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DINNER FOR SCHMUCKSMovie Reviews
Comedy about an executive who aspires to scale the corporate ladder by ensuring that he brings the dumbest guest to his boss's weekly dinner party assembled to showcase such losers. Cast:Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Stephanie Szostak, Zach Galifianakis, Lucy Punch, Bruce GreenwoodDirector:Jay RoachRelease Date:July 30, 2010DVD Release:January 4, 2011From:ParamountRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 54 min
Dinner for Schmucks played to good not great reviews. • James Berardinelli wrote for Reel Views, "...sporadically amusing but gives the impression it should be generating more laughs than it does. In the end, it goes for the 'warm, fuzzy' feeling..." • And Norman Wilner wrote in Toronto Now, "The actors put engaging spins on their dialogue... but the movie lurches and lags in between set pieces." More Reviews Below...
Dinner for Schmucks Positive Reviews (49 Reviews, reviews below)
Alynda Wheat, People: MODERATE(cg) "...laughing at Barry and his schmucky cohorts is kind of the point. It's what the audience is supposed to do. So you know what that makes us, right?"(See all of Alynda Wheat's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 181 words, 07/29/10
Richard Corliss, Time: GOOD "...very sit-throughable... playing both sides of its coin -- acutely observed comedy and flat-out farce, offers plenty of smart entertainment. You'd be a schmuck to miss it."(See all of Richard Corliss's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,090 words, 07/30/10
Christy Lemire, Associated Press: MODERATE(cg) "...the pacing drags and the script takes Carell and Rudd through some seriously time-consuming, hit-and-miss detours en route to a predictably safe ending."(See all of Christy Lemire's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 665 words, 07/29/10
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly: MODERATE(cg) "...in a rare tonal misfire, director Jay Roach delivers a bland, summer-sloppy comedy... a subpar Carell-and-Rudd odd-couple buddy movie."(See all of Lisa Schwarzbaum's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 682 words, 07/30/10
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...sporadically amusing but gives the impression it should be generating more laughs than it does. In the end, it goes for the 'warm, fuzzy' feeling..."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 790 words, 07/27/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "The genius of this version depends on the performance by Steve Carell, who plays Barry Speck as a man impervious to insult... He's truly a transcendent idiot."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 690 words, 07/29/10
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...not a great movie, or even a coherent one, but in nearly every scene it draws laughter from an impressively eclectic array of sources, both obvious and new."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 941 words, 07/30/10
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: VERY GOOD(cg) "While the climactic dinner is a bit too much like a circus audition, Roach knows how to enjoy each sideshow. And it's handled with a chuckle-inducing deadpan..."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 456 words, 07/30/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "What do you get when you combine a swell French comedy concept, a top American comedy director and two of the best comedy actors around?... unfunny..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 761 words, 07/30/10
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: WEAK(cg) "...a stupidization of a very good French farce... trips all over itself trying make sense of the characters and storyline.... I found the heart-tugs at the climax almost grotesque."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 677 words, 07/30/10
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: VERY GOOD(cg) "The genius of this version depends on the performance by Steve Carell, who plays Barry Speck as a man impervious to insult... He's truly a transcendent idiot."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 690 words, 07/29/10
Peter Howell, Toronto Star: MODERATE(cg) "This being a literal American comedy rather than a droll French one, we actually get to see one of these schmuck-free dinners, which also fails to satisfy."(See all of Peter Howell's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 821 words, 07/30/10
Liam Lacey, Toronto Globe & Mail: MODERATE(cg) "You have to enjoy the generosity of seeing so many good performers punching home their few moments of screen time, but Roach chokes us with excess."(See all of Liam Lacey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 663 words, 07/30/10
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "...sometimes very funny, sometimes not... takes this squirmy conceit and turns it into a mismatched buddies, life-lesson comedy."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 520 words, 07/30/10
Mick LaSalle, Houston Chronicle/San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "It's funny from the beginning, and it stays funny, even as it beats scenes to death and overstays its welcome."(See all of Mick LaSalle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 525 words, 07/30/10
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel: VERY GOOD(cg) "...my stars and garters -- the laughs, friends. The laughs build and build... The situations are painstakingly set up and downright painful to sit through."(See all of Roger Moore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 630 words, 07/30/10
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: WEAK(cg) "...has everything that money can buy. That does not include comic inspiration, daring or velocity.... Flabby, monotonous and meek..."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 580 words, 07/30/10
Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: EXCELLENT(cg) "Steve Carell elevates 'Dinner for Schmucks' far above what it would have been without him... It's outstanding work. It's also a really funny movie."(See all of Bill Goodykoontz's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 658 words, 07/30/10
Christopher Kelly, Dallas Morning News: POOR(cg) "...lurching, desperate and borderline incomprehensible - a movie whose characters act according to no known precept of recognizable human behavior."(See all of Christopher Kelly's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 622 words, 07/30/10
Ty Burr, Boston Globe: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "A number of bits don't work, some of the characters wear out their welcome, but the whole suckers you into an agreeable state of idiot bliss."(See all of Ty Burr's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 779 words, 07/30/10
Moira Macdonald, Seattle Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Rudd and Carell, two of the most likable comic actors working today, make a charming pairing... a better script, and you just might have a comedy classic."(See all of Moira Macdonald's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 429 words, 07/30/10
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: MODERATE(cg) "...a plate of cold leftovers.... does offer some small pleasures.... directed by Jay Roach, and there is simply no zest or verve in his craft whatsoever."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 603 words, 07/30/10
Joe Williams, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: MODERATE(cg) "...its mean-spiritedness, stupidity and squandering of talent is uniquely Hollywood.... The premise was more palatably absurd when it was in French."(See all of Joe Williams's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 306 words, 07/30/10
Steve Persall, St. Petersburg Times: GOOD(cg) "Steve Carell's character is almost too pitiful for the jokes launched against him to be funny.... It takes a really smart actor to play this dumb."(See all of Steve Persall's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 506 words, 07/29/10
Tom Long, Detroit News: VERY GOOD(cg) "Will you ponder the meaning of 'Dinner for Schmucks' over late-night espressos? Not a chance. Will you laugh out loud at times while it's playing? Pretty good chance."(See all of Tom Long's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 561 words, 07/30/10
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...fitfully hilarious but inert and repetitious... the idiot is merely a comic device that bludgeons you with shtick until the pat, preordained resolution rolls in..."(See all of Peter Keough's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 513 words, 07/29/10
Genevieve Koski, AV Club: GOOD(cg) "...with a couple of exceptions, none of the jokes stick after their initial impact. Instead, they dissolve into a vague notion of humor without any sharp edges."(See all of Genevieve Koski's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 402 words, 07/29/10
Ed Gonzalez, Slant: WEAK(cg) "...underdone sitcom fodder forces a cast of exceptional and almost always adroit comedians to tough it out with irreparably bland and thoughtlessly broad material."(See all of Ed Gonzalez's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 757 words, 07/28/10
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: POOR(cg) "...like a schmuck parade marching through your head for two hours.... the only even mildly amusing moment comes at the end, when we finally get to the damn dinner..."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 955 words, 07/29/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...not a great movie, or even a coherent one, but in nearly every scene it draws laughter from an impressively eclectic array of sources, both obvious and new."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 941 words, 07/30/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "What do you get when you combine a swell French comedy concept, a top American comedy director and two of the best comedy actors around?... unfunny..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 761 words, 07/30/10
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...minor but reasonably amusing... a bland and miscellaneous collection of gags and situations.... has more laughs than your average dumb-ass comedy..."(See all of Andrew O'Hehir's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,117 words, 07/29/10
MOVIE INDUSTRY (6 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: GOOD "...an uproarious odd-couple remake... Either such a goofy caricature never grows old, or he proves unbearable from the moment he first appears onscreen."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 1,017 words, 07/16/10
John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...a broad laffer redeemed by occasional quirks.... If not for an occasional bit of good schtick, we might be inclined to shake our heads in sorrow and walk away."(See all of John DeFore's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 524 words, 07/16/10
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times: WEAK "What do you get when you combine a swell French comedy concept, a top American comedy director and two of the best comedy actors around?... unfunny..."(See all of Kenneth Turan's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 761 words, 07/30/10
Emanuel Levy, Cinema 24/7: VERY GOOD(cg) "...the film is well cast.... It feels as though portions of the dialogue have been improvised on the set, which is a good thing in this case."(See all of Emanuel Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 886 words, 07/19/10
A.O. Scott, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...not a great movie, or even a coherent one, but in nearly every scene it draws laughter from an impressively eclectic array of sources, both obvious and new."(See all of A.O. Scott's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 941 words, 07/30/10
19.1 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Dinner for Schmucks's reviews are separated by an average 19.1 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Dinner for Schmucks (49 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Dinner for Schmucks's reviews cover 92.3% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 29,564 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 603 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Reviews Broke 21.5 Hours Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Dinner for Schmucks's reviews on average broke 21.5 hours before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Dinner for Schmucks's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Dinner for Schmucks (49 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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