Dinner for Schmucks

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS Blu-ray Review

by Harrison Pierce    Posted: January 10th, 2011 at 1:20 pm

Regardless of its quality (or lack thereof), people are likely to check out Dinner For Schmucks based on its menu of comic talent. Pop-com director Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, Austin Powers series) offers up funnymen and frequent co-stars Steve Carell and Paul Rudd (The 40 Year-old Virgin, Anchorman) as the film’s main comic courses, along with The Hangover’s Zach Galifianakis and Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement as potentially humorous side-dishes. Like a food critic – or, more fittingly, like one of those minions who tests the king’s entrée to make sure it isn’t poisoned – let me warn you: despite its ingredients, this Dinner is cold, tasteless and oddly unfunny.  More after the jump:

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS: Collider Shares a Meal with the Some of the Cast and Director Jay Roach

by Hunter Daniels    Posted: December 31st, 2010 at 11:28 am

To promote the January 4, 2011 release of Jay Roach’s Dinner for Schmucks on DVD and Blu-Ray Paramount Studios held a dinner party of their own featuring movie stars, rock stars, comedians, a few circus freaks and Collider. We fit right in.

Held in Hollywood’s famous The Roosevelt hotel, the dinner began with drinks and light chatter between the cast members in attendance: including Rick Overton (The Office), Andrea Savage (Step Brothers), stand up Octavia Spencer, Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek), The Bangles member Susanna Hoffs, and Director Jay Roach, and the various film journalists assembled for the evening. Read on for the details.

Weekend Box Office – THE OTHER GUYS Tops INCEPTION with $35.6 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: August 8th, 2010 at 10:07 am

No surprises here. Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and The Other Guys were expected to take number one this weekend and they did – earning an estimated $35.6 million from 3,651 locations – knocking Inception down to number two for the first time in four weeks.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	The Other Guys	$35,600,000	$35.6
2	Inception	$18,600,000	$227.7
3	Step Up 3D	$15.500,000	$15.5
4	Salt	$11,100,000	$91.9
5	Dinner for Schmucks	$10,500,000	$46.7
6	Despicable Me	$9,400,000	$209.4
7	Cats & Dogs 2	$6,900,000	$26.4
8	Charlie St. Cloud	$4.700,000	$23.5
9	Toy Story 3	$3,050,000	$306.3
10	The Kids are Alright	$2,606,000	$14

Weekend Box Office – INCEPTION Leads for Third Straight Week with $27.3 Million; DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS Takes Second with $23.3 Million

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: August 1st, 2010 at 9:59 am

After briefly giving way on Friday for newcomer Dinner For Schmucks, Inception is back on top for a third straight weekend. Once again, Christopher Nolan’s original thriller retained nearly 65% of its grosses from last weekend and is now looking to cross $200 million by midweek. Schmucks placed second with $23.3 million while the weekend’s two other wide releases, Charlie St. Cloud and Cats & Dogs 2: The Revenge of Kitty Galore became the latest disappointments in a summer that has seen little else.

	Title	Weekend	Total
1	Inception	$27,500,000	$193.3
2	Dinner for Schmucks	$23,300,000	$23.3
3	Salt	$19,300,000	$70.8
4	Despicable Me	$15,500,000	$190.3
5	Cats & Dogs 2	$12,500,000	$12.5
6	Charlie St. Cloud	$12,100,000	$12.1
7	Toy Story 3	$5,035,000	$389.6
8	Grown-Ups	$4,500,000	$150.7
9	Sorcerer’s Apprentice	$4,320,000	$51.8
10	Twilight: Eclipse	$3,965,000	$288.1

Friday Box Office – DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS Number One with $8.4 Million; INCEPTION Second, CHARLIE St. CLOUD Fourth, Cats & Dogs 2 Can’t Compete

by Nicole Pedersen    Posted: July 31st, 2010 at 10:15 am

Even with so-so reviews, a screen count deficit and TV spots that were kind of bizarre, the PG-13 comedy Dinner for Schmucks managed a first place finish on Friday – barely. Jay Roach’s comedy made an estimated $8.4 million from 2,911 locations; just slightly ahead of Inception. With another remarkable hold after 15 days, Inception is now poised for a third weekend at number one – unless Schmucks can convince the weekend crowd that it’s actually a sequel to Date Night. Universal’s Charlie St. Cloud placed fourth with $5.6 million from 2,720 venues. Finally, though Warner Brothers was clearly hoping for a G-Force-sized success with their sequel to 2001’s mid-level hit Cats & Dogs, the family film could not even break the top five on Friday. Cats & Dogs 2: The Revenge of Kitty Galore placed sixth with an estimated $4.2 million. And that was with a big screen count advantage and a 3D price premium at many of the film’s 3,705 locations. So the appeal of the talking, 3D animal has its limits after all! We’ll have full details tomorrow.

	Title	Friday	Total
1	Dinner for Schmucks	$8,400,000	$8.4
2	Inception	$8,100,000	$173.9
3	Salt	$5,900,000	$57.4
4	Charlie St. Cloud	$5,600,000	$5.6
5	Despicable Me	$4,700,000	$179.5

Director Jay Roach Exclusive Interview DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS; Would Like to do AUSTIN POWERS 4 in 3D, and a Lot More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: July 29th, 2010 at 10:11 pm

Unlike some directors that crave the spotlight, Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Meet the Fockers, Recount) is more man of mystery.  That’s because even though he’s directed some of the biggest comedies of the last decade, I’ve rarely seen him do interviews and you don’t read his name in the trades everyday like some of his peers.  So when I found out I’d landed an exclusive interview for his new movie Dinner For Schmucks, I wasn’t sure if Roach would be guarded, or if he’d be willing to talk about anything.

Thankfully, Roach couldn’t have been nicer and you can read or listen to the interview after the jump.  During the almost thirty minutes we talked about why he makes so few films and why he’s so selective, how does he find his projects, he talked about a project that almost got made called Used Guys, improv vs. scripted, making Dinner For Schmucks, deleted scenes, the mice and how they were made, digital vs. film, 3D, and of course we talked about whether or not he’ll make another Austin Powers movie with Mike Myers.

And for fans of Austin Powers, Roach said, “If we ever did an Austin Powers 4, I would love to do Dr. Evil’s world in 3D. It would be fantastic.  It’d be great to use it as a one-world as 3D and the other world is…”  So much more after the jump:

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS Review

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 29th, 2010 at 9:28 pm

The delivery of a joke is just as important as the joke if not more so.  We categorize comedy as “dry”, “blue”, “dark” etc. because the effectiveness of the joke differs depending on the delivery.  It’s a simple concept and shouldn’t need stating, but someone should have told director Jay Roach when he signed on to do Dinner for Schmucks.  The film is ostensibly a dark comedy about a man so desperate for a promotion that he’s willing to amuse his evil corporate superiors by humiliating a gullible stranger.  Roach is an unremarkable director who has managed to be at the helm of major hits like the Austin Powers franchise and the first two Meet the Parents movies.  In his hands, a dark, offbeat comedy becomes a scattershot approach that sometimes gets a big laugh and other times leaves the audience wondering how someone could make a film so tone deaf that it makes a kooky character come off like a serial killer.

Zach Galifianakis Sits Down with Steve Carell for a New BETWEEN TWO FERNS

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: July 29th, 2010 at 9:19 am

Steve Carell and Zach Galifianakis will be seen together on screen starting tomorrow in Dinner for Schmucks.  However, you can see them together right now in a new installment of Between Two Ferns, which is a billion times funnier than Dinner for Schmucks.  For those who aren’t familiar with the series, Galifianakis “interviews” a celebrity (who is in on the joke) and uses his deadpan to insult them and make them uncomfortable.  Past victims include Bradley Cooper, Charlize Theron, Conan O’Brien, and Ben Stiller.

But Carell isn’t having any of it.  And then Evan Almighty jokes are had by all.  Hit the jump to check out the new episode of Between Two Ferns.

3 Movie Clips, 4 TV Spots and Behind the Scenes Footage from DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS

by David Lane    Posted: July 11th, 2010 at 2:21 pm

Paramount and DreamWorks have released 3 movie clips, 4 TV spots and some B-Roll (Behind the Scenes Footage) from director Jay Roach’s Dinner for Schmucks.  The film is based on the French film film Le Diner de Cons and it tells the story of Tim (Paul Rudd), a guy on the verge of having it all.  The only thing standing between him and total career success is finding the perfect guest to bring to his boss’ annual Dinner for Extraordinary People, an event where the winner of the evening brings the most eccentric character as his guest.  Enter Barry (Steve Carell), a guy with a passion for dressing mice up in tiny outfits to recreate great works of art. The film also stars Jemaine Clement, Zach Galifianakis, Jeff Dunham, Bruce Greenwood, Ron Livingston, Stephanie Szostak, and Lucy Davenport.  Hit the jump to watch all the videos.  Dinner For Schmucks gets release July 30. 

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS Falls Back a Week to July 30th

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: June 9th, 2010 at 2:10 pm

Audiences are going to have to wait a little longer for their laughter food.  Box Office Mojo reports that the Steve Carrell/Paul Rudd comedy Dinner for Schmucks has been pushed back from July 23^rd to July 30^th.  This gives the film a lot more breathing room since its only competition that weekend is the family flick Cats & Dogs: Revenge of Kitty Galore and the Zac Efron romantic-drama Charlie St. Cloud.  Had it stayed at the 23^rd, Dinner would have had to face off against the Angelina Jolie action-flick Salt as well as holdovers Inception and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Hit the jump to check out the Dinner for Schmucks trailer along with the official synopsis.

New Trailer for DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS Starring Steve Carell and Paul Rudd

by Brendan Bettinger    Posted: June 2nd, 2010 at 6:47 pm

Paramount has released a new trailer for Dinner For Schmucks, the comedy in which co-workers compete to bring the “most eccentric” guest to an annual dinner.  The comedy stars Paul Rudd and Steve Carell, with a supporting cast that features Zach Galifianakis, Jemaine Clement, and Ron Livingston.  Jay Roach (Meet the Fockers) directs from a screenplay by David Guion and Michael Handelman (Fast Track).

The trailer wastes a good thirty seconds pretending it’s teasing a suspenseful drama, but once they get into comedy there are some laughs to be had (“It’s already cramped”).  Schmucks looks profoundly stupid, but that of course does not prevent it from being profoundly funny.  Check out the trailer after the jump.

New High-Res Images from THE LAST AIRBENDER, SHREK FOREVER AFTER, IRON MAN 2 and More

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 9th, 2010 at 2:13 pm

Paramount has released new images from their upcoming summer films Iron Man 2 (May 7th), Shrek Forever After (May 21st), The Last Airbender (July 2nd), Dinner for Schmucks (July 23rd), and Middle Men (TBA).  Hit the jump to check out all the new images in high resolution plus a synopsis for each film.

First Trailer and Poster for DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS Starring Steve Carell and Paul Rudd

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 6th, 2010 at 4:28 pm

Paramount has released the first trailer for Jay Roach’s Dinner for Schmucks.  The film centers on a guy who reluctantly brings an idiot to a dinner party in order to impress his asshole bosses. The film stars Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and Zach Galifiankis, so why doesn’t it look funnier?  I’m going to blame the trailer’s reliance on the broad comedy of pratfalls and goofy facial expressions.  However, I did get a good laugh from a joke involving dead mice and the Last Supper, but I’ve always been a big fan of deceased-rodent-DaVinci humor.

The studio has also released a poster for the film where Carell doesn’t so much look like a “schmuck” as much as it looks like he’s about to murder you in dark basement before having sex with your colon.  It’s a credit to Carell’s facial expression that I can take all that away from just one look at his mug.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer along with the official synopsis.  Dinner for Schmucks hits theaters on July 23rd.

Paramount 2010 Preview: Synopses and High Resolution Images from SHE’S OUT OF MY LEAGUE, MORNING GLORY, SHUTTER ISLAND, HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON, More

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: December 18th, 2009 at 3:33 pm

Paramount has released the synopses and a bunch of first look images from all of their 2010 releases.  Some of the first look images are from Morning Glory (Rachel McAdams, Harrison Ford, Diane Keaton), She’s Out of My League (Jay Baruchel, Alice Eve), and How to Train Your Dragon.  In addition to the first look images, they’ve provided us with high resolution versions of a few images that have you may have seen and the first synopses from Dinner for Schmucks, Megamind, and Morning Glory.  Everything is after the jump so take a look:

First Set Photos for DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS Starring Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and Zach Galifianakis

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: December 2nd, 2009 at 6:39 pm

IMAGES REMOVED AT REQUEST OF STUDIO

The first set photos from Jay Roach’s upcoming comedy Dinner for Schmucks have landed online and while they’re not much to look at, they are a nice reminder that we have Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, and Zach Galifianakis starring together in what is some kind of blessed comedy trinity for which we should give thanks every night.  Dinner for Schmucks has a serious shot at being the funniest film of 2010 once you factor in its premise:

Dinner for Schmucks is a remake of director Francis Veber’s César award-winning 1998 comedy Le dîner de cons (Literally translated as “The Dinner of Dumbasses”) concerns a renowned publisher who encourages his friends to find the most pathetic guests possible for their weekly dinner party.

That premise essentially gives Carell, Rudd, and Galifianakis carte blanche to be as hilarious as possible and if this film doesn’t make someone die from laughter, I’ll consider it a disappointment.  Hit the jump to check out the set photos and we’ll keep bringing you more on this film as we get it.  Dinner for Schmucks is slated to hit theaters on July 23, 2010.

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