Review of The Dilemma (1919) by Helen C — 28 Jun 2011

There is something seriously wrong with a comedy when the film hasn't been able to muster a laugh out of you in the first fifteen minutes. That The Dilemma goes from being unfunny to simply intolerable by that time is quite a new feat for a bad movie.

Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Queen Latifah, and Channing Tatum run around the film's bloated 112 minutes as one joke characters. Whenever they're onscreen, they try so hard to be funny that it becomes blatantly obvious. Jennifer Connelly is such a good actress, but here her talents are wasted. She's the only one you care about and she barely has any presence.

Another thing: the premise. Vaughn and James are best friends. Vaughn catches his best friend's wife having an affair with another man. This causes him much confusion, stress, and inner turmoil. Should he tell his friend? The answer is simple. Yes, he should. The story tries to over-complicate the matter by adding in that the friends are days away from launching a much desired product, and that Vaughn had slept with James' wife way before James even knew she existed, but the whole scenario is not set up as much of a dilemma.

The end result is a one joke movie where the joke wasn't that funny to begin with. Dump this one as quickly as you would a cheating spouse.