Ron Howard’s latest film stars Vince Vaughn and Kevin James as Ronny Valentine and Nick Brannen, friends and business partners who fall victim to a series of unfortunate circumstances. Everything is going swimmingly for the duo – they are offered a contract from a major motor vehicle manufacturer, and Ronny is preparing to propose to his girlfriend Beth (Jennifer Connolly). But things take a turn for the worse when Ronny spots Nick’s wife Geneva (Winona Ryder) getting steamy with another man. The ensuing drama threatens to end not only Nick’s marriage, but his friendship with Ronny, and Ronny’s relationship with Beth.

The film is substantially more dramatic, and substantially less funny than it’s trailer would lead us to believe. This is for the best, however, since the movie has some very poignant moments, taking stabs at serious topics like morality and ethics. And what it lacks in humor, it makes up for in charm and substance, with pleasantly solid performances all around. The movie certainly has its share of funny bits, but go into it expecting a drama and you’ll be better prepared for what unfolds.

Historically, Ron Howard is not a comedic director. He is most famous for his earnest and inspiring films, like A Beautiful Mind and Apollo 13, but has been known to deviate from this niche (2000′s The Grinch with Jim Carey, for example). With The Dilemma, Howard has taken his predisposition towards films with heart, and applied it to a mediocre anti-romcom script. The result is a film that views like a mainstream indie – walking the line between drama and comedy while tackling issues like relationships and morality, but basing the film extensively around an overly simple premise. The result is something that doesn’t fit snuggly in any category, save the comedy/drama hybrid, ‘Dramedy’ genre. And as Dramedys go, its certainly not the best out there. It’s a stand alone film, but it suffers the same fate as far too many recent films: it doesn’t bring anything to the screen that audiences haven’t seen before.

Fans of Vince Vaughn will not be disappointed by The Dilemma – the actor’s speedy line deliveries and frank manner of speech help the film to stay fun and compelling, even when it goes in darker directions. Kevin James is as goofy and loveable as we have come to expect from him, adding some excellent physical comedy while demonstrating impressive dramatic chops when the script calls for them. The two protagonists have great chemistry together, and it’s not hard to imagine that they really have been friends for 20 years. Jennifer Connolly and Winona Ryder are in equally good form, counterpointing each others characters nicely. Connolly’s honest and open Beth seems almost saintly paired against cheating, lying Geneva. But easily the most impressive performance in the film is turned in by none other than Channing Tatum, in a

small role as Zip, the other man Geneva has been seeing. He flip-flops from badass tough guy to sensitive gentleman at the drop of the hat, and brings an impressive amount of life and humor to a character that might otherwise have been flat and device-y. It makes up for Queen Latifah’s character, one with seemingly no purpose in the film other than to say strange and disturbing lines of dialogue, such as referencing her ‘lady wood’. Her character is not a necessary component in the film, and detracts from it more than it helps the story along.

The Dilemma is a great film, in that it achieves all of its goals. It sets up a very clear cut scenario, and explores in great detail one character’s struggles as he tries to work through a sticky situation. But it suffers from a lack of originality, and even it’s impressive array of plot twists don’t redeem it from this setback. It’s the kind of plot that would lend itself better to an episode of a sitcom more aptly than it would to a film. Taking all of this into account though, it’s worth seeing if you’re a fan of Ron Howard, Vince Vaugn, Kevin James, or especially Channing Tatum. But Queen Latifah fans might be better off sitting this one out.