Dinner for Schmucks

Directed by: Jay Roach Cast: Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, Jemaine Clement, Zach Galifianakis Running Time: 1 hr 50 mins Rating: PG-13 Release Date: July 30, 2010

PLOT: Tim (Rudd) is a rising executive who needs to find the perfect guest for a dinner party. "Perfect" means "the worst" and Tim finds his chance to win with an IRS employee (Carell).

Jake's Take on Steve Carell and Paul Rudd

Most people think that interviewing comedians would be one of the most fun things in the world, and while it does sometimes have the potential to be (just try getting in a question when you're interviewing Robin Williams), you'll often find that comedians are -- in person -- often times more serious, more low-key, and down right less funny than their on-screen persona implies.

Now this is not an attack on comedians -- it would be impossible if we expected them to be funny with every breath of their life, but it does put the interviewer in an awkward position. When people see that you're interviewing Steve Carell and Paul Rudd, they expect big laughs. But as you watch this interview, the things that are funny to me are the low key jokes that keep popping up (especially Paul's love of local Kansas politics) and just watch how Steve Carell lights up when I ask a more serious question rather than one that allowed for funny moments.

I'd had the pleasure of talking to both of these guys before (each previous interview being funnier than this one -- Steve was paired with Tina Fey for Date Night and Paul was paired with Jason Segel for I Love You, Man), but these guys are always incredibly kind to me and they show that they have something more to say other than, "That's what she said."

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zn-cpcJ51bc