Sometimes people surprise us, especially when we think we have them pigeonholed. Someone can come across as irritating and then overnight transform into a person with special charms. That is what happens in this comedy directed by Anthony and Joe Russo.

Randy Dupree (Owen Wilson) shows up late for his best friend Carl's (Matt Dillon) wedding. He always has to have things his way; for example, he wants to wear a special button declaring that he is "the best man." After marrying Molly (Kate Hudson), a schoolteacher, Carl purchases a new suburban home and gets a promotion on his job as a land developer. His boss is Mr. Thompson (Michael Douglas), Molly's successful and manipulative father who doesn't have much respect for his new son-in-law. Carl is convinced that he is being set up for a fall, which creates a lot of pressure, but he toughs it out.

There's trouble brewing at home as well. Dupree has lost his job and has no place to stay so Carl and Molly take him in, letting him sleep on their couch. Dupree screws things up with an overflowing toilet, a fire in the living room, and taking advantage of their kindness in countless ways. His philosophy is to enjoy life and not work too hard. The longer he stays with his friends, the more he angers them with his irresponsible ways. The kids in the neighborhood love him; he is just an adult who never lost his playfulness. When Carl can't make good on a promise to speak to Molly's class on career day, Dupree substitutes for him and salutes the pleasures of being nimble and going with the flow. The person most surprised by this trickster is Molly who suddenly sees a man who isn't afraid to express his emotions in poetry or who in the enthusiastic way he rides his ten-speed bike.

In a heart-to-heart with Carl, Dupree tells him that what he likes best about him is his "Carl-ness," that special spark of vitality that separates him from everybody else. This little speech alone is worth the price of the ticket. Throughout the screenplay, writer Mike LeSieur salutes the spiritual practice of you. Most of us are so much more than we think we are and the best thing a friend can do is to help us see and appreciate that miracle. "Each of us has access codes to the many stations of our being. Our tendency is to forget to update them and to tune ourselves day after day to the same old programs," Jean Houston writes in A Passion for the Possible: A Guide to Realizing Your True Potential. Dupree enables Carl to access a courageous and truthful part of himself which he had lost or buried. Once he gets in touch with his soul, everything seems clearer. The bang-up grand finale of You, Me and Dupree will make you feel good.