Read Mixed User Reviews for The Dilemma

5

TVJerryJan 15, 2011

Vince Vaughn discovers that his best friend's wife is cheating with another man. Does he tell him? The whole thing revolves around Vaughn's comic patter, so if you enjoy him, you might enjoy it. The script isn't that funny and most of theVince Vaughn discovers that his best friend's wife is cheating with another man. Does he tell him? The whole thing revolves around Vaughn's comic patter, so if you enjoy him, you might enjoy it. The script isn't that funny and most of the supporting cast isn't either. While it's mildly entertaining and occasionally amusing, it's not special or memorable.… Expand

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5

VernonFeb 4, 2011

I have mixed feelings about this movie. It could have easily taken the cheap way out as with so many other comedies these days with crass sophomoric humor to illicit approval from the audience. Instead it went for a more mature approachI have mixed feelings about this movie. It could have easily taken the cheap way out as with so many other comedies these days with crass sophomoric humor to illicit approval from the audience. Instead it went for a more mature approach with comedy as an afterthought. Unfortunately it came up short in terms of resonating with me. Vince Vaughan did an admirable job as an individual tortured by being unsure as to what is the right thing to do. I disagree that this was his typical role. Not far removed but more of a stretch than I have seen in the past. Jennifer Connelly was fine as was Winona Ryder. Interesting to see Winona in a few movies lately. Kevin James does not yet allow me to think of him as a character other than Kevin James. Who knows if that will ever change. Bottom line is a B+ for effort but a C+ for execution.… Expand

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6

ShiiraJan 25, 2011

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Throughout the second phase of his career, the one which started with 1977's "Grand Theft Auto", this former child star, hardly what you would call a critics' darling, has consistently assuaged the mainstream audience's fear of adventure with sturdy, but ultimately, disposable films that never go, you know, there; the proverbial there, the dark place where many provincial-minded moviegoers are afraid to go.This filmmaker, for better or worse, is Middle America's Orson Welles. His most successful outing, the Academy Award-winning "A Beautiful Mind", well-received for its adeptness at showing the inner-workings of John Nash's compromised world, disappointingly settles for cheap sentiment during the final reel(for starters, the pen scene), and ends up making the schizophrenic game theorist entirely too sympathetic, by half. Love him or loathe him, that's the filmmaker's modus operandi: placate the audience, placate 'em good, which is why his latest effort, "The Dilemma", in many ways, represents a radical departure for this pathological crowd-pleaser, who as a result of his gallivanting into uncharted territory, may shock his core audience by showing off a previously incognito dark side. Nobody's going to confuse this former child star with a misanthrope like Lars Von Trier, but his foray into pessimism as a filmic tool is a new development in the ol' repertoire that deserves our encouragement, not scorn. Case and point: the off-kilter toast that Ronnie(Vince Vaughn) gives at his girlfriend's parent's anniversary party, albeit not possessing the same caliber of black humor as the damning speech given by a sexually-abused son to his depraved stepfather in Thomas Vinterberg's "Festen", does take you aback, does make you hold your breath a little, as the crazed entrepreneur, vexed over the infidelity perpetuated by Geneva(Winona Ryder), his best friend's wife, expounds upon the concept of honesty, and keeps both audiences(us and the partygoers) on pins and needles, as he speculates over other people's sex lives with his vitriol-fueled stand-up patter. When you consider that our answer to the Dogme movement(which includes the 1998 Vinterberg film, also known as "The Celebration") was Alan Cummings' "The Anniversary Party", maybe "The Dilemma", through its seeming allusion to more cineaste-approved fare, is the squarest of all square filmmaker's concession that his proficient movies are indeed maddeningly middle-of-the-road. "The Dilemma" is virgin territory for this talented hack; it's, at times, genuinely edgy. In its own oblique way, this Dogme-light comedy is a very political film; it's anti-bromance. Unlike the Judd Apatow-inspired "I Love You, Man", the close bond between Ronnie and Nick(Kevin James), inventors of a new technology that masculinizes the electric car, has none of the coyness surrounding their friendship that runs through "Superbad" and "Pineapple Express". When we learn that Ronnie had sex with Geneva(at Ball State, wink wink, nudge nudge), their sexual history, as a result, has a transformative effect on previous scenes, especially the one at the botanical garden, because now it's a former lover, and not just the best friend of the husband whom Geneva is cuckolding, who watches a whole lot of sinning going on between the secret lovers, in the thick of the rare fauna and flora. The contact that Ronnie makes with the poisonous greenery, in retrospect, no longer plays like an arbitrary occurrence; his falling down, not just a harmless bit of slapstick comedy resulting in a bad rash and urinary problems, but instead takes on the significance of a punishment, the transgression being: he covets his best friend's wife. This game-changing revelation at the coffeehouse, which codifies Ronnie's sexual orientation, culminates with Geneva feigning a good cry and corroborating story about Ronnie's ongoing lechery, which she threatens to deploy as a preventive measure against being found out. Her public display of female hysteria uncannily recalls the scene in Rob Reiner's "When Harry Met Sally" where Meg Ryan fakes an orgasm. This time, it's crocodile tears. The premise that women and men can't truly be friends because of each sex's biological disposition toward f*cking, is retold in "The Dilemma" under the guise of a man's fidelity toward a committed homosocial relationship with an old college buddy. Forty-years-old and never married, Ronnie dated and dumped all of Geneva's friends because none of them were Geneva herself. For a change of pace, "The Dilemma" has a straight subtext. In "Vanilla Sky", Julie Gianni(Cameron Diaz) says, "Don't you know that when you sleep with someone, your body makes a promise whether you do or not." When Ronnie sees Geneva kissing that guy, his body remembers, and more importantly, he remembers.… Expand

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4

FDT44May 18, 2011

What Howard has here is a film that follows the genre...so far, beats about the bush a bit further, digresses toward a flash of intrigue, then falls straight on its face---leaving a hefty rash of deep-rooted 'botanical' dissatisfaction. "TheWhat Howard has here is a film that follows the genre...so far, beats about the bush a bit further, digresses toward a flash of intrigue, then falls straight on its face---leaving a hefty rash of deep-rooted 'botanical' dissatisfaction. "The Dilemma" is nothing more than a rom-com filled with the usual paranoia, speculation, sex, lies, and melodrama---the only difference---the PG-13 rating decided to lose its diapers. What transpires is a miss-matched, unconvincing, uninteresting concoction of a recurringly flat and soporific Vince Vaughn-meets-Mall Cop-meets Deeds-soap opera that takes an earnestly darker and contemplative approach to heartbreak. The bottom line: the combination doesn't make for many laughs.… Expand

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4

MrsBearJan 16, 2011

About as good as I expected. Somewhat entertaining but the best scenes were in the preview. There were just far too many parts that seemed to drag.

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4

Tss5078Feb 24, 2013

The Dilemma was OK. I have never really liked Vince Vaughn, but he was actually very good in it. The movie wasn't particularly funny, but it had a good storyline. I found it very basic and much longer than it had to be. It is what it is, justThe Dilemma was OK. I have never really liked Vince Vaughn, but he was actually very good in it. The movie wasn't particularly funny, but it had a good storyline. I found it very basic and much longer than it had to be. It is what it is, just your typical ordinary romantic comedy. Not really my thing...… Expand

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5

csw12Aug 25, 2013

The Dilemma is a different kind of comedy. It is more serious which makes its more interesting. The problem is the seriousness is better than the comedy and that is not good when you call your movie a comedy.

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5

MarcDoyleJan 15, 2011

It's a fun movie. Not nearly as bad as I thought it could be, and it all rests on Vince Vaughn's shoulders. He's been playing the same role since Swingers, but he's entertaining to watch. Both leading ladies are excellent in dramaticIt's a fun movie. Not nearly as bad as I thought it could be, and it all rests on Vince Vaughn's shoulders. He's been playing the same role since Swingers, but he's entertaining to watch. Both leading ladies are excellent in dramatic sequences that don't totally drain the comedy of its pace or momentum.… Expand