Of pals and misadventures -- You, Me and Dupree
... THREE IS A CROWD: You, Me and Dupree
You, Me And Dupree
Genre: Romantic comedy
Directors: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
Cast: Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas
Storyline: A newly-wed
couple's marriage faces
the combined assault of a
guest overstaying his
welcome and a mean
father-in-law.
Bottomline: Worth a viewing to kick-start the summer vacation.
Carl (Matt Dillon) and Molly Peterson (Kate Hudson) are just settling into post-honeymoon domestic bliss when their cosy twosome inadvertently turns into a ménage a trois. All because Carl feels sorry for down-on-his-luck best friend, Randy Dupree (Owen Wilson) and invites him to move in. Carl assures a less-than-thrilled Molly that it will be only be for a few days.
This turns out to be an optimistic understatement, as Dupree plonks himself not only on their living room couch but also in their lives, with a positive talent for whipping up a fiasco — flooding the bathroom and nearly setting the house on fire, among other things. Naturally, he is shown the door.
Later, it is Molly who takes pity on Dupree and he is reinstated as a houseguest, much to Carl's irritation.
In addition, Carl has significant father-in-law troubles. Molly's dad Thompson, a real estate developer and Carl's boss (Michael Douglas relishing every second of his glib, on-screen nastiness) doesn't think Carl is good enough for Molly. So, he deliberately steps up pressure at the workplace and his machinations almost succeed in driving a wedge between the couple. But the loyal, good-hearted Dupree sets things right in the end.
Owen Wilson's tousle-haired charm, like the script, begins to wear thin in patches. While the goofy overgrown adolescent act is sometimes funny, the grossly insensitive, selfish slob-slacker routine is not. In fact, you wonder why Molly puts up with what she does for as long as she does. Kate Hudson shines, especially in the more serious moments. Her sparkling smile adds as much to her eye-candy quotient as Karen Patch's tastefully designed costumes.
The surprise package here is Matt Dillon who does a great job as the put-upon friend and desperate-to-get-it-right husband, his harried expression drawing more laughs than Wilson's punch lines.
KLT
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