Comedies are never about the destination -- “where” the film ends up. Romantic comedies especially are among the most predictable fare that Hollywood has to offer because the conclusion is always the same: Boy and Girl are united despite extraordinary circumstances. There’s laughter. Maybe some tears. It’s a happy ending and everybody wins.
The challenge for makers of romantic comedies is “how” -- how to create such a rift between Boy and Girl that the notion of a union (or reunion) is absurd … despite the fact that we all know it’s going to happen. And then how to make the whole thing funny -- too much heartbreak and it gets annoying, too little and it’s boring.
“You, Me and Dupree” is a romantic comedy with some Farrelly Brothers trimmings that doesn’t stretch those “hows” nearly far enough. The film shows us its entire hand within the first 10 minutes: Carl Peterson (Matt Dillon) and Molly Peterson (Kate Hudson) are blissful newlyweds, but the honeymoon is sure to end soon because of Carl's imposing best man, Randy Dupree (Owen Wilson) and Molly's disapproving father, Mr. Thompson (Michael Douglas), who’s also the founder and president of the development firm where Dillon mans “cubicle 26” (until this marriage, of course).
Upon returning from their honeymoon, Dupree is moving in and Carl is moving up.
Dupree is an eccentric, thirty-something slacker with a child’s mentality; he’s lost his job -- and consequently his apartment and car -- for skipping work for a week to attend Carl and Molly’s wedding in Maui. Wilson has carved his niche playing this role and he brings his undeniable, crooked-nosed charm to Dupree; all this film’s laughs are owed to him (and there are plenty, despite its lack of originality). He’s also the only character in the film with any real depth. Molly begrudgingly allows him to crash on the couch until he gets his feet back on the ground.
Carl is immediately summoned to Mr. Thompson’s office for a “promotion”: in exchange for a new office and a fancy lead designer position. He will forfeit his time and sanity by way of becoming Mr. Thompson’s whipping boy on a project that’s clearly beyond his pay-grade. Douglas has played enough slimy characters to effectively exude disgust for his new son-in-law in every scene. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that his character requests Dillon to hyphenate his last name and even get a vasectomy.
And then there’s Dupree, who doesn’t waste a moment getting comfortable in the love nest. Sleeping naked on the couch. Barging in during intimate time. Inviting guys over for Monday Night Football. Burning down the living room during a candle-accented, lovemaking session with the Mormon librarian/faculty slut from Hudson’s elementary school.
The last offense leads to Dupree’s temporary expulsion until the Petersons find him sitting on a bench in the middle of the night in the pouring rain. And then it’s “Welcome back, Dupree!” And this time he even gets his own room in the den.
As Molly grows comfortable with Dupree’s presence the second time around -- this time he cooks and cleans and even fills in for Carl on career day at her school -- Carl’s frustration at work mounts until he finally explodes… on Dupree, of course, lunging across the table and attacking his best man until Mr. Thompson cracks him in the head with a candleholder. This time it’s Carl who’s sent packing, and it’s up to Dupree to rescue him and the marriage.
Dupree’s spirit and enthusiasm may be enough to salvage this onscreen marriage, but it’s not enough to rescue this film from its doomed position among thousands of cookie-cutter comedies.
"You, Me and Dupree" opens everywhere Friday, July 14.
