But adding Vince Vaughn would just be too much.
You, Me and Dupree
Starring: Owen Wilson, Matt Dillon and Kate Hudson
Rated: PG-13
You, Me and Dupree tells the recognizable story of Randy Dupree (Owen Wilson), a well-intentioned and lovable floater whose perpetual pursuit of a good time inevitably leaves a mess for someone else to clean. Matt Dillon plays Carl, Dupree's best friend-cum-keeper who's more often than not the one doing the cleaning. After returning from their honeymoon, Carl and winsome wife Molly (Kate Hudson) move into their suburban love nest and shortly after welcome their first houseguest, a homeless, broke, but unbroken Dupree. Dupree's irresponsibility and careless joie de vivre wreak havoc on the couple's home and on their marriage, and the mounting conflict jointly reveals Dupree's softer side and a kink in Carl and Molly's connubial bliss.
In yet another role tailor made for his brand of comedy, Owen Wilson delivers a characteristic performance with equal parts vacancy and wit. The comedy is lowbrow, which is not to suggest unlikable, but the conflict gets a bit too dark to sustain this type of humor. The script contains some lapses in believability and relies on slapstick and vulgarity to produce its biggest laughs, but the film does manage to produce big laughs if you can remain unaffected by its shortcomings. And while realism may suffer at the expense of comedy overall, the characters all seem to like their libations, and that may be only too relatable.
Dupree is the type of film you will like as much as you want to: If you look for flaws, you will find them, but the solid entertainment is there too, albeit of the mindless sort. If you plan on seeing it, perhaps take a cue from the frequently imbibing cast of characters and grab a cocktail on your way to the theater. It may well render your adoration for the charismatic Dupree strong enough to carry the film, and I'm pretty sure that's all he would want.
