- 7
There is much to say about the love that, except in comedies, dare not speak its name ? the kind between straight men. The Dilemma says enough of it to be interesting.
—Kyle Smith New York Post
- 6
It never coheres as well as it should, but the film makes a fine mess.
—Scott Tobias Onion AV Club
- 6
the movie is not all that deep, but it does go further than many of its kind in acknowledging the hurt and difficulty that are the deep wellsprings of any comedy worthy of the name. Which, to come full circle, is what The Dilemma, against all expectations, turns out to be.
—A. O. Scott New York Times
- 6
Those expecting a trademark Vince Vaughn Wedding Crashers-style laughfest will be disappointed -- and those who hate Vince Vaughn Wedding Crashers-style laughfests will be surprisingly impressed.
—Dezhda Gaubert E!
- 6
The dilemma of The Dilemma is that the conundrum at the center of the story isn't particularly hilarious...
—Lisa Schwarzbaum Entertainment Weekly
- 6
What The Dilemma ultimately does best is create a platform for Vaughn to drag an iconic character of his into full-blown adulthood.
—Betsy Sharkey Los Angeles Times
- 5
Just jettisoning the crudeness and sitcom stylings of typical recent Vaughn or James vehicles, it turns out, isn't enough. There is a dark but funny, likable but truthful movie that could be made from this material, maybe even with the same cast. But best efforts or not, The Dilemma isn't quite it.
—Jesse Hassenger filmcritic.com
- 5
...fundamentally misdirected -- or rather, directed in a style to be named later -- and all over the place in a way [director] Howard's films rarely are.
—Michael Phillips Chicago Tribune
- 5
The January movie burial ground claims another victim. RIP.
—Peter Travers Rolling Stone
- 4
...(tries) extra hard to find humor in things that just aren't funny.
—Kirk Honeycutt Hollywood Reporter
- 4
...at 110 minutes, it's a long haul indeed; the stabs at seriousness deflate the comedy, and the feeble yuks trivialize the drama.
—Justin Chang Variety
- 4
The Dilemma veers so wildly from bromance to drama it's hard to tell whether Howard is making a comedy or taking an unflinching look at relationships.
—Claudia Puig USA Today
- 4
...a movie that Ron Howard probably wishes he could delete from his filmography. It's being promoted as a goofball comedy but it's more like a goofball melodrama interlaced with unfunny slapstick.
—Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor
- 3
...purely by-the-numbers...
—Paul Schrodt Slant Magazine
- 2
...a mess, in short -- not comedy, not drama, not clever, not insightful, only forgettable. What were we talking about again?
—Robert WIlonsky LA Weekly