You, Me and Dupree - DVD review

Is three a crowd?

3 January 2007 13:00 GMT / By Dan Hall

Pleasantly diverting comedy from the directors of US TV comedy hit Arrested Development that sees floppy-haired Frat Packer Owen Wilson proving the old adage that: “Two’s company. Dupree’s a crowd”.

When newlyweds Carl (Dillon) and Molly (Hudson) get back from a 2-week honeymoon in Hawaii they are shocked to see best man Dupree (Wilson) sobbing on their front step.

It turns out that he has been sacked from his job for taking the time off to go to the wedding, and has lost his flat because he can’t pay the rent. Feeling guilty, Carl offers to let Dupree stay for a couple of days – much to his missus’ annoyance - to sort himself out.

But the days soon become weeks and Molly’s patience eventually snaps when she returns home one night to find Dupree having anal sex with one of her colleagues (and using her dead mother’s butter dish as a lubricant receptacle) on the living room couch.

Not to be confused with the Grammy-winning tune “Cousin Dupree” from 70s rockers Steely Dan - amazingly, the band threatened to have Owen Wilson’s legs broken by a member of the Russian mafia unless he apologised for nicking their idea! - You, Me and Dupree is a formulaic rom-com fuelled by a typically characteristic central performance from Wilson.

Elsewhere, a seemingly ageless Dillon provides a decent foil as the uptight good guy torn between his obligations to his best buddy and new wife, and Hudson provides some appealing eye-candy - spending most of the film in a pair of the most minuscule pants imaginable.

It’s also nice to see Michael Douglas putting in an entertaining turn as the disapproving father of the bride (at one point he even tries to get Carl to have a vasectomy) despite looking like he may die of old age at any moment.

Verdict

Overall, the pairing of gross-out gags and traditional rom-com proves not to be a marriage made in heaven, the ending is horribly predictable and there are not enough fresh ideas to warrant 108 minutes running time. But while, on this occasion, three turns out not to be the magic number, it still makes for a perfectly adequate cinematic night out for two.

Rating: 12A
Staring: Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas, Seth Rogen
Directed by: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
Extras: None

Score

Review Recap

Price as reviewed: £20
The good: A typically characteristic central performance from Owen Wilson, Michael Douglas’ overdue return to comedy, where has he been?, some memorable comedy moments, particularly Dupree’s inventive use of Molly’s butter dish
The bad: The non-existent extras package, an over-long running time and the predictable narrative
Quick verdict: Overall, the pairing of gross-out gags and traditional rom-com proves not to be a marriage made in heaven
Score