Trailer for Paul Rudd and Steve Carell's Dinner for Schmucks

Is it me or does it seem like 2010 already has more high profile comedies featuring big name pairings than 2009? Perhaps The Hangover started a trend?  One of the most anticipated is director Jay Roach's Dinner for Schmucks, starring the powerhouse duo of Paul Rudd and Steve Carell. Roach is probably best known for helming both Meet the Parents films and the Austin Powers trilogy.

Rudd stars as Tim, an executive on the cusp of a huge promotion, but in order to impress his boss he needs to find the perfect guest to attend his company's "Dinner for Idiots" event.  He finds the perfect candidate in Barry(Carell), a clumsy buffoon who dresses up mice to use in recreations of famous works of art. 

Check out the trailer below followed by a couple of quick comments...



Ok, the trailer just isn't doing much for me. I like Carell when he's playing earnest characters who don't realize how stupid they are, but not when he's an overt idiot like this. And I can already see that those relationship scenes between Rudd and his girlfriend are not going to work. Hopefully I'm wrong. The 1998 French film this is based on, The Dinner Game, was a bit darker and less silly while still maintaining the same premise. I wish they had taken that route. The combination of Rudd and Carell is a tough one to hate on, though, so hopefully this will be better than this trailer makes it seem.

Dinner for Schmucks will hit theaters on July 23, 2010.