Dinner for Schmucks is just funny enough, but not because of star Steve Carell. Carell plays an IRS agent named Barry, a hopelessly nerdy guy who spends his spare time arranging stuffed mice in romantic dioramas. When Barry runs into a financial executive named Tim (Paul Rudd), he is invited to a joke dinner party held by Tim’s colleagues (the idea is to see who can bring the most moronic guest). Carell is all over the map – at various times, Barry is sweet, fiendish, idiotic and sad – and I think that’s because he’s trying to act. But Dinner, a gag-heavy farce based on a 1998 French comedy, doesn’t need acting. It needs schmucks. Thankfully, those are on hand with supporting players Jemaine Clement and Zach Galifianakis. Both play fools who make Barry look stable. Their deranged commitment saves the film.
