The Dilemma – A Universal Pictures’ Release

http://www.thedilemmamovie.com/

Release Date: January 14th

Rated PG for mature theme, language may offend

Running time: 110 minutes

 

Ron Howard (dir.)

 

Allan Loeb (writer)

 

Lorne Balfe (music)

Hans Zimmer (music)

 

Vince Vaughn as Ronny Valentine

Kevin James as Nick Brannen

Jennifer Connelly as Beth

Winona Ryder as Geneva

Channing Tatum as Zip

Queen Latifah as Susan Warner

Amy Morton as Diane Popovich

Rance Howard as Burt

Clint Howard as Herbert Trimpy

Troy West as Dr. Rosenstone

©Universal Pictures. All Rights Reserved.

Winona Ryder, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin James and Vince Vaughn in The Dilemma.

 

Our reviews below:

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The Dilemma Review By John C.

*** (out of 4)

The dilemma at the heart of Ron Howard’s new dramedy could also be described as a trick question.  When Ronny (Vince Vaughn) sees his best friend Nick’s (Kevin James) wife having an affair, he gets caught up in a moral dilemma of whether or not to risk his friendship by revealing the truth to his endlessly honest business partner.  The film’s central question is asked in such a way that the characters are damned no matter what they answer.

 

Ronny is in a committed relationship with Beth (Jennifer Connelly) and scouting out the perfect proposal spot when he sees Nick’s manipulative wife Geneva (Winona Ryder) making out with the tattooed Zip (Channing Tatum).  To be sure, there are more pieces to this puzzle, but no matter how the truth is revealed we dread the fact that it’s going to take the biggest toll on the unassuming Nick.

 

There certainly are funny moments here – some feeling more calculated than others, but the film is most satisfying in it’s moments of drama.  This is a piece of feel good entertainment that works because it is unafraid of developing the central characters, and actually keeps us watching as screenwriter Allan Loeb rarely seems to just be taking the easy way out.  The characters do face a clear dilemma, and in many ways the audience does too.

 

From the lingering establishing shots of Chicago and the musical choices – right down to a stack of DVDs visible in one scene, it’s clear this is intended as a tribute to John Hughes.  Kevin James is cast in a sort of John Candy role, and despite several moments of farfetched slapstick humour, it’s not hard to care about these characters.  And that is somewhat of a rare thing in the post-Hughes era of dramatic comedies.

 

Certain scenes in The Dilemma aren’t necessarily walking on totally original ground, but the story is nicely handled in an admirably messier and more unpredictable way than what we’ve come to expect.  Some audiences will also find the line between comedy and drama to be a little thin, but this is a very enjoyable diversion that is unafraid of asking a difficult question even if it means sacrificing some of the expected humour.

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The Dilemma Review By Erin V.

***1/2 (out of 4)

In The Dilemma, Vince Vaughn plays Ronny Valentine.  He and his best friend Nick Backman run BV engine design and have just signed a new lucrative deal.  Ronny’s girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly), and Nick’s wife Geneva (Winona Rider) are also friends, and the four of them often go out in the evenings together.  Everything seems to be going the way that it should, until Ronny sees Geneva kissing another guy named ‘Zip’ (Channing Tatum) in a local garden.  Thus, presents his dilemma; should he tell Nick what he saw, possibly ending his marriage, and if so, how?

 

Judging from the trailer, The Dilemma looks like just another stupid comedy hitting theatre screens.  Thankfully, it’s not.  This is a film that surprised me in taking a more serious look at it’s core dilemma and giving us characters who for the most part act in a believable fashion.  You understand everything Ronny does, whether or not it is the best course of action.  The question also remains in your mind throughout.  What would you do, if you saw someone cheating on someone you cared about?

 

Overall, this one is a fine one to go out and see.  It will probably be knocked by some, although I think overall, audiences will probably enjoy it.  Despite being an hour and 50 minutes, it doesn’t drag, and all the actors do a good job carrying the film.

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The Dilemma Review By Nicole

*** (out of 4)

What would you do if your best friend’s wife was cheating?  Would you tell them?  This is the premise of The Dilemma, an intelligent comedy drama from director Ron Howard.  Ronny (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Kevin James) have been best friends since college.  They both run an engine design firm, creating realistic sportscar sounds for electric cars.  But their friendship is jeopardized when Ronny catches Nick’s wife, Geneva (Winona Ryder) snogging a younger man, Zip (Channing Tatum).

 

Ronny debates whether or not to report the incident, but the secret not only threatens his friendship with Nick, but also his relationship with his girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly).

 

The Dilemma is an intelligent film, with just the right balance between comedy and drama.  The acting and screenwriting are good, and one really gets a sense that a situation like this is not black and white as the moral dilemma is captured perfectly.  This film is one worth seeing.

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The Dilemma Review By Maureen

*** (out of 4)

Both big and little, life is full of everyday dilemmas.  Is the whole truth always necessary or will half-truths do?  Director Ron Howard’s comedy The Dilemma is a light-hearted yet sincere look at what to do when you know the truth is going to hurt someone you care about.

 

Ronny (Vince Vaughn) and Nick (Kevin James) are business partners and best friends since college.  Both men are at their stress limit trying to negotiate a big contract for their company that helps make electric cars sound and perform like sportscars.

 

Ronny is at a pivotal point in his relationship with his girlfriend, Beth (Jennifer Connelly), as he has to decide when and where he should propose marriage.  Nick is so preoccupied with getting the auto design right that he doesn’t notice his wife, Geneva (Winona Ryder), is getting a little bored.  Stress takes on new meaning for Ronny when he spots Geneva getting cozy with the younger, tattoo-covered Zip (Channing Tatum) at the botanical gardens.  That’s Ronny’s dilemma – what should he say or not say to his best friend, and how will knowing the truth affect their business venture?

 

There’s a nice mix of comedy and drama here.  Vince Vaughn brings a likability to his character and a nice sense of comedic timing and delivery.  By the end of the movie you can’t help but care about what happens to the characters.  There are some really funny scenes at Beth’s parents’ 40th anniversary party and later on at an intervention set up for Ronny.  Queen Latifah also has some funny moments as a marketing executive for Chrysler, and Channing Tatum’s Zip also adds to the comedic tone of The Dilemma.

 

Overall this is a fun buddy movie with a real heart.  The good performances all around make The Dilemma worth checking out.

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The Dilemma Review By Tony

*** (out of 4)

The Dilemma is what confronts Ronny (Vince Vaughn) when he discovers the wife, Geneva (Winona Rider) of his best friend Nick (Kevin James) is having an affair with the much younger Zip (Channing Tatum). Some twenty years since college Ronny and Nick have been business partners, now developing a system for synthesizing the engine sounds of muscle cars for hybrid and electric vehicles.

 

With Nick as the neurotic inventor and Ronny’s marketing, they are facing a deadline to close a deal with Chrysler. Ronny is also working out the perfect moment to propose to his girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly). As Ronny struggles with a decision to tell his friend about the affair, he gets into a lot more trouble than he bargained for. Just as he tries to justify his actions with the need for honesty, he finds himself lying to those he loves to spare their feelings.

 

Despite a running time of almost two hours, The Dilemma is never dull. With good direction from Ron Howard, a clever script and fine cast we are kept guessing right to the end. Unlike in so many recent romantic comedies the characters are not morons, always acting rationally even if their decisions are not always the best ones. In fact, there is as much drama as farce here, and we are invested with the characters throughout, particularly Vince Vaughn, the perfect choice for a decent guy trying to do the right thing. Along with the main cast there are some brief but good appearances by others, notably Queen Latifah and Amy Morton, as well as cameos by Ron Howard’s father and brother.

 

No better recommendation for The Dilemma could be that in some ways it has the feel of a good John Hughes comedy, a fact that was not lost to the filmmakers, given the Chicago location and appearance in one scene of DVDs of three of his films.

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Consensus: Striking a satisfying balance of comedy and drama, along with good performances from a talented cast, The Dilemma is a well-written look at how honesty can be complicated. *** (Out of 4)