“Dinner for Schmucks” is a ridiculous movie. It’s silly, juvenile and predictable; it takes an insanely long time to get going, its characters are beyond idiotic and it relies far too much on slapstick for laughs. I’m willing to bet that at least half of those who watch the movie will find it dumb, odd and unfunny. Yet, there’ll be others who, despite its utter stupidity and bizarre humor, will be charmed, entertained and dub it one of the funniest comedies of the year. Count me as one of the later.

Before progressing any further, I must confess that I had no intention of watching “Schmucks.” For one, director Jay Roach’s last few comedies have been mediocre; Steve Carell hasn’t impressed me since “Little Miss Sunshine” – back in 2006; the trailers have been, to put it nicely, lame; and even Paul Rudd, an actor whose work I enjoy, looked uncomfortable in the bland commercials. Thus it was a surprise when I caught myself laughing uncontrollably. Maybe it was my low expectations that made me enjoy the movie more than I thought I would. But perhaps more accurately, it could be that “Dinner for Schmucks” is one of those rare concept comedies that relies, not on stand-alone jokes, but on a series of slowly escalating situations to really draw its audience in.

Based on a 1998 French film titled “The Dinner Game,” “Dinner for Schmucks” tells the story of Tim (Rudd), an ambitious and good-natured mid-level executive who works at a struggling investment firm. After impressing his boss Lance Fender (Bruce Greenwood) with an idea that involves nabbing a Swiss billionaire (David Walliams) as a client, Tim is given the opportunity to score a recently vacated high-paying job. But first, he has to prove he’s worthy by attending a monthly dinner hosted by Lance and his fellow slime ball executives (Ron Livingston, Larry Wilmore). But this isn’t a regular dinner party. It’s a contest where every invitee has to bring along an idiot whom the executives can make fun of. At the end of the evening, the one who brings along the biggest moron wins. Yea, it’s very cruel and when Tim relays the news to his loving girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak), a museum curator, she flips out - forbidding him to take part in it.

Just as Tim is about to cancel his plans he crashes (literally) into Barry (Carell), a monumentally idiotic IRS employee who creates dioramas of famous paintings using taxidermied mice. They’re my “mousterpieces,” he proudly exclaims (Trust me, these creations are truly spectacular!). Seeing this as a God-send, Tim quickly invites Barry to dinner. But he underestimates how much of a moron his guest really is when the bespectacled, cheese-grinned Barry shows up at his apartment that very evening, a whole day before the dinner, and turns Tim’s life into a "tornado of destruction."

“Dinner for Schmucks” is the third collaboration between Carell and Rudd, after their superb work on the now classic comedies “Anchorman” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin.” While “Schmucks” doesn’t hold a candle to those two, it succeeds in being something very few comedies this year have managed to be: consistently engaging. Although it starts off slow (the first act is barely funny), it gets going once Barry makes his entrance and finds its gears during a hilarious brunch sequence. By the time the titular dinner scene comes along, the audience I watched the movie with was bellowing with laughter.

Though the dinner sequence may be the film’s highpoint, “Schmucks” is a buddy comedy more than anything else with Rudd playing the straight man to Carell’s insane clown. To be honest, Barry is a character that could have been really grating – he’s unbelievably stupid for someone who functions as a “regular” member of society; Perhaps even a little too idiotic for the film’s good. But there’s a method to Barry’s madness and Carell successfully manages to make him a pathetic, even tragic figure. “Schmucks” is the funnyman’s third role of 2010, after “Date Night” and “Despicable Me.” It’s also his best. In fact, I think this might be his wackiest performance since Brick Tamland in “Anchorman.”

Rudd, on the other hand is more subdued as the straight man in a role similar to his turn in last year’s “I Love You, Man.” Director Jay Roach also populates the film with a slew of talented comedians in supporting roles including Jemaine Clement (“Flight of the Conchords”), Zach Galifianakis (“The Hangover”), Jeff Dunham, Lucy Punch, David Walliams and Kristen Schaal. The names may not be familiar but their faces will be. Clement, in particular is excellent as Julie’s sex-crazed, smug artist client Kieran. Galifianakis, who’s slowly becoming one of the most sought-after funnymen in Hollywood since his breakthrough role in “The Hangover,” is also fantastic as Barry’s nut job boss/nemesis Therman who believes he has psychic powers.

Where “Dinner for Schmucks” really strikes though and what is likely to be the most talked about element of the film is the incredible “mousterpiece” works that Barry makes. Created especially for the film by the creature-feature experts the Chido brothers, these works are at once cute, bizarre, disturbing, hilarious and shockingly creative. Barry’s extensive collection include detailed replicas of the Da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” and “The Last Supper,” “The Scream,” “American Gothic,” Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam,” and “Whistler’s Mother.” The attention to detail on these handicrafts is jaw-dropping, I kid you not.

VERDICT: “Dinner for Schmucks” may not be for everyone. It may be a little too dumb, annoying, caricature-driven and downright odd for a good chunk of moviegoers. But those who enjoy slapstick-driven comedies with outrageous characters and situations will enjoy the hell out of it. It also features what I believe to be Steve Carell’s most outrageous performance since his classic role in “Anchorman” and a bunch of clever contraptions dubbed “mousterpieces” that’ll definitely leave you talking about the film long after you’re done with it.

GRADE: B+

DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS
Directed by: Jay Roach
Written by: David Guion, Michael Handelman
Starring: Steve Carell, Paul Rudd, Jemaine Clement, Zach Galifianakis
Rated: PG-13 (for sequences of crude and sexual content, some partial nudity and language)