Saturday, January 6, 2007

YOU, ME AND DUPREE


It is a mere ten hours since I watched YOU, ME AND DUPREE and I honestly cannot remember the film at all. Thankfully I still have before me the DVD box and so I am able to piece together a smidgen of what I apparently saw. Talk about a total waste of one hundred and eight minutes. It isn't so much that this film is bad, it is worse than bad, it is even worse than really, really bad.

IT IS FORGETTABLE.

In fact, it is so totally forgettable an experience one would think that Dr. Alois Alzheimer directed.

Alas, the blame must go instead to Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, bumptiously bungling brothers whose previous credits were primarily confined to the small screen, and writer Michael LeSieur, who has no previous writing credit of any kind. Let's hope someone takes away his Big Chief Notebook Tablet.

Assisting the above-mentioned talentless trifecta are Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas and an uncredited Moose Head. Between you, me and the gatepost none of them should have signed on, although the Moose Head does hold his own compared to Mr. Douglas' embalmed performance.

Kate and Matt play newlyweds. Unfortunately, the chemistry between them is as inert as a placebo. This should be no surprise since Matt Dillon's range as a performer is more wooden than Charlie McCarthy. At least Kate appears to try, going so far as to attempt physical humor. Unfortunately, her pratfall falls as flat as her chest.

This leaves Owen Wilson who plays the title character, Randy Dupree, the we-are-supposed-to-adore-down-and-out-slacker who crashes on the newlywed's couch and serves as the source of the mishaps that follow. Randy does have one scene true to his name -- a supposed loping of his mule which was clearly intended to be the comedic highlight of the film. Instead, Gus, Cupcake, Ruth, Blue, the Borax boys and Francis are talking lawsuit.

And you thought Owen Wilson's nose was already bent out of shape.