Dir: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo. Cast: Owen Wilson, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas, Kate Hudson. American film comedy seems obsessed with men behaving badly at the moment. What can it mean? Is the American male in crisis or has the female of the species tired of the metrosexual and returned to admiring the unreconstructed neanderthal that lurks in us all? Smash hit movies The Wedding Crashers and Cars launched laid-back funnyman Owen Wilson into Hollywood’s A-list. Right now his distinctive style of surfer dude humour is simply irresistible and, once again, he delivers a comic masterclass.
Admittedly, I didn’t hold out much hope for this rom-com...how wrong I was. It’s laugh-out-loud hilarious and easily one of the funniest comedies I’ve seen for ages. Playing the joker in a cast full of straight men, Wilson burns up the screen as Randy Dupree, a n immature slacker with an unhealthy interestin seven-times Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong - "He’s doing more with one testiclethan you and I could do with three!". It’s another role capitalising on Wilson’s ruffled charm and there are predictable gags about blocked toilets and strippers on the doorstep. His boyhood pal Carl (Matt Dillon), on the other hand, has embraced adulthoodwith a high-pressure job in property development. Worse still, Carl is getting married. "I guess this is where the road ends for you and me, " Randy says with a misty smile. As if. While Carl and his bride, Molly (Kate Hudson) settle into their new house, Dupree shows up with a ukelele and a stuffed moose head.
He’s lost his job, his car and his pad and needs a place to stay. "It’s only going to be for a couple of days, " Carl promises Molly. Yeah, right! Soon enough Dupree’s ordering cable TV, having guys round, having chicks round and worse. Poor Kate can’t stand it any more; so much so that she feels obliged to wander round in her vest and knickers. Actually, Kate does the vest and knickers thing in most of her films, as if it’s some contractual obligation she’s signed with the studios. Then there’s Molly’s demanding dad and Carl’s boss (played by Michael Douglas) who shows his contempt for his son-in-law by suggesting he gets a vasectomy. Carl loses the plot and it’s down to Dupree to sort him out.
With Carl stuck late at the office, lonely Molly spends more and more time with Dupree. Carl gets so stressed by his father-in-law’s mind games that he wrongly thinks his best mate is trying to seduce his wife. He starts to behave like a total moron, clearly the default behaviour of the Hollywood male under pressure. But Dupree refuses to give up on his friend. He makes it his mission to get Carl and Molly back together - whatever it takes! Cue a series of slapstick gags involving blocked toilets, strippers and a Mormon librarian covered in butter. Torching the living room proves the final straw and Dupree is given his marching orders. But added to the cliches is a cleverly orchestrated reversal of fortunes where hubbie becomes interloper.
The the teaming of Wilson and an uptight Dillon keep the chuckles coming. Dupree’s troubled romance with an off-screen librarian adds a more surprising dimension to the story. Unfortunately, like their 2002 comedy Welcome To Collinwood, the Russos get tangled in the loose ends. You, Me And Dupree is not seamless, but Wilson fans can safely roll out the welcome mat. Dillon, Douglas and Hudson provide solid support but this is Wilson’s film. He nails every gag with precision timing and is fantastic as the wacky Dupree, who lives by the seat of his pants. Trust me, you’ll laugh your socks off.