The Dilemma was released on January 14th in theaters nationwide. The movie brought in over $20 million at the box office over the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday weekend.  The Dilemma ranked second to the competing comedy film The Green Hornet, which was released on the same day.  Despite ranking second, the film’s performance at the box office was above the studio’s expectations; because of the lack of promotion for the movie, the studio feared a catastrophic opening weekend for the movie.   

The Dilemma centers on Ronny Valentine (Vince Vaughn) and Nick Brannen (Kevin James) who have been best friends since college and are now business partners in an auto design firm.  The pair is attempting their biggest project yet: an environmentally friendly engine with the sound and feel of a classic American muscle car.  Landing this deal would make their firm famous; however, in the days leading up to the critical presentation, Valentine discovers something.  While visiting a botanical garden, Valentine sees Brennan’s wife, Geneva (Winona Ryder) kissing another, younger man (Channing Tatum).  Valentine immediately begins an amateur investigation to discover answers.  However, the investigation falls into bedlam and chaos.  With the ever-important deadline approaching and pressure rising, Valentine must decide how and if he should tell Brennan about the affair. If he tells him, they could miss the deal, but if he does not, he could lose his best friend.

When watching The Dilemma, I could tell it was a more adult oriented film.  The majority of the audience in the theater was over the age of twenty-five, and the themes of the film were for an older audience: marriage and life-long friendship.  The movie did have a comedic appeal in several parts; however, there were not enough humorous scenes during the nearly two hour long, drawn out plot.  If you enjoy the acting of Vince Vaughn and Kevin James, they do not disappoint in this movie.  However, if you want a more comedic and action packed film, I would recommend a different movie.  Overall, I give The Dilemma two out of five paws.