• Tweet

Three out of Five stars
Running time: 100 mins

Enjoyable comedy with Owen Wilson on fine comic form, this is a lot better than its trailer suggests.

What's it all about?
Owen Wilson stars as Dupree, a happy-go-lucky slacker who loses his job and his flat when he takes a week off work to attend the wedding of his best friend Carl (Matt Dillon) in Hawaii. However, when Carl offers Dupree a place to crash for a while, it doesn't go down too well with his wife new Molly (Kate Hudson) and things only get worse when Dupree shows no signs of leaving.

The Good
The film is a lot better than its rather lacklustre trailer suggests. Dillon makes an excellent sparring partner for Wilson and even Kate Hudson is more likeable here than she has been elsewhere (perhaps because it's not a Kate Hudson vehicle, per se).

That's not to say the film doesn't have flaws. For one thing, Dupree's behaviour in the first half doesn't quite ring true. In addition, it's hard to look at Michael Douglas these days without wondering how much surgery he's had, plus he spends the whole film looking like he's worrying about only getting dad roles from now on.

The Great
Judging by his last few performances, Owen Wilson has been coasting a bit recently, to the point where he was almost the straight man in The Wedding Crashers. However, he's back on top comic form as Dupree and it's a testament to his performance that Dupree remains likeable and sympathetic, even when he's infuriating.

Directors Anthony and Joe Russo (who made Welcome to Collinwood) have assembled a superb cast, including Seth Rogen as Carl's other best friend Neil and Michael Douglas as Molly's controlling father. Wilson makes the most of every line and there are several good gags, particularly during the increasingly hilarious finale.

Worth seeing?
An enjoyable comedy that delivers a decent quantity of laughs, thanks to a fine comic performance by Owen Wilson.