The brilliant John Lithgow, twice Oscar nominee and beloved star of the excellent comedy series 3rd Rock From The Sun (which also starred a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt), was last seen taking a more dramatic turn this summer’s blockbuster, Rise of the Planet of the Apes.

Variety are reporting that he’ll next be returning to the world of comedy to star alongside Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis in Dog Fight, which will see,

“Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis star as two rival politicians running for a congressional seat in a small North Carolina district election.”

The film is to be directed by Jay Roach, whose credits include Austin Powers and Meet the Parents, with a script coming from Chris Henchy, who wrote the Ferrell comedies The Other Guys and Land of the Lost, and Shawn Harwell, who makes his feature debut after writing on Eastbound & Down.

Along with Ferrell and Galifianakis, Lithgow will be joining a cast that includes Jason Sudeikis, who was great in Horrible Bosses this year, Dylan McDermott, Sarah Baker, and Katherine LaNasa.

Ferrell and fellow producing partner Adam McKay will produce under their Gary Sanchez Productions shingle, along with Roach, under his Everyman Pictures, and Galifianakis.

Dog Fight already has a 10th August release date scheduled for next year in the States, and hopefully we’ll be getting a summer release for the film too, because it sounds like it has potential.

We’ve already seen the uncanny appearance of Julianne Moore as controversial Republican ‘soccer Mom’ Sarah Palin in HBO’s forthcoming adaptation of the best-selling book covering John McCain’s 2008 presidential bid (entitled Game Change).

Now (courtesy of Entertainment Weekly) here’s the first chance to see Ed Harris as the Senator in question. Directed by Meet the Parents helmer Jay Roach (who also made 2008 political biopic, Recount, for the same channel) the film also stars Woody Harrelson and Ron Livingston in the tale of McCain less-than-successful attempt to win the US Presidency.

Like Moore, Harris is also surprisingly similar in appearance to the person he’s portraying, although the way his wig sits in this particular photo, he looks a little like another real-life figure too (below).

HBO have released the first look image of Julianne Moore (The Kids Are All Right) as Sarah Palin in HBO’s Game Change.

Game Change is about the 2008 presidential election and follows John McCain’s campaign, from his selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate to their ultimate defeat in the general election.

Ed Harris, Woody Harrelson, Melissa Farman, Larry Sullivan and Jamey Sheridan will star opposite Moore.

Jay Roach (Meet the Parents) is attached to direct, with production set to begin on Wednesday.

Check out the first look image below:

Source: THR

Following on from the news of Julianne Moore being cast as Sarah Palin in HBO’s Game Change, another equally solid actor is now onboard to play her once intended first-in-command.

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that Ed Harris will play presidential candidate John McCain in the film, which focuses on the Republican’s 2008 presidential campaign and defeat.

The film is being made by Austin Powers/Meet The Parents helmer Jay Roach – a seemingly left-field choice for such material, but he was also behind HBO’s 2008 Emmy-winning politically-themed Recount.

The Hollywood Reporter are reporting that Julianne Moore is set to portray Governor Sarah Palin in HBO and Everyman Picture’s forthcoming adaptation of the book Game Change, written by John Heilmann and Mark Halperin, which follows the events of the 2008 presidential election where Palin was John McCain’s running mate.

Moore is an interesting choice given her support for left leaning policies that contradict the beliefs of who she will be portraying. Although in recent years we have seen the likes of W which had a number of left leaning people involved in portraying George Bush’s time in office. Here’s hoping Game Change is considerable better than W though.

News on who will be filling other key roles has yet to be revealed but Jay Roach will be directing with a script by Danny Strong, a start date for the production has also yet to be announced. Roach is more commonly associated with comedies but has previously tackled political material with the star studded TV movie Recount, which was also written by Strong.

You’d have thought that Tina Fey would have been an ideal choice given her SNL performances but obviously they’re not going for the comedic angle. Whether this will be released theatrically or will be a TV special has yet to be announced but given the involvement of Moore it’s safe to say that some Awards season recognition is expected.

Dinner for Schmucks is released next Monday, 17th January on DVD & Blu-ray and those lovely people at Paramount Home Entertainment have been kind enough to give us three copies on DVD to give away to you, our readers. Dinner for Schmucks is directed by Jay Loach and stars Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd and Zach Galifianakis. The premise of the movie is that office workers have to bring someone they think odd to a dinner party and compete to bring the strangest gust.

Synopsis: “Dinner for Schmucks” tells the story of Tim (Paul Rudd), a guy on the verge of having it all. The only thing standing between him and total career success is finding the perfect guest to bring to his boss’ annual Dinner for Extraordinary People, an event where the winner of the evening brings the most eccentric character as his guest. Enter Barry (Steve Carell), a guy with a passion for dressing mice up in tiny outfits to recreate great works of art. From Jay Roach, director of “Meet the Parents” and “Meet the Fockers” comes an unforgettable feast about two unlikely friends and one very memorable dinner.

Dinner for Schmucks is available to buy here or rent here.

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, all you have to do is join the HeyUGuys and Dinner for Schmucks Facebook Fan Pages and then answer the following question using the form below:

Which British comedian plays the character of Müeller in Dinner for Schmucks?

The small print:

• Only one entry per household will be counted
• The competition will close January 21st at 23.59 GMT
• The winner will be picked at random from entries received

The usual T&Cs can be found here. Good Luck!

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED

Well it looks like we could see Jay Roach, director of Dinner for Schmucks and Meet the Parents, helming a satirical comedy about the 2012 presidential election.

According to Deadline, the comedy would star Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as the two opposing candidates in the race. One important aspect of the pitch is that the film would be released in 2012 just in time for the election, or maybe even during it.

Deadline happened to mention that a woman should be featured as a candidate since chances are, Palin or Clinton may run for office. I definitely have to agree with them since any film that parodies a woman who can’t speak intelligently or one that is probably smarter than her male counterparts could lead to something rather comical in my opinion.

Let’s hope that when people say that “everybody’s interested” in the film they really mean it. The film has a lot of potential to be a hysterical satire so keep a look out for updates about this unknown project in the future.

Nice guy Tim Conrad (Paul Rudd) has determined to escape from life as a cubicle drone and ascend to the lofty heights of the executive floor at Fender Financial.  Optimistic, in the face of recent rejection, that girlfriend Julie will soon consent to an ‘upgrade’ to fiancée he believes his success will secure their happily ever after.  Opportunity knocks when company head Lance Fender offers him an audition for a future with the company – an invitation to his exclusive Winner’s Dinner.  The price of entry: bring your own schmuck!

Tim cannot in good conscience attend.  He has given his word to Julie that he will not.  Tim always keeps his word, after all he is a nice guy. At least he was, until heartbroken IRS man Barry Speck stumbled in front of his car and unleashed his well-meaning friendship upon Tim’s once happy life.  Barry’s hobby is so preposterous and his life so inconsequential that the gentle saboteur seems the ideal guest for dinner and promotion a mere three courses away…

I have yet to see Le Dîner de Cons, the 1998 French farce which inspired Dinner for Schmucks, but I must confess I’d had higher hopes for the material.  I had imagined a black comedy in the vein of In the Company of Men (perhaps with a slightly lighter heart) – the pratfalls and Carry On quality of the bondage gags came as something of a shock to the system.  The careless cruelty of the Winner’s Dinner is a lovely set-up for a comedy and when dinner finally arrives it is well worth the wait.  However, the story takes such a meandering path to the table that at times I found my mind wandering away from the film altogether.

The strengths of Dinner for Schmucks lie almost entirely in its performances, the weaknesses in its plot.  The supporting cast (including The IT Crowd’s Chris O’Dowd) were an utter treat – underpinning the weaker moments of the story – and a sub-plot involving Julie’s sexually incontinent client Kieran (Flight of the Conchords’ Jemaine Clement) was almost worth the price of entry alone.  Kieran’s ‘wild’ self-portraits and Barry’s rodent still lives provided the majority of the film’s genuinely funny moments and the opening scene united the entire audience in surprised laughter.  David Walliams also shone, albeit gaudily, as an odious prospective client, it was nice to see him finally play slightly against camp type.  And be sure to look out for Zach (The Hangover) Galifianakis’ mesmeric turn!

Where the film fails is in its desire to unite slapstick with sentiment, the script flaunts vulgar and lazy humour almost to the point of distaste.  Steve Carrell too confused, playing Barry with the strangest mix of tenderness – as the tragic clown who cannot see he is ridiculous – and clumsiness – as the circus clown who blunders, flails and falls.  Once the first course is served Dinner for Schmucks comes in to its own, but I fear for some it may arrive far too late.  The guests are a brilliantly conceived sideshow of the weird and the WTF.  Although the biggest schmucks at the table are, of course, the smug men in suits.

Notes of perfect melancholy, alongside the humour, saved this lopsided film from descending into soulless schlock.  I thoroughly enjoyed Paul Rudd’s performance – he was engaging & endearing – and his presence elevated the film above generic slapshtick.  In its entirety Dinner for Schmucks was undoubtedly flawed but there were irresistible moments of sheer delicious comedy which made it quite impossible to dislike.

Dinner for Schmucks is released in the UK on September 3rd

Sky Movies have posted an exclusive clip, ‘How Much’, from the Jay Roach’s comedy film, Dinner For Schmucks. The film stars such well-known comedic actors as Steve Carell (Get Smart), Paul Rudd (Role Models), Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover), Lucy Punch (Hot Fuzz) and Jemaine Clement (The Flight of the Conchords).

Synopsis: Tim (Rudd) is a rising executive who succeeds in finding the perfect guest, IRS employee Barry (Carell), for his boss’s monthly event, a so-called dinner for idiots, which offers certain advantages to the exec who shows up with the biggest buffoon.

Check out the exclusive clip embedded below:

If you live in the US, then you can catch Dinner For Schmucks in your local cineplex from Friday, whereas UK viewers will have to wait until August 20, 2010 to see this Carell-Rudd buddy comedy.

Nuts have posted an exclusive clip from the upcoming comedy film, Dinner For Schmucks. Directed by Jay Roach, the film stars such well-known comedic actors as Steve Carrel (Get Smart), Paul Rudd (Role Models), Zach Galifianakis (The Hangover), Lucy Punch (Hot Fuzz) and Jemaine Clement (The Flight of the Conchords).

Synopsis: Tim (Rudd) is a rising executive who “succeeds” in finding the perfect guest, IRS employee Barry (Carell), for his boss’s monthly event, a so-called “dinner for idiots,” which offers certain advantages to the exec who shows up with the biggest buffoon.

It looks like a fairly quirky comedy film, likely to be carried by Carrel and Rudd’s almost effortless charm and comedic timing. Roach’s reputation will attract audiences, having directed films in both the Austin Powers and Meet The Parents film series.

A new trailer and a set of clips for Dinner For Schmucks have turned up and look to be the best of the bunch released so far.

The remake of French comedy Le Diner De Cons (The Dinner Of Idiots or as the English name was, The Dinner Game) features Paul Rudd and Steve Carell in their first film together since Anchorman as a businessman invited to his boss’s dinner. Rudd has to bring the most ridiculous person he can find and you might have worked it out by now, but if not, that person is Steve Carell.

Alongside these two are a number of stellar comedy actors, from man of the moment Zach Galifianakis to Flight Of The Conchords’ Jemaine Clement and Kristen Schaal to David Walliams, it’s jam-packed.

The trailer looks good (far better than some of the other marketing material), the line-up looks promising, the director has some good comedies under his belt so this should be worth watching…

The end result remains to be seen, but here’s a sneak peek thanks to the new trailer and four new clips below:

Trailer Addict are great. As are Empire.

Reported by James Butlin

These images from the latest comedy from Jay Roach look far better than the truly execrable poster recently posted and show off the many talents on display including the pairing of Paul Rudd and Steve Carrell.

Also of note is the great pictures, included in the gallery below, of Little Britain’s own David Walliams with a wonderfully dotty dinner guest, other faces on display include Jemaine Clement, Jeff Dunham, Bruce Greenwood, Ron Livingston, Stephanie Szostak, and Lucy Davenport.

The trailer looks pretty good and the cast are more than capable of tickling our ribs, so here’s hoping when it arrives in the US at the end of July the reports are good.

Here’s the gallery, the pics arrived courtesy of ComingSoon and MTV

If the two trailers already out in the wild have not convinced you to check out Jay Roach’s comedy Dinner for Schmucks then this new poster won’t either.

It’s got a great cast, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and Zach Galifianakis are all very capable comedic actors and Jermaine Clement and the UK’s David Walliams apparently turn up – let’s face it, this is the type of cast who could remake Festen and it would be funny.

Now there’s a new poster out there for this remake of Francis Veber’s 1998 comedy Le diner de cons – Dinner for Idiots, and well… see for yourselves.

I’m all for inventive advertising – I’m all for big faces of celebrities emblazoned over an orange and blue concoction – but this…

Blimey.

The thought of seeing this poster in a public place makes me fear for the welfare of our citizens.

This is Empire’s fault, it was their exclusive.

Three of the funniest men in Hollywood (debatable I know but they all make me laugh!), Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd and Zach Galifianakis, all join forces in this new comedy directed by Jay Loach called Dinner for Schmucks.The premice of the movie is that office workers have to bring someone they think odd to a dinner party and compete to bring the strangest guest.

The idea sounds rather dull but I’m sure the calibre of these fine comedy actors will create something wonderful and I can’t wait to see it. The movie also stars Lucy Punch and Chris O’Dowd and is released in the UK 20th of August and the US 23rd July.
I’ve embedded the new trailer below but you can head over to Apple to view in HD.

Synopsis: “Dinner for Schmucks” tells the story of Tim (Paul Rudd), a guy on the verge of having it all. The only thing standing between him and total career success is finding the perfect guest to bring to his boss’ annual Dinner for Extraordinary People, an event where the winner of the evening brings the most eccentric character as his guest. Enter Barry (Steve Carell), a guy with a passion for dressing mice up in tiny outfits to recreate great works of art. From Jay Roach, director of “Meet the Parents” and “Meet the Fockers” comes an unforgettable feast about two unlikely friends and one very memorable dinner.

Remember Ron Livingston? He’s the actor who you may know from Band of Brothers, Swingers and one of my favourite films of all time, Office Space. He’s completely underrated as an actor which can be seen in the diversity of characters in Office Space and Band of Brothers.

Variety have given us information today stating that Livingston has joined the new Jay Roach comedy also set to star Paul Rudd and Steve Carell, “Dinner for Schmuck”.

Pic is an adaptation of the Francis Veber-helmed French film “Le dinner de cons,” in which a group of bourgeois friends regularly invite the biggest schmucks to dinner to ridicule them. Livingston’s recent credits include New Line’s “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and the indie “Holly.”