“The Dilemma” is a comedy starring Vince Vaughn, Kevin James and Winona Ryder. The film is directed by award winning director, Ron Howard, who has directed such films as “A Beautiful Mind” and “The Da Vinci Code.”

Vaughn and James play best friends Ronny and Nick who are partners at an engine company. After they take on a major project to construct an electric engine that sounds like a muscle car, Ronny finds out that Nick’s wife, Geneva (Ryder), is having an affair. Ronny is put in a situation where he must decide between jeopardizing the project by telling his best friend about the affair or keeping the secret from him and potentially ruining the friendship.

“The Dilemma” is a film that asks questions and causes the viewer to picture themselves in the situations of the characters. It brings up the concept of trust and how everyone has secrets. The movie makes the viewers put themselves in Ronny’s shoes. This is probably the strongest aspect of the film and is the catalyst for much of the movie.

The cast is definitely one of the highlights of the movie. Vaughn and James exhibit a natural chemistry that helps them in some clever moments of witty banter. They appear to have a genuine friendship. While Vaughn seems to be the focus of the film, James shines in his scenes. Ryder also does a good job and works well with both Vaughn and James. At some points, Ryder causes the viewer to sympathize with her, even though she’s cheating on her husband.

While the film does ask valid questions about dating and relationships in general, it still drags on a bit too much for a film that only runs 111 minutes. It also attempts to establish a pretty heavy back story fairly quickly, which affects the rest of the movie. There are some action sequences in the film that seem a little unnecessary and were probably added for a cheap laugh. The film tries to take on a lot of material between the affair, Vaughn’s relationship and the business deal. It doesn’t deal with each thing individually too well, however.

Don’t expect to be impressed by “The Dilemma.” It’s clever and somewhat inquisitive. The acting is good, and the script is witty and funny, but it is definitely not a “must see” film. Unfortunately, there is a little too much material and not enough direction for this film to go above and beyond and truly impact the viewer. If you go in with low expectations you will be satisfied, but this is not a film worth trudging through the snow for.

Jeff Mitchell can be reached at [email protected].