Dinner for Schmucks
Encyclopedia
Dinner for Schmucks, a 2010 screwball comedy film
, is the American adaptation of the French film Le Dîner de Cons ("The Dinner Game"), being described by the director as "inspired by" the original rather than a remake of it. It does retain many familiar elements of the original, with the basic plot including the involvement of the taxation authorities and the love triangle around the main character, but he is made much more sympathetic (this is the first dinner he has participated in, and he is not in fact having an affair or deliberately cheating on his taxes) and the actual dinner is shown.
The film was directed by Jay Roach
, written by David Guion and Michael Handelman, and stars Steve Carell
and Paul Rudd
, who had previously teamed up in Anchorman
and The 40-Year-Old Virgin
. The film was released theatrically on July 30, 2010.
Zach Galifianakis
won the Comedy Award
for "Best Comedy Actor – Film" for his role as Therman Murch in the film.
) is an ambitious financial executive who entices wealthy Swiss businessman Martin Mueller (David Walliams
) to become a client of his firm. Impressed by Tim's creative marketing ingenuity, his boss Lance Fender (Bruce Greenwood
) invites him to a "dinner for winners," to which Tim must bring a "talented" guest; the winner earns a trophy and the executive that brought him or her gets glory. Tim learns it is actually a "dinner for idiots" and the award is to the biggest "loser."
Tim's girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak
) lands a curator deal for eccentric artist Kieran Vollard (Jemaine Clement
). Tim unsuccessfully proposes to her, as he has done several times before. After learning of the cruel nature of the dinner party, Julie becomes upset and asks him not to attend. He agrees.
The next day, Tim accidentally hits IRS employee Barry Speck (Steve Carell
) with his Porsche as Barry attempts to retrieve a dead mouse in the road. While helping Barry pick up his belongings from the street, Tim learns of Barry's hobby of constructing mouse dioramas and realizes Barry is the perfect guest for the company dinner.
Julie is upset that Tim intends to attend the dinner. She leaves her cellphone behind. Barry shows up at Tim's apartment a day early. He gets on Tim's computer and foolishly gives Tim's home address to Darla (Lucy Punch
), a woman Tim had a one-night stand with before he met Julie. Tim tells him that Darla has been stalking him ever since. Barry (to make amends for inviting her) decides to guard Tim's apartment, but mistakes Julie for Darla, sending her away and giving her the mistaken impression that Tim is cheating on her.
Having messed up again, Barry decides to help by calling Vollard to locate Julie. Believing they hear Julie in the background, he and Tim sneak into Vollard's home. Kieran, dressed as an animal, is discovered with two women, dressed as birds, in an art "process."
Returning to Tim's, Barry finds Darla waiting outside, wearing a suspicious overcoat. Underneath is a leather outfit made of tight pants and a corset. She attempts to seduce Tim, who tries to get her to leave. Tim gets a phone call from Julie, but can't answer because Darla snatches his phone and hides it in the front of her thong. Tim locks himself inside his room as he continues to try to get in contact with Julie. Frustrated by his rejection, Darla tries to seduce Barry in order to spite Tim but fails because Barry innocently fails to comprehend all of her sexual innuendos, which finally gets her to leave.
Barry finds a message on Julie's cellphone from Vollard, revealing that Julie is leaving for Vollard's ranch
. Barry, trying again to make amends, suggests that they go to his IRS office to find records containing Vollard's ranch address. They meet Barry's boss Therman Murch (Zach Galifianakis
), who displays "mind control" power over Barry. He will help only if Barry will say "You can eat my pudding," which Barry refuses to do. Therman informs Tim that he will be audited, and they leave without the address. Outside, the two see Therman kiss a woman Barry reveals is his ex-wife, saying, "I used to call her my pudding."
Tim lets Barry sleep at his place. He finds several pictures (with mice instead of people) depicting Barry's life, including him walking in on Therman and his wife in bed which is followed by mouse-Barry eating by himself, causing Tim to feel sorry for Barry.
Tim arrives at a brunch with Mueller, making an excuse for Julie's absence. Barry takes a call from Tim's assistant Susana (Kristen Schaal
), who emphasizes the importance of Julie's attendance. Barry crashes the business lunch, bringing Darla, who pretends to be Julie. Tim is goaded by Mueller into proposing to her, which he does just as Julie arrives unexpectedly.
After Darla smashes Tim's Porsche, Barry tries again to make amends by giving in to Therman's humiliating demands so that he can get Vollard's address. At the ranch, Vollard is attempting to seduce Julie with his art "process." Tim explains recent events to her, but while confiding what a fool Barry is, Barry overhears. Julie tells Tim she is leaving for San Francisco with Vollard. Barry sadly confesses he never knew what his wife thought of him until she left him. Tim apologizes for what has happened, and Barry returns home to his mouse dioramas.
After the loss of his "talented" guest, Tim arrives at the dinner party armed with excuses. To his surprise, he finds Barry has arrived on his own, and is already impressing Fender and Mueller. Barry's dioramas become a hit at the party, making him a shoe-in for the trophy, but unexpectedly, Therman arrives and embarrasses Barry with his mind control.
Tim takes Barry aside, tells him everything and, after some encouragement, entices Barry to overcome Therman with "brain control." Upon Barry's reception of the trophy, Tim confronts Fender, saying he has been on the wrong side all along - he stands with the group of "losers." As the real purpose of the dinner is revealed, the guests react unhappily and inadvertently cause chaos, resulting in a vulture carrying off Mueller's finger and the house catching fire.
Tim returns home and finds Julie's note that she has gone. Knowing he has lost all but done the right thing, Tim tells Barry how much he loves Julie and how badly he messed things up with her. Barry, seeing Julie has just shown up at the doorway, goads Tim into continuing to describe how he messed up. Barry explains to Vollard (who is waiting at the door) that if he takes Julie it will break Tim's heart and people die of broken hearts; Vollard valiantly steps aside.
An epilogue of Barry's dioramas tells how everyone fared in the end: Tim marries Julie and they honeymoon in Paris; Barry enters into a relationship with Darla, does some artwork with Vollard, and hosts a monthly "breakfast for champions" for all of the "losers"; Therman writes a book from a mental hospital
; Tim and Julie collaborate on a new museum in Switzerland
with Mueller. It is revealed that Fender's company has gone under and Forbes
magazine has named him "Wall Street's Biggest Loser."
$69 million, although thanks to tax credits the cost came in at $62.7 million.
Filming of the dinner scene took place at the same location as was used for Wayne Manor
in the 1960s Batman television series
.
.
featured videos of Jemaine Clement in character as Kieran Vollard.
The film's first trailer debuted with Date Night
, Death at a Funeral
, and A Nightmare on Elm Street
. The second trailer was shown before select screenings of The A-Team
, Get Him to the Greek
, Grown Ups
, and Inception
.
gives a normalized score of 43% based on 183 reviews, with an average score of 5.4/10. The critical consensus was: "It doesn't honor its source material – or its immensely likable leads – as well as it should, but Dinner for Schmucks offers fitfully nourishing comedy."
Metacritic
, which gives a weighted average score out of 100, gives the film 56% based on 37 reviews.
.
The film earned $23.5 million on its opening weekend, placing it second overall for the weekend of July 30 to August 1.
Dinner for Schmucks ultimately grossed $73 million domestically and $13.4 million abroad to a total of $86.4 million worldwide.
.'
Debbie Schlussel
asked whether the title should have been Dinner for Schlemiels as it would better describe the clumsy character played by Steve Carell.
Responding in The New York Times
, critic Michael Cieply
determined that the intent was to be ambiguous as to which of the two main characters, played by Steve Carell
and Paul Rudd
, was the intended idiot.
In The Forward
, Laura Hodes suggested that 'schmucks' correctly referred instead to the behavior of the film's antagonists, the bosses of Rudd's character.
Despite this, the original French play and movie, Le Dîner de cons, was originally translated as The Dinner Game when released for English-speaking audiences. However, one literal translation is "The Dinner of Cunts".
Screwball comedy film
The screwball comedy is a principally American genre of comedy film that became popular during the Great Depression, originating in the early 1930s and thriving until the early 1940s. It is characterized by fast-paced repartee, farcical situations, escapist themes, and plot lines involving...
, is the American adaptation of the French film Le Dîner de Cons ("The Dinner Game"), being described by the director as "inspired by" the original rather than a remake of it. It does retain many familiar elements of the original, with the basic plot including the involvement of the taxation authorities and the love triangle around the main character, but he is made much more sympathetic (this is the first dinner he has participated in, and he is not in fact having an affair or deliberately cheating on his taxes) and the actual dinner is shown.
The film was directed by Jay Roach
Jay Roach
Matthew Jay Roach is an American film director and producer, best known for directing the Austin Powers films and Meet the Parents.-Life and career:...
, written by David Guion and Michael Handelman, and stars Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
and Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
, who had previously teamed up in Anchorman
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, or simply Anchorman, is a 2004 American comedy film, directed by Adam McKay and starring Will Ferrell. The film, which was also written by Ferrell and McKay, is a tongue-in-cheek take on the culture of the 1970s, particularly the then-new Action News format...
and The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin is a 2005 American buddy comedy film about a middle-aged man's journey to finally have sex. The film was written and directed by Judd Apatow and co-written by its lead star, Steve Carell, though the film itself features a great deal of improvised dialogue...
. The film was released theatrically on July 30, 2010.
Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis
Zachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
won the Comedy Award
The Comedy Awards
The Comedy Awards is an annual award ceremony run by the American television network Comedy Central, honoring the best of comedy. The first ceremony took place on March 26, 2011 and aired on April 10 on CMT, Comedy Central, Logo, Spike TV, TV Land and VH1...
for "Best Comedy Actor – Film" for his role as Therman Murch in the film.
Plot
Timothy "Tim" Conrad (Paul RuddPaul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
) is an ambitious financial executive who entices wealthy Swiss businessman Martin Mueller (David Walliams
David Walliams
David Edward Walliams is an English comedian, writer and actor, known for his partnership with Matt Lucas on the TV sketch show Little Britain and its predecessor Rock Profile...
) to become a client of his firm. Impressed by Tim's creative marketing ingenuity, his boss Lance Fender (Bruce Greenwood
Bruce Greenwood
Bruce Greenwood is a Canadian actor and musician. He is generally known for his roles as U.S. presidents in Thirteen Days and National Treasure: Book of Secrets and for his role as Captain Christopher Pike in the 2009 Star Trek film...
) invites him to a "dinner for winners," to which Tim must bring a "talented" guest; the winner earns a trophy and the executive that brought him or her gets glory. Tim learns it is actually a "dinner for idiots" and the award is to the biggest "loser."
Tim's girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak
Stephanie Szostak
-External links:***...
) lands a curator deal for eccentric artist Kieran Vollard (Jemaine Clement
Jemaine Clement
Jemaine Clement is a New Zealand comedian, actor and musician, best known as one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords along with Bret McKenzie.-Early life:...
). Tim unsuccessfully proposes to her, as he has done several times before. After learning of the cruel nature of the dinner party, Julie becomes upset and asks him not to attend. He agrees.
The next day, Tim accidentally hits IRS employee Barry Speck (Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
) with his Porsche as Barry attempts to retrieve a dead mouse in the road. While helping Barry pick up his belongings from the street, Tim learns of Barry's hobby of constructing mouse dioramas and realizes Barry is the perfect guest for the company dinner.
Julie is upset that Tim intends to attend the dinner. She leaves her cellphone behind. Barry shows up at Tim's apartment a day early. He gets on Tim's computer and foolishly gives Tim's home address to Darla (Lucy Punch
Lucy Punch
Lucy Punch is an English actress. Her credits include the television shows Doc Martin and The Class, and the films Hot Fuzz and Bad Teacher.-Life and career:...
), a woman Tim had a one-night stand with before he met Julie. Tim tells him that Darla has been stalking him ever since. Barry (to make amends for inviting her) decides to guard Tim's apartment, but mistakes Julie for Darla, sending her away and giving her the mistaken impression that Tim is cheating on her.
Having messed up again, Barry decides to help by calling Vollard to locate Julie. Believing they hear Julie in the background, he and Tim sneak into Vollard's home. Kieran, dressed as an animal, is discovered with two women, dressed as birds, in an art "process."
Returning to Tim's, Barry finds Darla waiting outside, wearing a suspicious overcoat. Underneath is a leather outfit made of tight pants and a corset. She attempts to seduce Tim, who tries to get her to leave. Tim gets a phone call from Julie, but can't answer because Darla snatches his phone and hides it in the front of her thong. Tim locks himself inside his room as he continues to try to get in contact with Julie. Frustrated by his rejection, Darla tries to seduce Barry in order to spite Tim but fails because Barry innocently fails to comprehend all of her sexual innuendos, which finally gets her to leave.
Barry finds a message on Julie's cellphone from Vollard, revealing that Julie is leaving for Vollard's ranch
Ranch
A ranch is an area of landscape, including various structures, given primarily to the practice of ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle or sheep for meat or wool. The word most often applies to livestock-raising operations in the western United States and Canada, though...
. Barry, trying again to make amends, suggests that they go to his IRS office to find records containing Vollard's ranch address. They meet Barry's boss Therman Murch (Zach Galifianakis
Zach Galifianakis
Zachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
), who displays "mind control" power over Barry. He will help only if Barry will say "You can eat my pudding," which Barry refuses to do. Therman informs Tim that he will be audited, and they leave without the address. Outside, the two see Therman kiss a woman Barry reveals is his ex-wife, saying, "I used to call her my pudding."
Tim lets Barry sleep at his place. He finds several pictures (with mice instead of people) depicting Barry's life, including him walking in on Therman and his wife in bed which is followed by mouse-Barry eating by himself, causing Tim to feel sorry for Barry.
Tim arrives at a brunch with Mueller, making an excuse for Julie's absence. Barry takes a call from Tim's assistant Susana (Kristen Schaal
Kristen Schaal
Kristen Schaal is an American actress, writer and comedienne, best known for her role as Mel in the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, as Louise in Bob's Burgers and as a contributor on The Daily Show.-Early life:...
), who emphasizes the importance of Julie's attendance. Barry crashes the business lunch, bringing Darla, who pretends to be Julie. Tim is goaded by Mueller into proposing to her, which he does just as Julie arrives unexpectedly.
After Darla smashes Tim's Porsche, Barry tries again to make amends by giving in to Therman's humiliating demands so that he can get Vollard's address. At the ranch, Vollard is attempting to seduce Julie with his art "process." Tim explains recent events to her, but while confiding what a fool Barry is, Barry overhears. Julie tells Tim she is leaving for San Francisco with Vollard. Barry sadly confesses he never knew what his wife thought of him until she left him. Tim apologizes for what has happened, and Barry returns home to his mouse dioramas.
After the loss of his "talented" guest, Tim arrives at the dinner party armed with excuses. To his surprise, he finds Barry has arrived on his own, and is already impressing Fender and Mueller. Barry's dioramas become a hit at the party, making him a shoe-in for the trophy, but unexpectedly, Therman arrives and embarrasses Barry with his mind control.
Tim takes Barry aside, tells him everything and, after some encouragement, entices Barry to overcome Therman with "brain control." Upon Barry's reception of the trophy, Tim confronts Fender, saying he has been on the wrong side all along - he stands with the group of "losers." As the real purpose of the dinner is revealed, the guests react unhappily and inadvertently cause chaos, resulting in a vulture carrying off Mueller's finger and the house catching fire.
Tim returns home and finds Julie's note that she has gone. Knowing he has lost all but done the right thing, Tim tells Barry how much he loves Julie and how badly he messed things up with her. Barry, seeing Julie has just shown up at the doorway, goads Tim into continuing to describe how he messed up. Barry explains to Vollard (who is waiting at the door) that if he takes Julie it will break Tim's heart and people die of broken hearts; Vollard valiantly steps aside.
An epilogue of Barry's dioramas tells how everyone fared in the end: Tim marries Julie and they honeymoon in Paris; Barry enters into a relationship with Darla, does some artwork with Vollard, and hosts a monthly "breakfast for champions" for all of the "losers"; Therman writes a book from a mental hospital
Mental Hospital
Mental hospital may refer to:*Psychiatric hospital*hospital in Nepal named Mental Hospital...
; Tim and Julie collaborate on a new museum in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
with Mueller. It is revealed that Fender's company has gone under and Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
magazine has named him "Wall Street's Biggest Loser."
Cast
- Paul RuddPaul RuddPaul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
as Timothy J. "Tim" Conrad - Steve CarellSteve CarellSteven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
as Barry Speck - Stephanie SzostakStephanie Szostak-External links:***...
as Julie - Jemaine ClementJemaine ClementJemaine Clement is a New Zealand comedian, actor and musician, best known as one half of the musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords along with Bret McKenzie.-Early life:...
as Kieran Vollard - Lucy PunchLucy PunchLucy Punch is an English actress. Her credits include the television shows Doc Martin and The Class, and the films Hot Fuzz and Bad Teacher.-Life and career:...
as Darla - Zach GalifianakisZach GalifianakisZachary Knight "Zach" Galifianakis is an American stand-up comedian and actor known for his numerous film and television appearances including his own Comedy Central Presents special...
as Therman Murch - Bruce GreenwoodBruce GreenwoodBruce Greenwood is a Canadian actor and musician. He is generally known for his roles as U.S. presidents in Thirteen Days and National Treasure: Book of Secrets and for his role as Captain Christopher Pike in the 2009 Star Trek film...
as Lance Fender - Ron LivingstonRon LivingstonRonald Joseph "Ron" Livingston is an American film and television actor. His roles include a disaffected corporate employee in the film Office Space, a sardonic writer in a short-term relationship with Carrie Bradshaw in the TV show Sex and the City, and Captain Lewis Nixon in the miniseries...
as Caldwell - Andrea SavageAndrea SavageAndrea Kristen Savage is an American actress best known for her comedic roles in Step Brothers, Comedy Central's mockumentry series Dog Bites Man and in the HBO sketch comedy program Funny or Die Presents.-Personal life:...
as Robin - David WalliamsDavid WalliamsDavid Edward Walliams is an English comedian, writer and actor, known for his partnership with Matt Lucas on the TV sketch show Little Britain and its predecessor Rock Profile...
as Mueller - Rick OvertonRick OvertonRichard "Rick" Overton is an American screenwriter, actor and comedian. His writing credits include Dennis Miller Live, and his acting credits include Willow and The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne.-Life and career:...
as The Beard Champion - P. J. ByrneP. J. ByrnePaul Jeffrey "P. J." Byrne is an American television actor, most known for his recurring role of Irv Smiff Sachs on the sitcom The Game....
as Davenport - Octavia SpencerOctavia SpencerOctavia L. Spencer is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for her role on Ugly Betty as Constance Grady, the INS Agent turned stalker of Betty's father, Ignacio Suarez and in the 2011 movie The Help as Minny....
as Madame Nora - Alex Parlar as Santiago Pérez
- Jeff DunhamJeff DunhamJeff Dunham is an American ventriloquist and stand-up comedian who has also appeared on numerous television shows, including Late Show with David Letterman, Comedy Central Presents, The Tonight Show and Sonny With a Chance...
as Lewis / Diane - Chris O'DowdChris O'DowdChris O'Dowd is an Irish comedian and actor. He is best known for playing Roy Trenneman in British sitcom The IT Crowd...
as Marco (credited as "Christopher O'Dowd") - Kristen SchaalKristen SchaalKristen Schaal is an American actress, writer and comedienne, best known for her role as Mel in the HBO series Flight of the Conchords, as Louise in Bob's Burgers and as a contributor on The Daily Show.-Early life:...
as Susana - Patrick FischlerPatrick FischlerPatrick Fischler is an American actor best known for his roles as Jimmy Barrett on the drama series Mad Men, Dharma Initiative worker Phil on the drama series Lost and Detective Kenny No-Gun on the police drama Southland...
as Vincenzo - Randall ParkRandall ParkRandall Park is an American comedian, writer, and actor.Park was born and raised in Los Angeles, California in the U.S., to Korean parents. Park graduated from Hamilton High School's Humanities Magnet Program...
as Henderson - Larry WilmoreLarry WilmoreLarry Wilmore is an American writer, actor and television producer.-Early life:Wilmore grew up in suburban Los Angeles, the child of a Catholic family. His father is a doctor...
as Williams - Alex BorsteinAlex BorsteinAlexandrea "Alex" Borstein is an American actress, singer, voice actress, writer and comedian. She is best known for her long-running role as Lois Griffin on the animated television series Family Guy, and as a cast member on the sketch comedy series MADtv.A native of Highland Park, Illinois,...
as Martha (Barry's Wife / Therman's Girlfriend) - Blanca SotoBlanca SotoBlanca Delfina Soto Benavides is a Mexican actress, model and former beauty queen. She competed in the national beauty pageant Nuestra Belleza Mexico in 1997. Representing the state of Morelos, in which she was raised, Soto became Miss Mexico World. She represented her country in the Miss World...
as Catherine
Production
The budget for the film was split between the distributor Paramount Pictures, as well as DreamWorks Pictures and Spyglass Entertainment. The production budget was$69 million, although thanks to tax credits the cost came in at $62.7 million.
Filming of the dinner scene took place at the same location as was used for Wayne Manor
Wayne Manor
In DC Comics, Wayne Manor is a fictional setting, the personal residence of Bruce Wayne, who is also Batman. The residence is typically depicted as a huge stately mansion on grounds outside Gotham City, maintained by the Wayne family's servant, Alfred Pennyworth...
in the 1960s Batman television series
Batman (TV series)
Batman is an American television series, based on the DC comic book character of the same name. It stars Adam West as Batman and Burt Ward as Robin — two crime-fighting heroes who defend Gotham City. It aired on the American Broadcasting Company network for three seasons from January 12, 1966 to...
.
Release
Dinner for Schmucks was pushed back a week to July 30, 2010, to avoid competition with Salt and InceptionInception
Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...
.
Marketing
As part of promoting the film, the website Funny or DieFunny or Die
Funny or Die is a comedy video website founded by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay's production company, Gary Sanchez Productions with original and user-generated content. Funny or Die contains exclusive material from a number of famous contributors and also has its own Funny or Die Team, which creates...
featured videos of Jemaine Clement in character as Kieran Vollard.
The film's first trailer debuted with Date Night
Date Night
Date Night is a 2010 action comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey. It was released in the United States on April 9, 2010...
, Death at a Funeral
Death at a Funeral (2010 film)
Death at a Funeral is a 2010 American comedy film directed by Neil LaBute and starring an ensemble cast. The film is a remake of the 2007 British film of the same name.-Plot:...
, and A Nightmare on Elm Street
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010 film)
A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 2010 American slasher film directed by Samuel Bayer, and written by Wesley Strick and Eric Heisserer. The film stars Jackie Earle Haley, Kyle Gallner, Rooney Mara, Katie Cassidy, Thomas Dekker and Kellan Lutz...
. The second trailer was shown before select screenings of The A-Team
The A-Team (film)
The A-Team is an American action film based on the television series of the same name. It was released in cinemas in the United States on June 11, 2010, by 20th Century Fox. The film was directed by Joe Carnahan and produced by Stephen J. Cannell and the Scott brothers Ridley and Tony...
, Get Him to the Greek
Get Him to the Greek
Get Him to the Greek is a 2010 American comedy film written, produced, and directed by Nicholas Stoller and starring Jonah Hill and Russell Brand. The film was released on June 4, 2010. Get Him to the Greek is a spin-off sequel of Stoller's 2008 film Forgetting Sarah Marshall, reuniting director...
, Grown Ups
Grown Ups (2010 film)
Grown Ups is a 2010 American buddy-comedy film directed by Dennis Dugan and starring Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade, and Rob Schneider. Sandler and Fred Wolf wrote the script. The film was produced by Sandler's production company Happy Madison and was distributed by Columbia...
, and Inception
Inception
Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...
.
Critical response
The film has received mixed reviews. Review aggregation website Rotten TomatoesRotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
gives a normalized score of 43% based on 183 reviews, with an average score of 5.4/10. The critical consensus was: "It doesn't honor its source material – or its immensely likable leads – as well as it should, but Dinner for Schmucks offers fitfully nourishing comedy."
Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which gives a weighted average score out of 100, gives the film 56% based on 37 reviews.
Box office
The film made $8.4 million on its first day, ranking number two at the box office, behind InceptionInception
Inception: The Subconscious Jams 1994-1995 is a compilation of unreleased tracks by the band Download.-Track listing:# "Primitive Tekno Jam" – 3:23# "Bee Sting Sickness" – 8:04# "Weed Acid Techno" – 8:19...
.
The film earned $23.5 million on its opening weekend, placing it second overall for the weekend of July 30 to August 1.
Dinner for Schmucks ultimately grossed $73 million domestically and $13.4 million abroad to a total of $86.4 million worldwide.
Title discussion
Debate ensued about the title's usage of the Yiddish word 'schmucksSchmuck (pejorative)
__notoc__Schmuck or shmuck in American English is a pejorative meaning an obnoxious, contemptible or detestable person, or one who is stupid or foolish. The word entered English from Yiddish, where it has similar pejorative meanings, but its original meaning in Yiddish is penis...
.'
Debbie Schlussel
Debbie Schlussel
Debbie Schlussel is an American attorney, film critic, political commentator, and a conservative blogger who focuses particularly on Islam and American Muslims. Her writing frequently targets the largely Muslim population of the Detroit suburb of Dearborn, which she refers to as "Dearbornistan"...
asked whether the title should have been Dinner for Schlemiels as it would better describe the clumsy character played by Steve Carell.
Responding in The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, critic Michael Cieply
Michael Cieply
Michael Cieply is an entertainment industry writer, first for the Wall Street Journal and then for Talk magazine. In the 1990s, he also worked as a film producer for Sony....
determined that the intent was to be ambiguous as to which of the two main characters, played by Steve Carell
Steve Carell
Steven John "Steve" Carell is an American comedian, actor, voice artist, producer, writer, and director. Although Carell is notable for his role on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, he found greater fame in the late 2000s for playing Michael Scott on The Office...
and Paul Rudd
Paul Rudd
Paul Stephen Rudd is an American actor and screenwriter. He has primarily appeared in comedies, and is known for his roles in the films Clueless, Wet Hot American Summer, Anchorman, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Dinner for Schmucks, The Object of My...
, was the intended idiot.
In The Forward
The Forward
The Forward , commonly known as The Jewish Daily Forward, is a Jewish-American newspaper published in New York City. The publication began in 1897 as a Yiddish-language daily issued by dissidents from the Socialist Labor Party of Daniel DeLeon...
, Laura Hodes suggested that 'schmucks' correctly referred instead to the behavior of the film's antagonists, the bosses of Rudd's character.
Despite this, the original French play and movie, Le Dîner de cons, was originally translated as The Dinner Game when released for English-speaking audiences. However, one literal translation is "The Dinner of Cunts".