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Sofa, so bad, for Owen
YOU, ME AND DUPREE
Directed by Anthony Russo and John Russo
Certificate 12A
OWEN Wilson has a lot to offer. As co-writer of the Royal Tenenbaums, he helped create a quirky, original comedy.
But when will we ever see this talent really emerge? Wilson all too often is cast in films that just don’t cut it, such as You, Me and Dupree, and it stops him graduating from bogus comedies into doing another flick like Tenenbaum.
Cable Guy, Shanghai Noon and the Wedding Crashers illustrate his form, and You, Me and Dupree underlines it.
Randy Dupree (Wilson, pictured) is the best man from hell. When he loses his job Carl and Molly Peterson allow him to sleep on their sofa for a few days.
Big mistake.
Dupree is a big kid with no social graces. It may seem strange that Carl (Matt Dillon) did not realise this before he handed over his door key, considering they have known each other all their lives and he was the best man – but still, blind faith is a good attribute to invest in a friendship.
The major problem with this film is not much else happens except Dupree proves what an unthoughtful slob he is.
Gags include such crackers as the time he asks his mates round to watch the game and guess what? He uses the best china in which to serve crisps. Or the time he brings home a date and is doing something unsavoury to her on the sitting room carpet when the couple walk in. And this is the funniest of the lot: he uses the toilet regularly – and always seems to make a mess.
Sadly, there is not much to recommend. Wilson tries to inject some freewheelin’ humour into his role, aiming, it appears, to emulate John Belushi in Animal House. But instead he makes it very, very hard for the audience to find him in anyway endearing. You almost want to get up and throw his possessions on to the front lawn for the newly weds.
Poor Owen. He has managed to get typecast as a blonde goofball, and seems to slouch from dire comedy to dire comedy. Sadly, Dupree is another missable film to place on his CV.
And he is not the only guilty one. While Kate Hudson does her best with a shallow part, Michael Douglas pops up as the bullying father in law and must surely not be this desperate for work. Matt Dillon manages to give the impression he is enjoying himself. At least some one in the cinema will be, then. |
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