By Peter Covino

Entertainment Editor

The reaction from this week's press screening (with invited public audience) pretty much sums up Dinner For Schmucks — you will either laugh a lot or stare in silence at the screen wondering what the fuss is all about.

I fell decidedly somewhere in between in this remade French farce, now starring Steve Carell   and Paul Rudd, thinking the French certainly have a knack for making these kind of films and also thinking the French version is probably better, even if I haven't seen it.

Still there is something to be said for the duo created by Carell and Rudd. Barry Speck (Carell) is hopelessly dumb, hopelessly naïve, but sweet and quotable in a Forrest Gump sort of way. Tim Conrad (Rudd) is an up and coming businessman, on the fast track to success for he and his girlfriend (Stephanie Szostak) until he has the misfortune to run Barry down with his car.

Barry's not hurt, he was in the middle of the street picking up yet another dead rodent in the street for his  hobby: recreating works of art using dead mice — The Last Supper, Whistler's Mother, American Gothic etc.

Barry brushes himself off, and just happens to have a few samples of his work with him, of course. Tim stares in disbelief, but suddenly realizes he has found the perfect guest for a dinner tradition the top executives at his office have — bring the stupidest person you can find to dinner for the entertainment of the rest of the party. Tim's a good guy and realizes this party idea is a cruel one, but he figures anything to get ahead and be one of the guys. Plus, Barry is sure to walk away with top honors as the dumbest guest at the party and Tim will be sure to get that promotion.

Bad move Tim. Barry also has a knack of inadvertently creating a whirlwind of trouble for anyone he comes in contact with. So after Barry invites the female stalker (nicely played by Lucy Punch) that Tim has been trying to avoid for three years to Tim's apartment, his girlfriend leaves him, the downward spiral begins.

Carell and Rudd are good to watch, Rudd particularly showing a great knack for physical comedy, and straight man to Carell. Carell is all goofiness, but manages to keep things in check, in a role Jerry Lewis would have loved in his younger days, but would have horribly overplayed.

Dinner for Schmucks works surprisingly well —  most of the time, but it seems a bit long and would have played out better coming in just under 90 minutes instead of nearly two-hours. The big payoff works just fine though as director Jay Roach (Meet the Parents, Austin Powers) assembles  a bunch of amazing people for that final dinner party competition.

It becomes a crazy free-for-all involving a real vulture, a man and his life-sized wooden woman partner who does all the talking and more.

And Tim and Barry, literally, almost bring the house down.

Stick around for the closing credits and more of Barry’s rodent dioramas, which also sum of it the fate of the characters in the film.

Critic's rating: C+

Rated PG-13