"Oh great. Another Owen Wilson movie," may have crossed your mind the first or second time you saw that billboard for You, Me and Dupree. But, is such a sarcastic thought necessarily a bad thought?
With the exception of, say, Starsky & Hutch, Wilson has steadily supplied audiences some of the funniest buddy comedies in recent history. And, he somehow manages to do it by playing the exact same character every time, practically. His latest self-incarnation, Randy Dupree, is no exception.
Though he'll infinitely be remembered as a wedding crasher, this time around, in You, Me and Dupree, Wilson's character is actually invited to a lovely wedding in Hawaii, for his best friend Carl (Matt Dillon) and Molly (Kate Hudson). Dupree, the self-proclaimed "lovable fuck-up," is charming, entertaining, and kind-hearted, but develops separation anxiety when he reasons that he's lost his best friend to marriage.
As best man, Dupree has no reservations about quitting his job and losing his apartment in order to attend the wedding. But, the newlyweds endure several obstacles when Carl obligingly invites Dupree to stay with them until he gets back on his feet. A few days turn into more than a week's worth of several hilariously awkward scenarios involving plenty of privacy invasion and a lot of damage to the newlyweds' home. A lot of damage.
In addition to Wilson, it's hard to go wrong with actors like Hudson and Dillon -- the kind of actors who all exhibit harmonious chemistry throughout the film, even though the characters they portray obviously clash. That talent coupled with tight writing and a plot that smacks with a touch of Shakespeare's Othello (seriously) is what definitely makes You, Me and Dupree a winner.
Adding Michael Douglas as Carl's overbearing boss and unimpressed father-in-law also keeps things interesting. But, Seth Rogen (the portly stoner in "The 40 Year-Old Virgin") provides extra laughs as Carl and Dupree's unmercifully whipped friend, Neil.
Wilson, who co-produced the film, did good by teaming up with relatively new directors, brothers Anthony and Joe Russo (Arrested Development). The level of maturity in their directing is as admirable as the actors they’ve directed.
In the beginning, there were the Coen Brothers. And then, there were the Farrelly Brothers. Now, the Russo Brothers (to which they'll undoubtedly be referred) can add "Owen Wilson flick" to their comedy belt notch. And, that’s a very good thing.
3.5 out of 5
Rated: PG-13
Universal Studios
Release date: July 14, 2006
