I recently saw “Dinner For Schmucks” after wanting to see it for a while. I am a Steve Carell fan, and I can’t get enough of “The Office.”

         I had heard mixed reviews of “Dinner for Schmucks” however, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. For those who haven’t seen it or those who are not familiar with the plot, Paul Rudd plays Tim, an executive who is working to move up in his job within his company. He learns about a dinner that his fellow co-workers host annually where they each bring a guest who they secretly make fun of.

       At first, Tim doesn’t know what he should do. While his longtime girlfriend Julie (Stephanie Szostak) tells him it’s wrong, Tim yearns to move up in his company. As he searches for an excuse to get out of the dinner, he meets Barry (Carell), the seemingly perfect person for the dinner.

       The movie is followed by a series of misunderstandings and unfortunate incidents leading up to the dinner. Does Tim attend the dinner? I won’t tell you that, but I will tell you what I thought of the movie.

         The reason I saw this movie is because I love comedies, and I’ve already expressed my love for Steve Carell. Carell is obviously a gifted actor, and is this movie, “Barry” is loveable. But it is not the same kind of loveable we get with Michael Scott in “The Office.” It is a different kind of loveable. Carell’s performance in the film is very good.

          As much as I wanted to give this movie a great review, and as much as I was expecting I would be falling out of my chair laughing, I unfortunately was not. Maybe my hopes for this movie were too high. Maybe I was expecting the laughs that come from an episode of “The Office” to come out. Sure, the movie had its moments…there were chuckles and giggles, but sadly, there was not the belly-aching, can’t breathe, choke-on-your-popcorn kind of laughter I was hoping for. The movie did have a good message, and it was heartwarming.

          To sum it all up, the acting in the movie was well done, especially on Carell’s part. It was funny, but not hysterical. As much as I hate to say it, “Dinner for Schmucks” was a movie that I considered to be “not bad.” I really didn’t want to feel this way!

         On a rating system that I just completely made up off the top of my head, I would give “Dinner for Schmucks” three slices of bacon out of five.