You, Me and Dupree

Stars: Owen Wilson, Kate Hudson, Matt Dillon, Michael Douglas

Director: Anthony & Joe Russo

Just wed to the boss's daughter (Hudson), Carl (Dillon) has two albatrosses round his neck. One - the boss (Douglas), who promotes Carl, but seems bent on destroying both him and the marriage.

Two - a flop-haired disaster area called Randy Dupree (Wilson), whose homelessness causes pal Carl to take him in.

Dupree proves a home-wrecker in more ways than one, driving Carl mad and finally burning part of the house down in a candlelit seduction of the local librarian, whose face we never see.

You expect her to come on at the end as a famous guest star, but no joy. That's just one of many disappointments about a film that's so ridiculous it's more annoying than Dupree himself.

For this kind of comedy to work, things need at least to be rooted in reality. Otherwise, it just won't grow.

True, this could have been a great vehicle for the ingratiating Wilson if it had worked - but not for Dillon, who's a fish out of water in a totally unsuitable role. Douglas is too big for the part he's asked to play, and Hudson rarely gets a chance to switch on her natural warmth - and hits low water doing an embarrassing tongue-licking smooch with Wilson in a hallucination sequnce.

It's a film that just never realises even half its potential.

David Quinlan

USA 2006. UK Distributor: UIP (Universal). Colour by De Luxe.
109 minutes. Not widescreen. UK certificate: 12A.

Guidance ratings (out of 3): Sex/nudity 1, Violence/Horror 0, Drugs 0, Swearing 1.

Review date: 20 Aug 2006