You, Me and Dupree is a comedy film released on July 14, 2006. It is directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, written by Mike LeSieur, and produced by Mary Parent, Scott Stuber, and Owen Wilson.
The film revolves around newlyweds Carl and Molly Peterson (Matt Dillon and Kate Hudson), inviting the best man of their wedding, Randolph Dupree (Wilson), to move in with them, after he has lost his job and apartment. But Dupree inevitably overstays his welcome.
Plot summary
Molly (Kate Hudson) and Carl (Matt Dillon) are preparing for their wedding day in Hawaii, until Carl's friend Neil (Seth Rogen) interrupts to say that Dupree (Owen Wilson) got lost. They drive off together to pick up Dupree, who appeared to have hitched a ride with a light plane after landing on the wrong island. A day before the wedding, Molly's father (Michael Douglas), who is also CEO of the company that Carl works for, makes a toast with humorous remarks at Carl's expense, foreshadowing a conflict between the two. Later at a pre-celebration at a bar, Carl neglects Dupree to be with Molly while he is about to perform a drinking tradition. Carl and Dupree later make up on the beach, as Dupree apologizes for laughing at Molly's father's jokes, and tells Carl that he has "Carlness." At the wedding, Dupree shows up with a little badge with a lightning bolt with the letters "BM" (best man). Carl and Molly get married and move into their new house, opening gifts, and recording their answering machine message. When Carl returns to work, at Molly's father's Thompson Land Development, he is surprised to find that Mr. Thompson has promoted him to be in charge of a design he proposed, though it had been altered somewhat. Eventually, the relationship between the two of them becomes tense as Carl finds he's being pigeonholed by his new father-in-law. Mr. Thompson makes absurd requests which proceed to get worse, starting with Thompson's drastic reimagining of Carl's new architecture project, requesting that Carl take the Thompson name instead and that Carl get a vasectomy to prevent childbearing later on.
Before returning home to celebrate his promotion with Molly, Carl stops by the bar, where he finds Neil and Dupree. After Neil leaves due to his wife's curfew, Dupree reveals that he was fired, as he apparently did not have clearance to attend the wedding, subsequently falling behind in his rent and evicted. Losing his car also, as it was the company's, Dupree had been sleeping in a cot at the bar. Carl takes Dupree home, asking Molly if he can stay for a little while until he gets back on his feet. Molly is polite, though clearly frustrated, as Dupree brings in all his belongings, including a moose head. The next morning Molly and Carl find Dupree, sleeping naked, on their new couch.
During his stay, Dupree makes a little effort to find employment, but in a job interview he says that he is not a workhorse and wants to work to live, not live to work.
He is disruptive and messy, flooding the bathroom, and walking in on Molly and Carl in the bedroom. Molly sets up Dupree with a woman at her work, a primary school, who is a Mormon librarian. Dupree agrees, though Molly is shocked to find them together when she opens her front door coming home from dinner. Romantic candles burn down the front of the living room and Dupree is evicted. Later it is discovered Dupree used butter to lubricate his penis while having sex with his date.
Meanwhile Carl is being continually stressed out from work, though he and Molly find time to go out for dinner. On the way back they find Dupree sitting on a bench in heavy rain with his belongings. Molly insists they take him back in. Carl makes it known that Dupree must behave this time. The next day, Dupree makes amends, refurbishing the living room, and doing Carl's thank-you letters, as well as making friends with kids from the block. Carl asks Dupree to go to career day at Molly's work as he got tied up at his work. Dupree fills in, even managing to inspire the kids, pleasing Molly. That night Dupree cooks a large dinner for Molly, though Carl is late again, so Molly and Dupree start without him. When Carl finally shows up, he is a little jealous that they were having dinner together, and have a fight.
The next night Dupree masturbates to pornography that Carl hides from Molly. Molly comes down and discovers what he's doing and is completely shocked. Carl wakes up and is concerned about Molly discovering his collection. She finds his collection of Chinese pornography and is now angry at him. Under her pressure, Carl throws it away. Neil hears of this and is somewhat shocked. He comes and collects the collection of pornography from the trash can.
Carl kicks Dupree out, suspecting an affair, which shocks Dupree. The following night, Mr. Thompson is over for dinner. Dupree climbs the drain pipe and sneaks inside to get his bags back, and during dinner the guests inside hear Dupree fall off the roof. Dupree is found outside and is invited in for dinner, much to the displeasure of Carl. After Mr. Thompson takes a liking to Dupree and asks him to go fishing with him (primarily to irritate Carl which Molly senses), it enrages Carl, who jumps across the table and strangles Dupree; Thompson hits Carl over the head with a candlestick shortly after. After returning from the hospital with a neck brace, Dupree and Molly confront Mr. Thompson about what he really thinks of his new son-in-law, while Carl had left. The next morning Dupree gets all the local kids to search for Carl. Dupree eventually finds Carl in the bar, and convinces him to chase after Molly, after Carl realizes how much she really means to him. Dupree helps Carl break in to Mr. Thompson's office, as Dupree distracts Paco, the security guard, whilst Carl marches into his father-in-law's office and confronts him. The two finally reach an understanding and Thompson admits to his agenda of insulting Carl. Dupree, being chased by the security guard, falls through the false ceiling, landing on the table. Dupree and Carl return to the house, where Carl and Molly reunite, Carl apologizing, and agree to work it all out. Dupree jumps for joy.
Dupree becomes an author and a motivational speaker, with Paco now at his side as his number two.
After the End Credits, Lance Armstrong is shown lying down on the grass reading Dupree's own book repeating the word "Lance-ness" to himself with different pronunciations.
Production
The film's production budget totalled $54 million.[1] Composer Rolfe Kent scored the film, and at the very last minute - a mere week before the press screenings - his score was replaced by one written by Theodore Shapiro. The scene that has Dupree arriving by plane on the wrong island was shot in the same valley as Jurassic Park. In the special features of the film, there is a different version trailer of You, Me and Dupree where in the trailer Dupree and Molly are married and Carl moves in. The DVD version of the film also contains a re-cut trailer horror/thriller version of the film.
Cast
Reception
The film holds a 22 percent rating on the film review site Rotten Tomatoes, and most critical reactions have been negative. In release for 84 days in movie theaters domestically, the movie grossed $75,628,110, and in addition earned $54,717,515 in foreign markets, for a worldwide total of $130,345,625. [1]
Alleged Name theft
The film's title caused a minor stir as the uncommon name, Dupree, is the same as the title character in the Steely Dan song "Cousin Dupree" from their 2001 album, Two Against Nature. Steely Dan founders, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker wrote a somewhat tongue-in-cheek letter to actor Owen Wilson's brother Luke Wilson about the apparent absconding of their character's name.[2] The duo invited Wilson to make up for the "theft" of their character's name by coming on stage with them at one of their concerts to sing with the group. Wilson gave his response to the group in another tongue-in-cheek manner by stating, ""I have never heard the song 'Cousin Dupree' and I don't even know who this gentleman, Mr. Steely Dan, is. I hope this helps to clear things up and I can get back to concentrating on my new movie, 'HEY 19.'"[3]
References
External links
