W hat's with all the movie guys and their Peter Pan syndromes? From The 40-Year-Old Virgin to Failure to Launch, we've witnessed the awkward metamorphoses of a number of late bloomers. Randy Dupree (played by Owen Wilson) is the latest big-screen man-child to make his forced leap from Never-Never Land to (semi-) adulthood in You, Me and Dupree, but the comedy here often fails to get off the ground.
The grown-ups in this tale are newlyweds Carl (Matt Dillon) and Molly (Kate Hudson). They've just begun to set up house in the suburbs when Dupree re-enters the scene, fresh from his duties as best man at their wedding. Dupree has lost his job, car, and apartment. Even the bar that's been letting him snooze on a cot has given him the boot. As his best friend, Carl feels obligated to let Dupree play couch-guest, and much to Molly's chagrin, Dupree makes himself more than welcome, sleeping in the nude, ordering HBO, and clogging the toilet. Needless to say, searching for a new job is at the bottom of his list of priorities.
Dupree is another entry in Wilson's slacker hall of fame, and fans will appreciate the actor's engaging performance, which channels what seems to be a combination of Wilson favorites, Zoolander's Hansel and Wedding Crashers' John Beckwith. Subtle jokes and character traits make Dupree likable enough to carry much—but not all—of the film's 108 minutes
What Wilson lacks in You, Me and Dupree is a worthy foil: a type A to complement his type Zzzz. (The absence of Vince Vaughn, Wilson's cohort in last summer's hit Wedding Crashers, is glaringly noticeable.) The lack of comedic balance in the film impedes it. Despite solid performances, Dillon and Hudson play the straight man twice over, which is one straight man too many. Hudson, who has shown great comedic skill in past films, seems especially shortchanged out of any humorous interactions with Wilson.
Dupree does throw in a few promising supporting actors, to mixed effectiveness. Michael Douglas is mostly wasted as a Donald Trump-type mogul who looms over Carl's life, but The 40-Year-Old Virgin's Seth Rogan proves himself an able wingman with his supporting role as Carl's unhappily married pal Neil.
You, Me and Dupree may elicit some chuckles throughout, but the premise tires before the film runs its course. Like Dupree himself, the film wears out its welcome a little, but is still entertaining.
—Melissa Farrar
