2006, Universal Pictures, Dir. Anthony Russo/Joe Russo - Starring Owen Wilson, Matt Dillon, Kate Hudson, Michael Douglas, Seth Rogen, Amanda Detmer, Ralph Ting, Keo Knight, Todd Stashwick, Bill Hader, Jason Winer, Sidney S. Liufau, Billy Gardell, Eli Vargas

You Me and Dupree is about one best friend overstaying his welcome at his married best friend’s house, and it literally outdoes its premises with the audience. After the incredible success of Wedding Crashers, the Russo Brothers (from some Arrested Development fame) put their faith in the excruciatingly annoying Owen Wilson to carry the debut story from writer Mike LeSieur. Its result is a rushed one-joke, half-funny excuse for a summer comedy - following in the familiar footsteps of June’s Break-Up with Crashers co-star Vince Vaughn. These sophomoric follow-ups are bad news for the newly coined ‘Frat Pack’, leaving viewers wondering whether the movies are going to become increasingly less witty as the years pass. This is a prime example of the Magic Bag Movie: a story so weak that it appears that the characters possess a ‘magic bag’, to pick out coincidences and remedies to save otherwise failing plotlines. If a character is missing, the Russo Bros have the entire city looking for the character - if the world is going to be destructed by a meteorite, send Bruce Willis in a spaceship to blast it. As Dupree’s already loose story threads escalate into aggravation for the other characters, the audience will be driven to madness. This film is neither funny or hip, neither witty or smart, and not interesting in the least.

Carl Peterson (Dillon) and Molly Thompson (Hudson) have just finished their honeymoon, preceeding a lavish wedding on Hawaiian beaches. But those few days afterwards have grown different for Carl. Warned by friend Neil (Rogen) that marriage will have its backfires, he begins to wonder whether he’ll be able to still enjoy life with his unmarried friends. One in particular would be Randolph Dupree (Wilson) – a lively yet perpetually lazy human being with good intentions and bad luck. Dupree has been caught up in some drama after taking off the week to attend Carl’s wedding: he was fired for not telling his boss, and ended up getting booted from his house after rent pay day came around. Since Dupree is one of his best friend, Carl insists that he takes stay at his house until he gets his feet back on the ground. Molly disagrees and complains, but Carl thinks it’ll calm over shortly. However, the annoying blonde-locked Dupree ends up setting his couch on fire, flooding the toilet, and accomplishing many other embarrassing feats. After kicking him out of the house once, the couple finds themselves bringing him back in pity – only for the tension to grow more and more. With Dupree’s not-so-housebroken behavior and Molly’s controlling father (Douglas, also as Carl’s egotistical boss) pressuring him on the job, Carl isn’t sure this “marriage” thing is working out too well…

Although Owen Wilson lacks the panache as Vince Vaughn, he can be appreciated as a character actor. Wilson, as Dupree, begins to build the foundations of an incredibly quirky slacker, with dimensions that aren’t usually hit in comedies. However, writer LeSieur gives up towards the halfway point of the movie, and the charm of Dupree is lost. The writing and wit become so meager, you’d think John Hughes drafted the lousy finale – it’s lost on Wilson, and on the entire cast as well. Matt Dillon, picking up the piece of Crash to film a comedy, plays the one truly interesting character. As Carl, he pulls off much comic relief, especially in the dueling scenes he has with Michael Douglas. He is a troubled, confused newlywed who’s trying to work out the kinks of his job and Molly, alongside the burden of housing Dupree. Dillon is serious and amusing, and pulls of a good performance. Kate Hudson adds nothing to the movie, as she fails to create chemistry between her and Dillon, and the mysterious sexual tension between her and Dupree – she looks fantastic, but contributes little to nothing. Michael Douglas gets a good few hefty laughs as Mr. Thompson, a vicious and cruel father-in-law – and what an understatement that is. Douglas’ abrasive voice and age give him a edge, unlike the dull-knife character he played in this spring’s The Sentinel. He’s still got game.

Almost 75-percent of the jokes and scenarios are disposable excuses for the writer, never escalating the obscenity or sexual innuendo to the point of amusement. These are the same old songs we’ve heard before – a toilet flooding, setting things on fire, throwing a big party while the wife’s out. They appear uninspired, sound uninspired – Dupree is old game. Of many scenes that are mentionable, there is a short chase scene that is guaranteed to entertain. Dupree faces off a heavyweight Samoan security guard for entrance to Carl’s office, and the fight becomes a showdown that is immature, yet necessary. Once the laughs have tampered down, Wilson brings electricity to the screen. It’s Wilson in action, akin to that of Bill Murray’s classic improv sketches from Caddyshack or Stripes – it fits perfectly. But when the finale comes around, you’ll understand what I mean by the ‘Magic Bag’ theory. The writer pulled the happy ending out from nowhere (not to mention the lousy epilogue) to satisfy audiences. Rather, the movie unmasks itself not as a comedy, but as a romantic comedy. The tables are turned, and you will feel just a bit stupider for having paid 7 bucks to see it.

After this and The Break-Up, I could only hope that director Todd Phillips will pick up the pieces for Old School 2. The two productions are signs of bad marketing and bad casting, with little flurries of smart-aleck humor and pop culture references to even out the audience appeal. You Me and Dupree is a surefire annoyance to those expecting a crowdpleaser.