THE DILEMMA review by Alyn Darnay

Review by Alyn Darnay

Directed by: Ron Howard

Starring: Vince Vaughn (Ronnie), Kevin James (Nick), Jennifer Connelly (Beth), Winona Ryder (Geneva), Queen Latifah (Dana) and Channing Tatum (Zip)

This film crawled up and surprised me. I was expecting a light comedy with some dramatic moments, what I got was a serious film with some comedic moments thoughtfully exploring the universal topics of fidelity and friendship, and I liked it. It’s actually hard to describe this film in terms of genre, definitely a ‘bromance’, perhaps a comedy/drama, either way, to me that makes for a true viewers delight.

Here’s the storyline: Confirmed bachelor Ronny and happily married Nick have been best friends and business partners since college. The two buddies are on the brink of landing a dream project that will push their auto design company over the top. Both men, it seems, rely upon the strengths of their women, Ronny’s girlfriend, Beth and Nick’s wife, Geneva to help keep them on target and focused. When Ronny accidentally sees Geneva kissing another man, his world is turned upside down and his friendship and loyalty to Nick forces him into a bad moral corner. Whither to tell Nick that his wife is cheating on the eve of their presentation to Chrysler Motors or to wait till after, is only the start of Ronny’s “Dilemma”. The mayhem that ensues is both comic and tragic, and tests the bonds of every relationship in the film.

I’ve heard that director Ron Howard’s partner, producer Brian Grazer, suggested the story to Vince Vaughn who signed on to the project early. Here it feels like he wanted to continue his exploration into the darker side of relationships that began with “The Break-Up”, and there’s nothing bad about that. Vaughn is a truly talented actor, capable of great performance and this is a good one. He takes advantage of every moment of screen time, running the full gamut of human emotions. The other roles are all beautifully acted as well, there’s not a bad performance in the bunch, but in truth, this is Vaughn’s film.

If the film fails anywhere it’s in Ron Howard’s middle of the road vision. He’s a great director and there are some inspired directorial moments in this film, but he cops out in the end by not making a strong statement about the basic nature of we human beings.

I enjoyed this film very much and recommend to any mature filmgoer.

Rating: (C+)

“The Dilemma” is rated PG-13. (Parents Strongly Cautioned.)