You, Me and Dupree

You, Me and Dupree
Studio: Universal Pictures Distribution
Rated: PG-13
Cast: Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas, Amanda Detmer
Director: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo
WorkNameSort: You, Me and Dupree
Our Rating: 1.50
How bad is this laugh-free, derivative, punishingly long ‘comedyâ?� about a houseguest (Owen Wilson) from hell? Well, you can always count the appearances of the boom mike: I spotted two, though a friend seated next to me swore it was closer to six. Other than that fun running game, some gratuitous shots of Kate Hudson’s ever-amazing bod are all that recommend this star-extinguishing vehicle for Wilson, seen here ruining his best friends’ lives with (variously) his party-animal lifestyle and New Age fuzzy-headedness. The filmmakers can’t decide if they’re making What About Bob? II or a modern gloss on The Odd Couple, but who cares about consistency when you’ve got an ass with Goldie Hawn’s DNA stuck smack-dab in the middle of the frame (just below the mike, of course)? In what is perhaps the most bizarre example of Hollywood corner-cutting I’ve yet come across, a major character ‘ by my count the fifth-most-important in the movie ‘ is repeatedly alluded to but never shown full-face. That’ll teach those overpaid actors how expendable they are!

This article appears in Jul 19-25, 2006.