It is fun... great performances..but yes a little contrived...

Rating: 8/10 (4 November 2006)

I did enjoy it enormously..extremely black humor..good things first.... Greg Kinnear as ever believable and extremely competent..frustrated and beautifully frustrating.. little Abigail charming and jolly good.... Toni Collette excellent and holds it together Steve Carrell I thought understated and the Proust thing a little far-fetched but enjoyed how his character got over his depression Alan Arkin ..well the role a little contrived
Story may have been derivative but enjoyable and direction moved it along at a decent pace
The satire on the beauty pageant marvelous and the host was wonderfully grotesque what was really funny - obviously the cop scene and removing the body and the end was great
and the contrived? ... obviously the meeting of Frank with his lover at the gas station was horrible and the whole charge to the pageant and the stereotypical judge was a serious rehash..
but overall..splendid fun and well worth it