Revs high and low: 'The Dilemma' Trailer HD

With a talent pool as deep as it has, th viewer has a right to expect more from The Dilemma than it actually delivers. Love them or hate the, the contrasting styles (and physiques) of leads Vince Vaughn and Kevin James held out the promise of at least a solid comedic match-up.

Add to that the not inconsiderable talents of director Ron Howard and the ongoing "stealth comeback" of former shoplifter Winona Ryder and one is even more disappointed that this well-meaning comedy revs high and low, much in tandem with the electric motor that its protagonists are hired to develop, at least at first.

The show starts promisingly enough, with a dinner double-date showing the two with their significant others. Nick (James) is married to Geneva(Ryder), while Ronny (Vaughn) is on the verge of lifelong commitment to Beth (Jennifer Connolley). The men are about to clinch a major partnership with the Chrysler Company, egged on by a "maverick" VP (Queen Latifah, with her now typical spunk and verve) inside the car giant. Things, it seem, cannot possibly get any better.

And they don't, neither for the characters, nor the film as a whole. On a visit to a local botanical gardens that he's scouting as a "pop the question" location, Ronny catches Geneva cheating with an (inexplicably)  rich rocker type named Zip (Channing Tatum). Therein lies the dilemma of the title - should he tell his best friend that he's being played, right at the critical moment when their careers and finances are on the line, or does he play it cool and save the revelations for a less hectic period?

The main problem with Dilemma is that apart from a coffee shop confrontation between Ronny and Geneva, a more boisterous encounter between himself and Zip, and a near-hilarious toast by Ronny to his intended's parents on their 40th anniversary, the comedy has little spark. Vaughn shows only flashes of the genius that illuminated Slackers and The Wedding Crashers . Ryder and James are good, but not good enough to make their characters or situations resonate.

By the time all is revealed, the average viewer will really caring more about the outcome of the car project than the whole sorry mess.