The Dilemma

Usually when a studio releases a movie by a big-name director (in this case, Ron Howard) in the notorious dumping grounds of January, it's a sign that the movie is a certified stinker. This is not wholly the case with The Dilemma. It's not exactly a bad movie, just an unfocused and confused one. There are some good moments here that hint at what the movie could have been, but the screenplay by Allan Loeb (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps) isn't confident enough to follow them through. He also doesn't seem sure if he was making a broad comedy, or a sentimental drama that seriously tackles the issues the central plot brings up.

The setup concerns Ronny (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Kevin James) - Best friends since college, and business partners in a small automotive design company that they started together. They're on the verge of a contract with Chrysler, which could put their company into the big leagues. In their private lives, the guys are generally happy. Nick is the straight-arrow type, happily married to his college sweetheart, Geneva (Winona Ryder, continuing her strong comeback that started with last month's Black Swan). Ronny is a guy on the mend. He's recovering from a gambling addiction that almost destroyed his life, until his live-in girlfriend, Beth (Jennifer Connelly), convinced him to get help. Now with his life in order, Ronny's looking to settle down and get married. While visiting the botanical garden where he hopes to propose to Beth, he happens to see Geneva getting romantic with a younger man (Channing Tatum). Should he tell Nick, who is already under tremendous pressure to get their presentation ready for Chrysler? Should he confront Geneva and question her about what he saw?

To Ronny's credit, he does confront Geneva fairly quickly when they are alone. She confirms what he saw, but says it was nothing serious. And besides, she says that Nick has been so focused on work, he never has time for her anymore. He also has a bad habit of sneaking off at night, saying he has a "business meeting". Has Nick been entirely faithful to her? Regardless, Nick is his best friend, and Ronny wants to tell him about what he saw. There just never seems to be the opportunity. That, and Geneva doesn't hold up on her "it was nothing serious" statement, and keeps on seeing the younger guy. And when Ronny threatens Geneva, she blackmails him back, forcing him to keep quiet. Meanwhile, all of this secrecy, sneaking around, and strange behavior has aroused Beth's suspicions, as she thinks Ronny is back to his old gambling habits. For once, this is not the case of the Idiot Plot at work. Anyone who has ever lived with or dealt with an addict, even a recovering one, knows how easy it is to suspect unusual behavior.

This obviously brings up a lot of tough questions for anyone watching the film. Unfortunately, The Dilemma tries to mine this material for laughs, and it doesn't usually work. A lot of the humor is of the broad variety, such as a pointless cameo by Queen Latifah as a worker at Chrysler who keeps on making inappropriate sexual comparisons and comments to show how excited she is when she hears a good idea. The humor often seems shoehorned in, as it forces characters to act in ways they usually don't. Compare how Ronny acts most of the film, to the scene where he tries to spy on Geneva and her lover, and snap photos of them. It gets even worse when Ronny is discovered, and a tired comic slapstick fight erupts, concluding with Ronny screaming like a madman, and threatening to melt his opponent's face off with a home-made blowtorch. This scene is not funny, it's embarrassing, and completely out of character for Ronny, who suddenly becomes a screaming idiot for no apparent reason.

Scenes like the one above almost made me give up on the film, but then a scene would come along that would restore my faith in it. These scenes revolve around the characters acting like adults, and actually handling the situation maturely. I was especially impressed with the way the film's final moments handle some of the trickier issues. Aside from an ill-advised and unnecessary fight between Ronny and Nick in a business waiting room, the movie's final 20 minutes or so are surprisingly smart. Likewise, the scene where Ronny confronts Geneva in a diner is another standout, due to the dialogue, and the performances by Vaughn and Ryder. It's interesting to watch the characters struggle for control and power as they threaten each other and try to gain the upper hand. I also liked the way the movie handles the outcome of Kevin and Geneva's relationship. It avoids melodrama, it's powerful and to the point, and it's an honest outcome and realization for both characters.

So, why make it a comedy? The jokes don't work, but the drama does. Granted, Vaughn gets a couple laughs, many of which come across as being improvised. Other than that, the movie just doesn't seem comfortable trying to give a light-hearted spin to this situation. Was it the screenplay? Did Howard force an ill-advised re-write when comic actors like Vaughn and Kevin James got involved? I honestly can't say. All I know is The Dilemma is at its best when its being honest with its characters. Too bad the studio is downplaying this aspect with its ad campaign, and seems to be selling the movie as a joyful comedy, with a perky pop song playing on the soundtrack. The movie is actually a little bit better than it's marketed as being.

I'm not recommending The Dilemma, but I certainly don't regret seeing it. The lead actors are strong enough to carry the material (especially Ryder, who gives her character more dimension than she was probably written with), and there's some good stuff to be found. It's just mixed in with a lot of stuff that doesn't work at all. With a more focused approach, or maybe a better sense of how to mix humor with sentiment, this could have been something.

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