You, Me and Dupree
Review by Fritz Esker
It is odd when a film's primarily influence is one of Bill Murray's lesser comedies, but that is exactly the case with The Russo Brothers' new film You, Me, and Dupree, which owes a large debt to 1991's What About Bob?. In that film, Richard Dreyfuss played a therapist whose obsessive patient (Murray) moved in with his family. While the therapist hates the intrusion, the family, with the exception of Dreyfuss, comes to love the wacky outsider.
In You, Me, and Dupree, Matt Dillon and Kate Hudson play newlyweds. Owen Wilson is the Dupree of the title and Dillon's best man. A perpetual screw-up, Dupree finds himself homeless, jobless, and staying with the newly married couple. At first, he complicates their lives in highly predictable, forced ways (sprawls out naked on the couch, makes the toilet overflow, sets a fire, etc). However, things soon turn around as Dupree endears himself to Hudson and her domineering father-in-law (Michael Douglas), as Dillon becomes more and more infuriated.
Despite the occasional amusing line or sight gag, the film plods along as its script (by Mike LeSieur) consistently goes for the most obvious, labored gags available. Wilson plays just another variation on the loveable kook character he has played much better in other films (most notably Bottle Rocket). Dillon and Hudson have also done very good work in other comedic roles (There's Something About Mary and Almost Famous, respectively). Here, however, they are stranded. Seth Rogen, who was quite funny as one of Steve Carell's new friends in The 40 Year Old Virgin, is wasted as well, appearing in the early minutes before almost completely disappearing until near the end.
While I cannot recommend the film, it should be noted that most of the audience in the packed screening I attended seem to thoroughly enjoy the film. So, I may be in the minority when I tell you to avoid this.