Bad Movie Beatdown: The Dilemma (REVIEW) 

This video was originally posted in July 2012; this is a re-edited version (upscaled to HD) that loses 2m 10s of footage. This is mostly from trimming down the clips, which proved to be a bit of a struggle in such a dialogue-based film, and tightening up the pacing, as well as reducing dragging sentences. I've also altered the brightness and contrast in the on-camera segments to correct the lighting, which was far too dim originally. This was the first of an adultery double-bill that led into the beginning of Snipes Month with One Night Stand, which has been re-posted previously. This has been posted to coincide with the release of Solo: A Star Wars Story, which Ron Howard also directed... and I'm certain he will never make a worse film than this. Have fun!

"This is the story of two men, an unfaithful girlfriend, and the one British reviewer who tries to keep it all together"

"Unfortunately we wouldn't have a movie." How's that unfortunate?

Vince Vaughan's toast was the most painful scene in the whole movie.

The real problem with this movie is that it's premise which being generous would make a decent 30 minute TV show episode doesn't make for an interesting movie concept which is shown cuz there are alot of parts of this movie that fill like pointless filler

I still love how FB refers to this film as "The DIE-lemma".

At least Vince Vaughn redeemed himself with Freaky.

What's annoying is that this could be a legitimately interesting setup for a drama if you change the tone and just a few details. Make it a Great Gatsby-esque situation where everyone is kind of a bad person, but has sympathetic reasons for being so. My idea: instead of having Ronnie and Geneva be a one-night stand, say that they were fully dating in college. (Nick and Ronnie become friends through work, and he meets Geneva somewhere unrelated.) Ronnie cheated on Geneva, because he was a dumb college guy, and Geneva never really forgave him for it. Now Ronnie has matured as a person, and he's completely loyal to Beth. But when Nick starts stepping out on Geneva, she loses it and starts doing the same. She goes from a sweet girl burned by an idiot who didn't know any better to a scorned woman who loses her morals over it. Ronnie finds her cheating, Geneva notices him watching, and threatens to tell Beth about her experiences with him and, in her mind, out herself as a hypocrite. So now the "dilemma" is less "something something sports metaphors" and more "learning to forgive yourself for a dumb mistake you made in the past." I mean, even this idea needs some tweaking (like making Beth more relevant to everything, and also making this less of an accidental ripoff of The Crucible lol), but it's MILES better than this trash.

13:03-13:09 Also known as the mentality of most internet trolls

Vince Vaughn with Jennifer Connelly and Kevin James with Winona Ryder. Sure, movie, tell me another one.

I... I don't think I've ever fully realized that Vince Vaughn and Kevin James are two different people. Like I knew they've been in different films and they don't even look that much alike aside from the hair, but when I saw them on screen together my immidate reaction was 'No this is wrong they should not be here at the same time they are one and the same reality is slipping'.

The way this film is shot and with the muted color palate makes me think this script must have started as a straight drama that got shoehorned into a comedy

This is one of my favorite reviews of your's. The way you tore up this film is pretty great. Also, poor Winona Ryder for having to be in this terrible film. At least she made it up with Stranger Things.

I like Vince Vaughn as an actor (I think he’s majorly improved in the last few years), but damn is he this movie’s black hole.

A scene dedicated entirely to how electric and small cars are gay and not manly? I'd just talk to my dad if I wanted that.

I guess you could say this is the original “Kevin Can Wait”...and just as unfunny too

So only ten minutes in or so and somehow the main characters aren’t fired (or at least sent to sensitivity training) for both using homophobic slurs during an office pitch and partaking in potentially sexual harassment

Years later, Queen Latifa's presence in this movie makes the homophobic controversy even worse considering she came out as being gay herself after the movie's release.

5:54-6:01; Another one of my favourite BMB quotes!

23:32 Goddamnit, Queen Latifah! You're better than this! :/

23:21 Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things, but an electric motor is way more revvy than a petrol powered one, and making such a powerplant make the noises of an ICE probably involves making it run like shit. Kudos for getting through this hunk of horseshit. I'm not even watching the full movie and I had to stop several times.

2:04 - So basically it's like Hall Pass, just a bad movie all around?

How could a movie with Mall Shart and wedding gashers be bad? Preposterous!

My mom actually likes watching this movie... but just because she wants to laugh... that's how her life is... when she's not working...

I was just trying to remember the title of this to see if this review was already uploaded. Lucky me.

The beginning part with Queen Latifah is EXTRA awkward since she came out a few years ago

Flash forward 5 years later and Vince Vaughn totally redeemed himself for this turkey with his phenomenal and surprisingly convincing turn as a military Sergeant in Hacksaw Ridge. Say what you will about the guy, but he has proven himself as a talented and versatile actor.

This film's premise is ridiculously strained and overextended.

i made (what i thought was) a funny infidelity joke in a lighthearted fanfiction once where a woman who was a complete superbitch, stuck-up and abusive and just horrible etc, was being mean to a dude and when she left another character made a comment about it and the guy said "it's okay, the joke's on her: i'm sleeping with her husband." which she DIDN'T know about (so it wasn't "she's mean because ____") and the whole town knew but they all kept it secret because she was mean to every one of them. but that was just a random funny character moment and not the entire plot of the story, she wasn't even a main character in the rest of it. i don't really know how ELSE you'd make cheating funny.

When the fact that these characters are Chicago Blackhawks fans isn't even the worst thing about them.....you know they're evil!

How the fuck did they get Jennifer Connelly to come within a thousand miles of this shit? I hope she got PAID.

In reality, Latifah is exponentially tougher than Vince and Kevin.

Allen Loeb needs to be blacklisted from writing comedies.

Just watch the review of "just go with it" and it was great and this one is great too! Your reviews remind me of 08 - the golden age of reviews. No cameos no wierd shit. JUST THE MOVIE! Love what your doing!

18:03 Holy shit that is actually Ron Howard's dad. I saw him on the 5th season of Arrested Development where he played himself. I actually thought that was an actor portraying Howard's pops because he has Isla Fisher playing his fictional illegitimate daughter Rebel Alley on the show.

Say what you will about these Vince Vaughn rom-com vehicles... they actually kinda work as Chicago tourism ads.

Vince Vaughn! When you really want your audience to wonder if he's a bigger misogynist or homophobe: Vince Vaughn's your man!

What I get from this is that Vince Vaughn should be kept on a very very very very short leash.

Why would people be surprised if a movie bombed at the box office, like this movie? No one should be surprised or even care when it comes to this movie. And I bet a lot of people walked out of the theaters that were showing the trailers to this film, due to the trailer's "brilliant" idea of adding in the "electric cars: they're totally gay" line.

So after all that absurdity he proposes to his girlfriend? Is that the right time to do it? I mean she's probably still wrapping her head around everything that's happened. Oh who cares its obvious the writers didn't.

22:57, What I'm doing is wrong, I know it's wrong, but I'm gonna do it anyway.

I don't think I've ever seen this one, despite being an avid fan... thanks Matthew!

Well, good thing for Vince Vaughn’s sake he’s sorta bounced back with his roles in movies like Brawl in Cell Block 99. Trust me, he does a complete 180 from his acting turn in this trash.

Vince Vince Vince. Your career has gone down hill fast.

what was the following review?

i'm happy to live in an era where people are offended at remarks that disrespect homosexuals, instead of being offended by homosexuality itself. maybe i can hope that someday trans people and cross-dressers will also actually be treated like human beings with feelings.

Yeah, funny thing about the whole electric car bit, Dodge unveiled an EV Charger just recently.

Ron Howard did a funny movie about cars...but enough about Gung Ho!

YES! Another BMB

I was waiting for Carl from The Cell to tie Ronnie to the table and disembowel him.

I'm kind of on Vaune's side when it comes to the cars. Not the 'I think small electric cars are gay'. If that's the kind of car you want more power to you. But me, and many others, like muscle cars and would totally be down with buying an electric muscle car.

What if someone remade this movie with Logic with the MC or go to jail for the crimes he committed

Given how resilient homophobia has been, I no longer find the idea that a car company would ignore it in a pitch meeting implausible.

8:00 Is that... Colin from Canada???

18:29-18:32 To top off all the other dickheaded things in this scene, there's also a "joke" about incest... Because incest is such a rib-tickler, isn't it? :\

16:53 if he lived in Scotland he could be done for Hamesucken. Which is when you break into someone's house to beat then up.

Has anyone said you have the best opening music of anyone on RU-vid? It's true.

Kevin James recently appeared in a horror movie called Becky.

Kevin James has had so much photoshop done on his face for the poster, he looks like a fucking Ken doll

I really enjoy your rants on these really stupid movies on bad movie beatdown, these movies piss me off and it's really reassuring another person such as yourself feels the same way. So thanks.

I would highly recommend Miracle. It's an enjoyable movie.

Heh, I liked Tatum in this, at the very least.

the real happy ending is where he gets dumped and imprisoned

Ron Howard has experience directing comedies he directed Night Shift, Splash, Parenthood, & Gung Ho all comedies from the 80's.

Basically sports metaphors is a guy code to men. XD

Can you look at GODZILLA Planet of the Monsters?????

This is the funniest shit, nice job Matt.

This is why I don't do these types of movies. They depict a bunch of us like assholes!

Dose anyone actually like Vince Vaughn funny?

Clint Howard? From killer ice cream man to gardener. Howard should play a killer gardener.

I honestly forgot this movie had a subplot about muscle cars. Then again, I never thought people were still calling cars they don't like "gay" like a couple of elitist IMCDB users.

Why the hell is this movie a comedy?!?!

I hate the implication that Puerto Ricans are homewreckers.

wow, very cool !

Review Fred clause

Film Brain mad

Hey film brain. If you do a crossover review for a car related bad movie, can you get a car guy to review it with you, like Car Throttle or Gaskings? It would be very interesting. EDIT: Ok maybe not Gaskings considering what happened to him, but still banking on Car Throttle.

At least Vince Vaughn made up for this movie with Wedding Crashers and Fred Claus.

9:30- Nice overly-specific NBA references to instantly date the movie!

5:00 Good god is this cringey. Thanks for calling this crap out, FB. : / And I'm ashamed Queen Latifah didn't just walk out on the trash script they gave her, that's just embarrassing.

The concept of THE DILEMMA was interesting enough, but the truth is that it doesn't take that long to decide whether to tell your best friend that his wife is cheating on him, which is why the movie fills in with a lot of unnecessary stuff. I was already feeling doubts about the 1st scene with the 2 couples (Ronny & Beth and Nick & Geneva) having dinner. The way it's filmed (and even the style of the opening credits) makes it feel like a 1990s indie movie. And because of the trailer, I already knew that I was going to watch something different. That's how uneven the whole movie is. Script writer Allan Loeb wants to mix comedy with drama, but just like in THE SWITCH, he doesn't actually mix them. He wrote a dramatic story and then stapled the comedy on it. There's a scene at the beginning where Nick tells Ronny that he's looking a little nervous. I was like "How can he tell?", considering that Vince Vaughn is playing the same character as usual. He adds dramatic layers to it, which helps a lot even if it doesn't save the movie. The exact same thing happened in THE BREAK-UP. You know what *does* save the movie? His chemistry with Kevin James. A lot of people complained about the "Electric cars are gay" joke. I wanted to wait to see the movie first so I could judge. And you know what? It *is* offensive. You see, when characters like Eric Cartman say offensive jokes, the audience laughs at them for being ignorants. Here, it's well-established that Ronny is the hero of the story who we have to root for. And it doesn't end there. When he thinks that Beth's cousin is grabbing her ass, she says "Do you remember my cousin?" and then she says "And his boyfriend?". So he had to be gay? Wasn't incest bad enough? Probably not since later, during his toast, Ronny says that it's OK if second cousins have children. Except *that* was clearly a joke. Maybe I'm looking too much into it. The scene where Geneva threatens Ronny in the diner made her look like a sociopath... and then she confessed with no problem. I'm very confused with her characterization. Ronny proposed to Beth by following Nick's advice of not over-thinking about which would be the right moment. That would be fine, except that he just so happened to have chosen the worst possible moment! When Nick wins those tickets at the hockey game at the end, it's filmed like a glorious moment. Except that the story hadn't really been leading up to that, despite Ronny repeating his speech. He used it before their 1st meeting, which they already had nailed. It makes no sense. 4/10

I like every actor in this movie, but this movie is utter crap

If you want a good infidelity movie, go watch a lifetime movie. Or the graduate.

Does this movie really expect the audience to feel sorry for nick when he has been cheating for years? So stupid

Simply Vince vaughn, when he dose drama he sucks but with comedy he can be funny. Also read the bible

The "gay" line probably shouldn't have been in the trailer, but people have to remember this is a movie. You can write a movie where characters say things that don't reflect on the actors irl. It can be used to add personality to characters, for example Tarantino characters using the N word. I disagree with Mathew that Vince's character's speech in that scene necessarily reflects on Vince as a person. That's unfair to him. And Vince was right to defend his freedom of speech irl because of artistic license. "I can write my movie how I want." Yes, he can. You can criticize it, but you shouldn't say "Oh, you shouldn't be allowed to write movies like that at all!" The movie still sucks, but I'm just saying one little line of shock humor doesn't a bad person make. Speaking of, they could've saved the movie if Vince's character saw infidelity from both the male and female perspectives and began to think very carefully and introspectively about his own relationship and eventual marriage proposal.

Oh, I vividly remember seeing the trailer for this movie back in the day. It looked so stupid. Vince Vaughn has always been a stain on movie history. I didn't thing that man could ever do anything even possibly, REMOTELY resembling acting... until I saw Hacksaw Ridge. Almost didn't recognize him. Leave it to Mel Gibson to be able to get Vince Vaughn to act. I think from now on it should be stipulated that the ONLY way Vince Vaughn can get anywhere near a movie is that if it's under Mel Gibson's supervision.

What’s a muscle car?😅

Honestly I liked this movie (besides the gay joke). Maybe I just have awful taste, but I think it balances comedy and drama well enough. I thought it was pretty interesting. If I had it my way though I wouldn't have had it be a comedy and would focus more on the drama.

I kinda liked The Break Up.

The most obnoxious, loathsome, morally offensive piece of trash I have ever ever seen. Goddam, this movie sucked.

Worked at the theater when this came out and fucking hated it.

I'm not sure if its fair to say Ron Howard is inexperienced in directing comedies since he did make Arrested Development. One of the best comedies ever put to tv and one of my favorite shows of all time.

I absolutely hate Kevin James and Vince Vaughn. That is all!

Dear British people, Vince Vaughn is a side effect of America, not our spokesperson, please don't judge us as you do him because he is the only one who deserves it... and Adam Sandler, but they're basically the same person

Is it just me, or does anybody else think that queen Latifa is annoying.

The film was crap but in real life some ppl are dumb an get piss an stop being friends with the person that told them there spouse cheating on them

A Helen Keller joke, really Vince?! I'm not a fan of Vince Vaughn and now i know why crap like this!

All these characters suck, but I have to say, it was hugely gratifying watching Kevin James and Channing Tatum punch Vince Vaughn

Review the perfect murder