MartinHafer
The French writer/director Francis Veber is one of my favorite filmmakers...with exceptional films like "The Valet", "The Closet" and "The Dinner Game" (among others) to his credit. It's not surprising that Hollywood would want to remake one of his wonderful movies and cash in on his success. Too bad that they didn't trust Veber's wonderful script and changed it so much...dumbing it down in order, they assumed, to get a wider audience to enjoy the story.The basic movies are the same...but they are so very different as well. They both featuring a selfish man inviting who he perceives as a total idiot to a dinner party where all the sophisticated folks dig up the most annoying and stupid folks they can so they can laugh at them. The objects of their laughter THINK they're going to a nice party but there's really nothing nice about the folks running this godawful game. But so much is different beyond that....not just in the storyline but also in the way folks are portrayed. Veber's direction was generally very subtle...and nothing about this American version is subtle and it often chooses the low road instead....ruining, in my opinion, the story. Now I should point out that although the film occasionally irritated me and overall was a bust, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law loved the movie and laughed at many of the parts I hated most. I am NOT saying they are wrong or stupid....but they didn't see the French film and I wonder how much they would have enjoyed "Dinner for Schmucks" had they seen it as well. Overall, a huge misfire...and I hope people realize that the original is wonderful and clever.
OneEightNine Media
You know what? This movie isn't a total write off. I have zero idea why this is ranked so low. It is a comedy and it does the job of making you laugh in some parts. Is it a great comedy? Heck no. But it is not awful. Maybe fans of the French version are upset about this not living up to its namesake. Whatever, I haven't watched the original.
Encho Pramatarov
OK. First I want to begin by saying how pathetic everyone here looks when pretending to be a movie critic. Well, let me tell you something, you don't understand anything from movies, and next time you are about to give 1 or 2 stars on a movie like this, consider throwing your DVD player away, because you don't deserve to own one. This was the most entertaining and touching movie I have seen in a while. I love Steve Carell and he did not disappoint as well as the rest of the cast. Why did I give this movie a 10 star rating? Because it delivered what I expected, because it made me and the people around me laugh and because this movie deserves a higher rating. Simple as that, that's all I want to say.Try having fun and stop being miserable with your fake ratings.
SpaceComics
SPOILERS Dinner for Schmucks is one of the best comedies I've seen in recent years, possibly since Austin Powers. It's funny without getting as crude and disgusting as other recent funny comedies like Borat, Team America, Harold & Kumar, and Super Bad. The characters are likable with their funny flaws, and Steve Carell performs his role better than anything I've seen from Adam Sandler, Will Farrell or any of the other current lead comics. Carell plays a not so bright, nerdy amateur taxidermist who makes dioramas featuring stuffed mice. But you like him because he's very talented at his hobby. Paul Rudd befriends him with an ulterior motive, to invite him to the title dinner to impress his boss - but humiliating him in the process. But even before the dinner, Carell, trying to helpful, creates a series of misunderstandings that mess up Rudd's relationships. This makes up the bulk of the movie and is very funny, if typical comedic misunderstandings, well staged with good comic timing. SPOILER: But the dinner finally comes and that's the outstanding part, as we see the schmucks invited really are better people than the snobs who invited them, just ordinary people with some extraordinary talents -- but intensely funny. This is one to watch over again every couple years.
AD
