'The Dilemma': buddy movie with a dark streak

Hidden in the bag of bland popcorn that is "The Dilemma" are several bitter kernels of truth. This is only fair warning so you don't break your teeth on them.

Presenting itself as a broad buddy comedy, the movie stars Vince Vaughn as slick-talking Ronny and Kevin James as sensitive Nick, lifelong friends who run an automotive business in Chicago. The sitcomish premise kicks in when Ronny spots Nick's wife, Geneva (a very good Winona Ryder), going hot and heavy with a bit of rough trade named Zip (Channing Tatum). Hence, the film's title: To tell or not to tell?

You can expect the usual slapstick, off-color humor and several of Vaughn's joke-a-minute monologues. But it's possible that the script, by Allan Loeb ("Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps"), started out as something better. Director Ron Howard tries to keep it light and silly, but occasionally he's forced to walk down the story's darker avenues.

When he does, things can really crackle. "You don't know about what goes on behind the curtain of a marriage," Geneva tells Ronny, minus an expletive. She's right: Ronny can't even put a ring on the finger of his patient girlfriend, Beth (Jennifer Connelly). And while Geneva is no innocent, it turns out everyone here has something to hide.

The movie's many surprises, including a wildly emotional confrontation between Ronny and Zip, make its predictability even more disappointing. "The Dilemma" seems caught between staying true to itself and taking the easy route. Ultimately, it makes the wrong choice.