The Bat Cave

Starring: Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Zack Galifianakis
Director: Jay Roach (Austin Powers, Meet The Parents)
Quick Thoughts: The premise of this movie is exactly what the title suggests: a group of businessmen make a game out of inviting morons to a dinner party and compete to see whose guest is the biggest idiot. Steve Carell really hams it up in this film… and not in a good way. It was a performance that reminded me of when Jim Carrey’s comedies started to suck. His character really has no redeeming qualities. Sure, he means well, but he’s a walking disaster and is constantly creating unforgivable catastrophes for Rudd’s character. So when the film ultimately boils down to a question of “is it okay to make fun of someone for public amusement?” the message seems to be no; but I’m saying: not only would I happily make a fool out of this dude, I’d have a hard time not kicking the shit out of him. Obviously this is supposed to be a mindless comedy, but it’s only mildly funny and the fact that it tries to send a moral message can’t be ignored. Fail.
Viewings: 1
Replay Value: I’ve heard a few people say they loved it… I’d never watch it again.
Sequel Potential: Hard to imagine… but stranger things have happened.
Oscar Potential: None.
Nudity: None.
Grade: 3.5/10 (Skip It/Netflix It)
Recommendation: While Dinner For Schmucks wasn’t exactly a painful watch, I pretty much hated it. I’ve heard people say they liked it, so it obviously has a fan base, but look at it this way: when it comes to this movie, I’m hosting the dinner party and the people that enjoyed this film are my guests.