Review of The Dilemma (2011) by Mark D — 12 Jul 2011

So nearly all of the reviews on this movie are wrong. And there wrong for two good reasons. Promoters wrote the PR campaign without seeing or understanding the movie. I'm sure Howard, Vaughn and James had ulcers over this.

It's a black comedy not slapstick. Jeez! The second reason is, it's a black comedy and so it's not a belly laugher it's a mixed bag with a lot of ideas to think about. Vaughn's character really struggles over how to deal with marital infidelity, particularly in the context of his own reservations about commitment.

And his friends are pretty brutal with him. This isn't Seinfield. Its Seinfield on steroids. And its good. Its stuck with me and makes me think. I'm one to avoid quick reactions and think long and hard about talking about issues that might crash a relationship, mainly because I've learned about both sides.

Vaughn's character get tangled in this dilemma and it hurts. But, he lives through it and it's a good hurt. That's the irony and the special sauce that makes this work, really well.