Dinner for SchmucksMovie Reviews

Poster art for "Dinner for Schmucks."

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So-so
Avg. Critic Score: 56 out of 100 Mixed or average reviews Metascore® based on all critic reviews
Information for Parents:
14 OK for kids 14+
Read Common Sense Media review

Critic scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

  • 80
    The New York Times | A.O. Scott

    The film collects a cast of performers who know how to be funny. The success of this movie, following a formula upheld by just about any recent hit comedy you can name, lies as much with supporting players and plot-derailing set pieces as with the central story and characters. Read full review

  • 80
    Variety |

    An uproarious odd-couple remake of Francis Veber's hit French farce "The Dinner Game." Read full review

  • 75
    San Francisco Chronicle | Mick LaSalle

    Dinner for Schmucks is lumbering, inconsistent and about 20 minutes too long, but it's funny. It's funny from the beginning, and it stays funny, even as it beats scenes to death and overstays its welcome. Read full review

  • 75
    USA Today | Claudia Puig

    Gussied-up rodents and inane male antics come together in funny and inspired ways in this screwball farce. Read full review

  • 75
    Chicago Sun-Times | Roger Ebert

    The guests at the dinner are a strange lot. To describe them would be to give away their jokes, and one of the pleasures of the movie is having each one appear. Read full review

  • 70
    The Hollywood Reporter | John DeFore

    Though Carell and Rudd are both saddled with characters that just aren't as interesting as many they've played in the past, the movie benefits from having drawn many gifted comedians to supporting roles. Read full review

  • 63
    Washington Post | Ann Hornaday

    Dinner for Schmucks has already raised hackles in the Yiddish-speaking community for the breathtakingly offensive epithet in its title (and it's not "dinner"). But it turns out that this comedy of humiliation, starring Paul Rudd and Steve Carell, isn't nearly as off-putting as it might have been. Read full review

  • 63
    Rolling Stone | Peter Travers

    When Hollywood decides to remake French farce by Francis Veber, the result can be a champagne cocktail (La Cage Aux Folles spawning The Birdcage) or pt de merde (Les Compres degenerating into Father's Day). Dinner for Schmucks, adapted from Veber's Le Dner De Cons, falls somewhere in the middle. Read full review

  • 50
    Entertainment Weekly | Lisa Schwarzbaum

    No schmucks were harmed in the making of Dinner for Schmucks. That's the problem. Read full review

  • 40
    Los Angeles Times | Kenneth Turan

    Against all reason and expectation, the result is a distinctly unfunny film. Read full review

View more reviews for Dinner for Schmucks on Metacritic

Information for Parents
Common Sense Media says OK for kids 14+ Slapstick comedy feasts on the nerdiness of others.
What Parents Need to Know Parents need to know that this remake of hit French comedy The Dinner Game is anchored by a premise that is, on its face, quite mean-spirited: The main character is invited to a dinner where he must bring someone whom his colleagues can ridicule. Plenty of mockery does take place, but there’s a lesson about conscience and morality buried amid the snark. There’s some swearing (including "s--t") and sexual content (nude women covered in body paint, references to "BJs," etc.), as well as social drinking. Expect teens to be drawn in by stars Paul Rudd and Steve Carell.
  • Families can talk about the movie's message. What's the ultimate take-away? Does any of the positive stuff get lost amid the movie's humor?
  • Would you be willing to make fun of other people for personal gain? Do you think it would be easy to stand up and do the right thing, even if your job was at risk?
  • Who are the real "idiots" in this movie? How can you tell?
The good stuff
  • message true3 Positive messages: The movie shows that some people are willing to do anything to get ahead, even if it means mocking and taking advantage of others. But it ultimately sends the message that doing so -- even if there might be significant material rewards -- isn't acceptable behavior, and there might be a moral price to pay.
  • rolemodels true2 Positive role models: Tim is initially self-centered and materialistic, willing to lie to his girlfriend and take advantage of Barry to help further his career. But he slowly realizes that material gains aren't worth the toll on his conscience or his personal relationships.
What to watch for
  • violence false2 Violence: A few intense arguments escalate into brawls, complete with people throwing heavy objects at each other. A deranged woman takes out her frustrations on a very unfortunate sports car, leaving it a badly dented, moderately functional heap. A swordfight leads to a man losing his finger.
  • sex false3 Sex: One scene featuring three people engaged in erotic play involves nude women covered in body paint. There's also some suggestive dialogue and innuendo; for example, a woman begs a man to spank her, and a man confesses to being ignorant of a specifc parts of his wife's sexual anatomy. References to "BJs" and hookers.
  • language false3 Language: Some swearing, including one "f--k," a few uses of “s--t” and “bulls--t," "hell," "damn," "ass," and "oh God" (used as an exclamation).
  • consumerism false2 Consumerism: A Porsche sports car plays an important role in the film and is mentioned by name.
  • drugsalcoholtobacco false1 Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some social drinking.
An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology. © Common Sense Media Inc. 2010. All rights reserved.

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Dinner for Schmucks 100 Days Fandango Review Steve Carell, Jemaine Clement and Zach Galifianikis... Plus Goat Hooves. Here's to the Funny! Despite its somewhat unsavory premise, 'Schmucks' manages to become an amiable, funny and sometimes hilarious summer movie due to the comic talents of powerhouses Steve Carell, Zach Galifianakis and Jemaine Clement. On The Set of "Dinner for Schmucks" Fandango was invited to the Dinner set, where we got to watch the cast film a few hilarious scenes, as well as meet the crazy bunch of dinner guests. Read on for our full report, including interviews with Rudd and Carell… Set Visit Interview: Schmucks' Paul Rudd and Steve Carell Set Visit Preview!