Easy Dilemma to Solve

By Todd A. Smith

            At first glance I did not know what to expect from The Dilemma movie starring Vince Vaughn and Kevin James.

            The previews looked entertaining, but I had the preconceived notion that if you’ve seen any Vaughn or James movie, you’ve seen them all.

            I was wrong, The Dilemma movie is definitely worth seeing even if the characters Ronny (Vaughn) and Nick (James) are very similar to characters that have played in the past.

            Ronny is the middle-aged bachelor who has commitment issues even though he has the perfect girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connelly), and what seems to be the perfect married role models as friends in Nick, the over-weight hard –working husband and his wife Geneva (Winona Ryder).

            After he finally agrees to take the next step with Beth, Ronny discovers that Geneva is having an affair with a sensitive, tattooed thug named Zip, played by Channing Tatum, and he is faced with a moral dilemma that many friends have encountered.  Do you tell your best friend that their mate is cheating or do you stay completely out of other people’s business?

            At first glance, most good friends would not think there is a moral dilemma at all and they would simply tell their friend.  But as many people with similar experiences will say, it is not always that simple.

            What if your best friend does not believe you and that strains the friendship?  Or what if you have secrets of your own that might be exposed to your best friend like Ronny does, that could possibly strain the relationship beyond repair?

            The Dilemma movie also explores the problems of doing business with close friends and relatives.  Ronny and Nick also own a car-engine design business and are desperately looking to land a lucrative contract with Chrysler to develop an electric sports car that most car lovers would adore.

            At the meeting Ronny evens tells Chrysler that their electric cars are “gay, but not in a homosexual way.”  However, he compares their cars to bunny rabbits, not having the horsepower that most men want when purchasing their car.

            Ronny finds a partner-in-crime in Susan (Queen Latifah) who has the beauty and elegance of a lady, but the mentality of the “fellas.”  She constantly refers to herself as having “lady wood” and makes references to pornographic movies, calling herself Ronny’s “deep throat.”

            The Dilemma movie has excellent one-liners that audiences will be talking about when they leave the theater, but the only negative is the typical comedy that one could expect from a story like this.  It becomes predictable, but still manages to stay amusing.

            Like in the film Hitch, James is a proud, but awkward dancer.  And all of Vaughn’s characters seem similar because of his famous voice, tone and the delivery of his lines.

            Nevertheless, the ending of The Dilemma movie makes up for any shortcomings in James and Vaughn’s portrayal as it shows that true friendship is a beautiful thing that can conquer any obstacle to the friendship.

            And after watching Ronny and Nick, moviegoers will know what to expect from a true friend.

Smith is publisher of Regal Black Men's Magazine, a publication dedicated to the African American community.

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