Movie Review: The Dilemma

A few months ago I wrote a post about how high concept movies are doomed at the box-office.  The Dilemma further confirms my theory.  It’s a story about a man who finds out his best friend’s wife is having an affair, and he’s plagued about what to do.  I don’t need to write anything further about the plot, because the film never survives the concept.  The only funny moment of the entire film was shockingly executed by Channing Tatum, who plays the man that Winona Ryder’s character is sleeping with.  Other than that, you’ve just got two friends, a “dilemma,” and two relatively boring female characters.

Why Won’t Winona Ryder Discuss Her Shoplifting Arrest?

Aside from her very interesting experience with Mel Gibson, Winona Ryder’s GQ interview leaves much to be desired. She was arrested in 2001 for shoplifting, yet she never addresses that big, fat elephant.  When asked, Ryder said, “It’s just like, nothing… I don’t, like, even… I mean, I know people still… I apologize, ’cause I understand the curiosity. I just don’t really want to go there.”  She also says that she’s not getting the same roles because of her age, as they are all going to younger actresses.  Either Winona’s representation isn’t doing their job, or she isn’t listening to them.  So I’m going to do her a favor and release a statement on her behalf, so that she knows what to say the next time she’s asked.  Here goes — “It’s something that I hope one day to put completely behind me.  I was in a very dark place at the time, and I’ve done a lot of personal soul-searching since.  That’s all I can really do.”  Easy enough?  What she shouldn’t do is evade the topic altogether by saying, “I just really don’t want to go there.” Until Winona sits down with Barbara Walters and discusses this, her career will never fully recover.  It’s not an age issue — it’s a PR issue.