Dinner for Schmucks

Director: Jay Roach Jay Roach

Overview

An ambitious executive accepts an invitation from his boss to attend a dinner party where high-powered professionals make fun of unsuspecting dimwits in this remake of Francis Veber's 1998 comedy The Dinner Game. Upwardly mobile executive Tim (Paul Rudd) has just landed his company an extremely wealthy Swiss client when his boss, Lance (Bruce Greenwood), invites him to an exclusive, yet unusually mean-spirited dinner party where each of the high-powered executives brings a guest to make fun of. Recognizing that his long-awaited promotion is finally within reach, Tim begins to have second thoughts about participating in the elaborate charade when his longtime girlfriend, Julie (Stephanie Szostak), the successful curator at a local art gallery, voices intense disdain for the idea. The following day, Tim is looking for a way out of the dinner when fate throws the perfect guest right in front of his luxury car. Barry (Steve Carell) is a sweet but dim-witted IRS agent with an unusual hobby: he creates elaborate dioramas featuring stuffed mice. His latest project is "The Last Supper," and he's just put the finishing touches on a tiny mouse Jesus to set at the center of the table. Tim knows that Barry is his ticket to a big corner office on the seventh floor, but the closer the party looms, the more he realizes that his bumbling new acquaintance isn't just an idiot, but also is a magnet for chaos.

Product Details

Release Date:	02/07/2017
UPC:	0032429256720
Original Release:	2010
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	PARAMOUNT
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:54:00
Sales rank:	53,542

Special Features

Closed Caption; Behind the Scenes with the Cast; Deleted Scenes; Outtakes Reel

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Steve Carell	Barry Speck
Paul Rudd	Tim Conrad
Zach Galifianakis	Therman
Jemaine Clement	Kieran Vollard
Stephanie Szostak	Julie
Lucy Punch	Darla
Bruce Greenwood	Lance Fender
David Walliams	Mueller
Ron Livingston	Caldwell
Larry Wilmore	Williams
Kristen Schaal	Susana
P.J. Byrne	Davenport
Andrea Savage	Robin
Nick Kroll	Josh
Randall Park	Henderson
Lucy Davenport	Birgit
Chris O'Dowd	Marco, the Blind Swordsman
Jeff Dunham	Lewis the Ventriloquist
Patrick Fischler	Vincenzo, the Vulture Lover
Rick Overton	Chuck, the Beard Champion
Eric Winzenried	Patrick
Nicole Laliberte	Christina, Bird Girl
Maria Zyrianova	Monique, Bird Girl
Scott Weintraub	Maitre D'
Octavia Spencer	Madame Nora - Pet Psychic
Blanca Soto	Catherine
Michael Handelman	Actor
Steven Carrell	Actor
Theodore Shapiro	Composer

Technical Credits

Michael Handelman

David Guion

Jay Roach	Director,Producer,Producer
Michael Handelman	Screenwriter
David Guion	Screenwriter
Laurie MacDonald	Producer
Walter F. Parkes	Producer
Sacha Baron Cohen	Executive Producer,Producer
Amy Sayres	Executive Producer,Producer
Jon Poll	Executive Producer,Producer
Roger Birnbaum	Executive Producer,Producer
Gary Barber	Executive Producer,Producer
Francis Veber	Executive Producer,Producer
Tom Harper	Stunts
R. Bruce Steinheimer	Special Effects
Scott Garcia	Special Effects
Kenneth McLaughlin	Sound Mixer

Editorial Reviews

The titular feast comes surprisingly late in Dinner for Schmucks, though few guests are likely to complain since the appetizers are nearly as savory as the main course. An English-language adaptation of writer/director Francis Veber's 1998 comedy The Dinner Game, Dinner for Schmucks is at times uproariously funny, yet it's occasionally a little too broad for its own good. The talented cast was obviously having a great time riffing on David Guion and Michael Handelman's screenplay, and this is one instance where the enthusiasm of everyone involved actually translates into good comedy, instead of making us feel as if we're observing an elaborate inside joke. And while Paul Rudd pulls off the impressive feat of playing straight man to a particularly unhinged Steve Carell with stalwart conviction, the fact that Guion and Handelman take their time with the setup means that there's still plenty of room for supporting players Jemaine Clement, Zach Galifianakis, Kristen Schaal, and Lucy Punch to get some big laughs as the table is being set. Upwardly mobile executive Tim (Rudd) has just landed his company an extremely wealthy Swiss client when his boss, Lance (Bruce Greenwood), invites him to an exclusive, yet unusually mean-spirited dinner party where each of the high-powered executives brings a guest to make fun of. Recognizing that his long-awaited promotion is finally within reach, Tim begins to have second thoughts about participating in the elaborate charade when his longtime girlfriend, Julie (Stephanie Szostak), the successful curator at a local art gallery, voices intense disdain for the idea. The following day, Tim is looking for a way out of the dinner when fate throws the perfect guest right in front of his luxury car. Barry (Carell) is a sweet but dim-witted IRS agent with an unusual hobby: he creates elaborate dioramas featuring stuffed mice. His latest project is "The Last Supper," and he's just put the finishing touches on a tiny mouse Jesus to set at the center of the table. Tim knows that Barry is his ticket to a big corner office on the seventh floor, but the closer the party looms, the more he realizes that his bumbling new acquaintance is a magnet for chaos. Given the film's title, one might assume that much of the action in Dinner for Schmucks would take place at the actual dinner party. Surprisingly, screenwriters Guion and Handelman afford themselves plenty of time to have fun with the setup. And their approach pays off in more ways than one; in addition to giving a fair amount of depth to characters that may have otherwise seemed two-dimensional, Guion and Handelman deliver a collection of memorable comic set pieces that give the entire film a giddy sense of momentum leading up to the main event. Even then, some of the talent seems wasted (Ron Livingston doesn't do much but wring his hands as a backstabbing ladder-climber and odds are you'll miss Alex Borstein if you blink), though Clement kills as an oversexed artist early on and Galifianakis later keeps the laughs coming as Barry's boss.