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It’s a Bad Bro-mance
The Dilemma
Vince Vaughn and Kevin James in The Dilemma
Back off Black Swan. Think again Inception. There’s a new psycho-babble-based picture in theaters that’ll keep you guessing “What the Hell was I thinking, paying $12 for this?” The Dilemma, directed by Ron Howard (who is capable of much better) is a barely-watchable bro-mantic comedy starring Vince Vaughn as Ronny, and Kevin James as Nick. These two college buddies turned 40-something auto engineers attempt to perfect the first electric muscle-car hits the skids once Ronny sees Nick’s wife Geneva (Winona Ryder) making out with Zip (Channing Tatum), a tattooed, bad boy with a fondness for OxyContin and cougars of the two-legged variety.
Should Ronny tell Nick of Geneva’s unfaithfulness and break his best bro’s heart, right before their struggling company’s pivotal presentation to the suits at Chrysler? Or should he stay silent, committing a cardinal sin of omission, at least until their deal is sealed and the check from Dodge clears?
What follows for the remaining 110 minutes, since it is a Vince Vaughn film, is a marathon of awkward monologues in between various slapstick confrontations and the occasional character revelation ultimately proving no one is perfect and honesty is the best policy. Cue group hug, or in this case bear hug, roll credits and commence eye rolling.
The few bright spots in this otherwise dim chick flick in drag include Queen Latifa as Susan Warner, a streetwise auto-exec who is so excited for the boys’ project she is sporting “lady-wood” (and if any woman were capable of such a protrusion, it “wood” surely be Latifa). And of course it wouldn’t be a Ron Howard movie without an appearance by his brother Clint who puts in an entertaining bit as Herbert Trimpy, the nervous manager of the exotic arboretum where Ronny discovers Geneva’s indiscretions.
But the most riveting scenes of the film are the shots of Ronny driving around Chicago in his pristine 1970 Dodge Challenger convertible, a rare ride with better curves than either Winona or Jennifer Connelly, who is instantly forgettable as Ronny’s grimacing girlfriend Beth, the skinniest chef of an all-you-can-eat vegan buffet. Later, when the Challenger gets beaten with a baseball bat during a painfully prolonged confrontation between Ronnie and Zip, it is the most agonizing case of auto abuse since the infamous Porsche-dipping scene in Risky Business.
Never mind should Ronnie tell Nick, the big question with The Dilemma is who is this picture really supposed to please? Meant to bridge the gap between chick flick and frat house fare, it is bound to annoy both intended audiences and is a terrible waste of a classic Challenger, a thing of beauty more pleasing than anything else on display.