Final: The Dilemma

Recently I watched director Ron Howard’s movie, The Dilemma, staring Kevin James and Vince Vaughan and I experienced my own dilemma of sorts as I tried to understand Howard’s intention with this film. The movie at times feels like a comedy, and yet the dramatic undercurrent of the movie is what steals the show entirely. After some reflection, I am still not certain of how to classify this film.
The movie stars Ronnie (Vaughan) and Nick (James) as college friends Ronnie and now business partners in a Chicago-based automobile engine company. This brings me to my first issue with this film. The fact that the film takes place in Chicago reminded me of Vince Vaughan’s other Chicago-based romantic comedy The Breakup co-starring Jennifer Aniston and because Vaughan is originally from Chicago, this choice of location for two of his romantic comedies seemed kitschy. I did appreciate the nod to some of Chicago’s truly awesome local establishments such as the jazz club The Green Mill because the use of this club for James and Vaughan’s comedic dance duet scene was a good choice. In any case, these two large oafs have delicate and lovely girlfriends; Jennifer Connolly plays Beth, Ronnie’s girlfriend, and Winona Ryder as Geneva, Nick’s wife. These two actresses are poorly cast in these roles because they are aesthetically mismatched with their on-screen spouses if for no other reason than the massive size differential between the males and females. In addition, these women are vastly more attractive than their male counterparts and this serves as a bit of a distraction throughout the movie.
After we are introduced to these four main characters the plot begins to unfold. Ronnie accidentally spies on Geneva kissing a man named Zip, who is obviously not her husband and Ronnie’s best friend Nick. Channing Tatum plays Zip, the ridiculous rocker/stoner/moron/rageaholic that is not really funny, more dull and annoying. When Ronnie learns of Geneva’s affair, his moral crisis begins. After much soul-searching he decides to confront Geneva and tell her that he knows and her response is surprisingly vindictive and not at all remorseful. This exchange pits Ryder’s character as the villain and opponent to Vaughan’s morally righteous Ronnie. The other issue that challenges Ronnie’s loyalty to Nick and his desire to tell him of Geneva’s affair is that Geneva and Ronnie slept together in college twenty years ago and Nick having no idea, would be crushed if Geneva were to tell him, as she threatens to do if Ronnie tells Nick about her and Zip. Finally, Ronnie and Nick are in the middle of a huge make or break deal with Chrysler and the stress of the deal is causing Nick to have ulcers and the stress of his wife’s affair, Ronnie feels, may be too much for Nick to handle. From here, all kinds of ridiculous antics and scenarios ensue.
Some of the more comedic moments involve Ronnie stalking and then fighting Zip in a violent and bloody streetfight and Ronnie giving a horrendously awkward and inappropriate toast about honesty at Beth’s parents’ 40th wedding anniversary while staring down Geneva who is in attendance. The drama of the conflict is actually more interesting though. For instance, we learn that Ronnie had a severe gambling problem in the past that Beth and him worked through. We also learn that Geneva and Nick are in a severely loveless and distant marriage that has lead her into the arms of Zip, and he into the arms of an Asian erotic masseur at a shady parlor once a week. The implications of these issues are huge for both couples. Beth and Ronnie don’t feel like they can trust each other and when Ronnie starts sneaking around spying on Nick and Geneva, Beth assumes his sneakiness is related to a gambling relapse. Their interactions around this problem show that Ronnie has feelings and is not as shallow as he seems. It opens up a softer side of Vaughan in this role but his foray into deep feelings of love for Beth is distractingly similar to the one he embarks upon with Isla Fisher’s character in Wedding Crashers. This makes the emotional growth and epiphany less interesting. The realization on Ronnie’s behalf that the love has left Nick and Geneva’s marriage brings about some discussion of interesting relationship topics. For example, the notion that everyone must have secrets from their loved ones is explored as well as the idea as to whether or not it is wise to meddle in the lives and marriages of your friends, even if it is to do the right thing.
The culmination of all of Ronnie’s stalking and research on Geneva and his desire to tell her the truth comes at an intervention staged by Beth for Ronnie (because she assumes his fibs and sneaking around is a result of his gambling). Through some other plot meddling, Zip ends up at the intervention pretending to be Ronnie’s bookie. It is at this time that Ronnie feels he can’t keep it in any longer; he must tell Nick about Geneva’s infidelity. Geneva at this point stops being the villain and finally tries to do the right thing in a forced confession, but she has been so conniving and vindictive up to this point that the audience is simply done with her and unprepared to see her in any other light but a villainous one. She emotionally and tearfully confesses and then leaves, not to be seen again. Ryder, true to form, does not miss the opportunity to overact and is annoying to watch in this movie, so it is good riddance to her as she exits. Ronnie also decides to tell Nick that he and Geneva slept together 20 years ago, I couldn’t help but wonder if that was necessary. Nick is obviously humiliated and distraught by his wife’s betrayal but more so at Ronnie for knowing about it and not saying anything. There I believe lays Howard’s opinion of how we should handle this mess: risk your life as the messenger and tell your friend his wife is cheating on him no matter what the circumstances may be.
After this emotional climax I found myself concerned not with how the conflict between the two men would resolve, because it seemed obvious that Ronnie and Nick could work it out past Ronnie’s betrayal, but I was concerned with what would become of Beth and Ronnie. Though the couple lacks believable chemistry throughout the movie, Beth is pleasant and good and somehow I wanted the two of them to end up together if for no other reason than it would seem unfair if Ronnie lost his friend and his girlfriend in one sitting just because he accidentally found himself in this very messy situation. Luckily, they are able to talk it out and the seriousness with which they approach their relationship is refreshing to watch in a romantic comedy. There isn’t a huge separation and reunion for them, simply a problem and a conversation. Suddenly I found Ronnie to be very adult in this moment, which was a nice change of pace considering the last hour’s worth of antics I had endured to this point. They get engaged and the focus is back on how these two men are going to patch things up.
While the relationship drama was occurring, simultaneously Nick and Ronnie were trying to prepare for their big meeting with Chrysler and the blowout happened right before, so the audience doesn’t know if Nick is going to show up or if the two guys are going to be completely broke, thereby adding to their troubles. In fact Nick does show up to close the deal and after some cheap punches are thrown Ronnie’s way the two gentlemen are friends again. The side story of the Chrysler deal is only notable really in Queen Latifah’s presence. She plays some sort of deal breaker between the two parties and this casting choice is a good one but the writing for her character is absurd. She talks frequently in sexually-odd and confusing references but the point of her characters presence is easy to interpret, Howard wants to show that the large pale gentlemen in the room are not monopolizing comedy or raunchy fun and that women can play at this game as well. I liked her inclusion even if the dialogue was strange between her and the other characters.
Overall the movie is only mediocre because it left me feeling ambivalent about how to classify it. I usually love Vaughan’s bromance type comedies, a la Wedding Crashes and Old School but this movie was not as much fun. I think the plot gave the movie a lot of potential to be hilarious, which is why I think the biggest issue I have with this film is that Ron Howard directed it. His career has been built on excellent dramas; he should have left this movie to a comedic director with more experience. After all, the comedy from James and Vaughan is formulaic and easy to manipulate into box office gold if directed properly, but somewhere in the making of this movie control was lost leading to an unfortunate dilemma for the audience.