest. Never in my professional life has anyone in the restaurant business questioned my conduct. It's not retro-romantic, with votive candles, arugula salads, and flourless chocolate cake. "[13] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 56 out of 100, based on 37 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Arrogance is a restaurant believing it can prosper without looking after its customers. Alan Richman heard nothing but great things about M. Wells, one of New York City's hottest restaurants—the food was amazing, the setting sublime, the ambience charming. Now and then, poor service is the result of a restaurant having an unfortunate day. Written by David Guion and Michael Handelman, relative newcomers to the world of big-time, big-screen comedy, “Dinner for Schmucks” has a nimble rhythm and remarkably few dull patches. Dinner for Schmucks was released in theaters on July 30, 2010 by DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures and grossed $86.9 million against a $69 million budget. After my three dinners at M. Wells, I am reasonably certain that thorough schooling has never taken place there. Barry's antics along with his "Mousterpieces" are a hit with the group, and he is seemingly a shoo-in for the trophy. “I’m not going to say there should be a law that Hollywood should not use such a word.”, Steve Carell, left, and Paul Rudd in the forthcoming comedy “Dinner for Schmucks.”. And, most of all, the film collects a cast of performers who know how to be funny. Rudd himself coasts along, sticking to his own Dickish Guy Who Is Essentially Good Deep Down formula from Role Models and I Love You, Man. M. Wells calls itself, oddly, a Quebeco-American diner. Wearing what look like prosthetic teeth purchased from Ye Olde Peter Sellers Gagge Shoppe, Mr. Carell plays a man so utterly clueless about the impression he makes on the world that, next to him, Michael Scott from “The Office” looks like George Clooney. Arrogance today is exhibited by inconsiderate servers who do almost nothing for customers other than slap plates down in front of them and expect a generous tip. Thanks! I walked behind you when we left the restaurant and didn't see you touch anyone. Tim is appalled, or at least pretends to be when Julie is. [15], Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3 out of 4:.mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, The genius of this version depends on the performance by Steve Carell, who plays Barry Speck as a man impervious to insult and utterly at peace with himself. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images She seemed delighted and immediately agreed—and added that she knew who I was, even if I had made my reservation using a pseudonym. “The more correct title would have been ‘Dinner for Schlemiels,’ ” Ms. Schlussel insisted, if the filmmakers were trying to describe the geeky behavior displayed Mr. Carell in the pratfall-filled trailer. Director: Jay Roach. Ad Choices. Julie finds out Tim is inviting Barry to the dinner and leaves their apartment after Tim insists on going, stating he has to in order to continue providing for them. Still, advertisements for the movie would probably pass muster, said Steph Jespersen, director of advertising acceptability for The Times, though a final decision will be subject to review by a standards editor and possibly a “rabbi or two.”. I have my share of detractors, but Obraitis had given no indication that she wished to avoid me. Tim wants a big promotion; he wants to marry his girlfriend, Julie (Stephanie Szostak); and he wants, most elusively, to square his competitive instincts with the conviction that he is basically a nice guy. She promised to get back to me within a few days. After returning to Tim's apartment, Tim and Julie manage to reconcile with Barry's help. Would a critic who is dining in a restaurant where he has been recognized do something like this? [9][10], As part of promoting the film, the website Funny or Die featured videos of Jemaine Clement in character as Kieran Vollard.[11][12]. Consider a world where you are perceived to be captivating and where each word you speak is deemed to be of dazzling import. I should long ago have paid attention to this disastrous decline in service. All we care about is accessibility, getting through the door. Yes, I said something to her about nobody taking our order for 45 minutes, but that was the extent of my comments about service. More than likely, poor service is inherent, caused by a staff with lackluster spirit or a manager with a lax attitude. Delve a little deeper and you also find the German term for “decoration,” from the Middle High German “smucken,” meaning “to press into.”, But the Online Etymology Dictionary insists that the Yiddish vulgarism actually comes from the Old Polish “smok,” meaning “grass snake” or “dragon.”. The boss and his acolytes invite Tim to participate in the event that gives the movie its title, a regular soiree to which various eccentrics — described as “idiots” and “losers” by their Yiddish-averse tormentors — are invited to be laughed at even as they think they’re being celebrated. Jemaine Clement (of the comedy duo Flight of the Conchords) as a pompous, goatish artist; Zach Galifianakis as an I.R.S. Yet, sadly, he lacks the defiant, edgy charm that made us root for him in those films, so Tim becomes merely Dickish Guy. A few weeks ago, Debbie Schlussel — a kind of all-purpose film critic, political commentator and Web opinion spinner — took issue not just with the trailer promoting “Dinner for Schmucks,” about which she wrote on her Web site, debbieschlussel.com, “it looks like utter garbage,” but also with its use of Yiddish. I remember thinking how disconnected she was from reality, that after making such a terrible denunciation, she could think that I would be interested in eating with her. Tim is fired as is Julie after Barry makes Vollard realize it would be a problem to have her continue working for him. The other guests then learn they were brought to the dinner only to be mocked, leading to a chaotic brawl between the guests and the executives. Responding in The New York Times, critic Michael Cieply determined that the intent was to be ambiguous as to which of the two main characters, played by Steve Carell and Paul Rudd, was the intended idiot. Lee Perkins Tuna, a kind of overdressed sashimi, fell flat, dead on arrival, and the pommes de terre fondantes, spuds with veal demi-glace and summer truffles, were both overly rich and inexplicably flavorless. Whatever you desire—clean plates, crisp napkins, warm rolls—is yours for the asking. I was being accused of sexually harassing a member of a restaurant staff. [4], Dinner for Schmucks is the American adaptation of the French film Le Dîner de Cons (literally, "The Dinner of Idiots"). I just couldn't get him to shut up. I've been reviewing restaurants for more than twenty years, almost always for GQ. This time I realized my guests were becoming far too restless, not just from the lack of attention but also from the heat, the stickiness, the dearth of space. And of course, the complainant has to be identified—the ugliness of an anonymous accusation is beyond measure. On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 41% based on 189 reviews, with an average rating of 5.32/10. Late the next afternoon, an e-mail arrived from Obraitis. Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences. It was cuisine and carnage combined. The days passed. More details. But being both a winner and a mensch is not such an easy task. What stands out is the heat and the long waits. All rights reserved. [7], In The Forward, Laura Hodes suggested that 'schmucks' correctly referred instead to the behavior of the film's antagonists, the bosses of Rudd's character. Tim Conrad comes up with a way to get wealthy businessman Martin Mueller as a client. Steve Carell and Paul Rudd, together again", "Interview: "Dinner for Schmucks" director Jay Roach on Steve Carell, Paul Rudd and Sacha Baron Cohen", "Dinner for Schmucks Delayed – Runs from Salt, Inception", "New Dinner for Schmucks Clip and Character Features", "Nolan's 'Inception' #1 For 3rd Weekend; Carell's 'Dinner For Schmucks' Opens #2; But Zac Efron's 'Charlie St Cloud' Only #6", "Dinner for Schmucks movie review (2010)", "Weekend box office 3rd September 2010 - 5th September 2010", Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dinner_for_Schmucks&oldid=982362496, Articles with failed verification from April 2016, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2016, Vague or ambiguous geographic scope from February 2013, All articles with vague or ambiguous time, Vague or ambiguous time from February 2013, Articles with dead external links from December 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 7 October 2020, at 17:41.