THIS FILM has taken a bashing from the critics but I’m willing to go against the grain. Call me crazy if you will but I really enjoyed this comedy.
Granted, it is not the best I’ve ever seen but there were plenty of side-splitting laughs from me and the rest of the audience to give it some credit.
The film is a remake of Francis Veber’s 1998 French film, Le Diner Des Cons, and according to critics is by no means as good as the original. It is by no means perfect, there have certainly been better comedies from Steve Carell and the artist character of Kieran (Jemaine Clement ) can certainly be annoying at times.
However it was funny and did what it said on the tin, as in, a load of idiots were brought to dinner. While most critics found the scenes with the stuffed dead mice dressed up as characters like Benjamin Franklin and Vincent Van Gogh weird and somewhat irksome, I found them hilarious!
The film begins with Tim (Paul Rudd ) an ambitious executive who is given a chance to move up to the elusive seventh floor with the big shots. All he has to do is to secure a multi-million deal with the eccentric Swiss investor Müeller (David Walliams ) and to find the perfect guest to bring to the boss’s monthly dinner where executives who invite the biggest idiot wins certain career advantages.
Reminded by his girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak ) that this dinner is a detestable idea Tim struggles with his conscience, thinking up excuses not to go, until that is, his car accidentally runs into Barry (Steve Carell ), an IRS employee/taxidermist who is obsessed with dressing up dead mice and placing them into scenes like The Last Supper.
Still reeling from meeting the mouse version of Jesus, Tim spots an unmissable opportunity, here is the perfect idiot for the important dinner. However, the decision to bring Barry into his life proves to be the wrong move as everything seems to go wrong.
Accident prone and idiotic Barry ruins Tim’s relationship with Julie, brings an old violent stalker back into his life, and even manages to threaten a big business deal but will Barry’s knack for all things idiotic win the dinner.
OK, so it’s not the best comedy of the year but it doesn’t claim to be, it is there to give a few laughs and be entertaining which it is. I especially love the mice character scenes. Check it out and make up your own mind.
Verdict: 3.5/5
