Newlyweds Carl (Dillon) and Molly (Hudson) are ready to relax.  The wedding is behind them and they plan on spending some quality time together in the quiet of their own home.  It’s time to start building a life together and do the things that married couples do.

There’s one problem though and his name is Randy Dupree (Wilson).  Dupree was Carl’s best man and the two have been close friends for many years.  In the days following the wedding, Carl discovered that Dupree had been sleeping in a bar because he’d lost his job, his car and his apartment for taking time off to attend to the wedding.

Feeling sympathetic, Carl lets Dupree move in.  Molly doesn’t like the idea but Carl promises that it will only be for a few days.  It’s just until Dupree can find a job and get back on his feet.  As you’d expect, it’s a recipe for disaster.  Dupree’s is deficient in household etiquette and the longer he stays, the more he gets on the nerves of both Carl and Molly.

What happens next is surprising.  Relationships in the house change but not in the way you might think.  This is where the film loses its credibility.  At the start of the film, Dupree appears to be a jealous of Carl.  He doesn’t want him spending time with Molly and this is why he moves in - to break them up.  He’s clearly lying about why he was fired from work and the fact that he shows no effort to get a new job tells me that he has an ulterior motive.

Why then does his personality change in the later stages of the film?  We are made to feel sorry for him but I don’t know why.  They should have just kept him as a lazy goofball instead of transforming him into a compassionate intellectual.

It’s a thin storyline but there are a few jokes worth chuckling over if you take the time to see it.  Michael Douglas makes an appearance as Molly’s father to boost the film’s star power.  It’s not his best role but it’s nice to hear his always recognisable voice.  This is his first time we’ve seen him on the big screen in Australia since The In-Laws was released in 2003.

Owen Wilson has been on a role with his comedic performances in Wedding Crashers, Starsky & Hutch and The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou.  He’s been due for a failure and sadly, I think this is it.