The Dilemma focuses on several things about relationships. The issues of cheating, commitment, forgiveness, and the lack of communication are all swirling around the two couples made up of Vince Vaughn, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin James and Winona Ryder. Speaking of them, this movie has a nice cast with a great director by the name of Ron Howard. A movie that can bring all of this talent on-board must have a special story or script. Well it does not. The Dilemma is an average movie, and barely a comedy.
Ronny (Vaughn) and Nick (James) are best friends who are partners in an auto-design company. Ronny runs the business side while Nick is the creator. Ronny has a girlfriend named Beth (Connelly) and Nick is happily married to Geneva (Ryder), who is also good friends with Ronny (and perhaps through Ronny is how Nick and Geneva met). While the guys are pressed for time trying to work on a big deal that would launch their careers, Ronny finds out Geneva is cheating on her husband and his best friend. And Ronny tries to decide what he should do and if he should tell Nick or confront Geneva and make her tell him (which he does try without much success). With the secrets piling up, Ronny begins to crack and soon his own relationship with Beth begins to suffer. He is put in a tough spot because this information could destroy a marriage and a friendship at the same time.
Vaughn and James have chemistry but it’s not the kind that Vaughn and Owen Wilson had in Wedding Crashers. There is something about their characters that leaves them with no spark. They do not bring the movie down and actually both of them have some good emotional scenes. However, their performances does not boost the movie up to above-average. Connelly is a beautiful actress, but is hardly in it besides being the out-of-the-loop girlfriend. Honestly, Ryder’s performance may be the best in the entire movie.
Her character is the most complex and misunderstood. At first, she comes off as the villain in all of this, but she has her reasons and those reasons are true in real relationships. Things that are going on in their marriage is happening in marriages across America. So it is believable and makes sense. And with Ryder’s small yet impressive performance in Black Swan and now with her role in this, she seems to be back on the right track.
The guy Ryder’s character is having the affair with is played by Channing Tatum. And while his character can come off as annoying at times, it is actually nice to see him do something different. He goes out of his comfort zone and plays a wild and crazy guy who has tattoos all over his body. His character really does not understand the hurt and chaos he has caused. If you ask him if he feels responsible for any of it, he would probably tell you no.
The most disappointing thing of all is to watch a movie that is so bland and barely even funny and realize Howard directed it. I have no idea why he decided to do this one. His talents are never showcased and anyone could have done a movie like this. It didn’t have to be a two-time Oscar winner. But he is forgiven and lesson learned. Just go back to doing films like A Beautiful Mind and Frost/Nixon. Those films are well worth his time and talent. The Dilemma on the other hand? Not so much.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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