Fine art has a way of turning a mirror to society and asking the audience, "What would you do?" Given a confounding situation with no easy answer, we are left to writhe and wonder, reassessing our own beliefs.

Unfaithfulness is one of those hazy topics. And if one were to hear the tagline "Ron Howard's 'The Dilemma'" on its own, one might think it would be a film on par with Opie's greater achievements: "A Beautiful Mind," "Apollo 13," etc. Perhaps, we'd see Russell Crowe mulling an affair after his paraplegic wife, Nicole Kidman, signs the will. Something Oscar-worthy. Something gripping.

Instead, we get a scattershot dramedy anchored by doughboys Vince Vaughn and Kevin James who are curiously loved by svelte, smart kittens Jennifer Connelly and Winona Ryder. It's a cynical think piece for Stay Puft Marshmallow Men.

Boastful Ronny (Vaughn) and the "brains" Nick (James) have been buds since college, and they now sell car engines to automobile companies. They've earned a meeting with Chrysler to develop a "manlier" hybrid. (The scene where Ronny calls the fuel-efficient vehicles "gay" has been the source of much controversy. Its accompanying imagery and insistence that "I don't mean homosexual" won't quell the outcry. Mostly because it's not that funny to begin with.) To meet the company's demands, the duo must put in overtime to perfect the engine, causing the good old boys to neglect their women.

To prove to his beloved Beth (Connelly) that this job won't tear them apart, Ronny starts scouting locations for his marriage proposal. He surveys the local arboretum (managed by cameo king and the director's brother Clint Howard) and witnesses Nick's wife, Geneva (Ryder) canoodling with some young stud (Channing Tatum, totally taking the piss out of himself here). Ronny face-plants into some poisonous foliage, literally wearing his embarrassment when he returns home to a suspicious Beth. The script tosses in a convenient gambling problem Ronny once battled to escalate "the dilemma" of revealing the infidelity. Who would believe a recovering addict?

From this springs the only real moment of acting in the overwrought movie. (Because, let's face it, Vaughn and James are sleepwalking in their too-cozy roles.) Ronny confronts Geneva about what he saw, and Ryder ups the ante, riding a manic-depressive roller coaster usually reserved for, well, Howard's better films. Geneva's palpable hurt is the lone factor keeping "The Dilemma" on the rails while the rest of the story goes unhinged. (Queen Latifah's stint as an in-your-face Chrysler lackey is uncomfortable and overly gratuitous. Every mention of her "lady wood" made this writer grimace.)

Like Ronny's response to Geneva's cheating, the film drags. The contrived climax needs a kick in the pants, as does the stomach-churning scene of him describing his complicated urination to the pitiable Beth. Potty humor and serious topics just don't jive. Ron Howard should know better, lest he be willing to flush that Academy Award down the toilet. And though he's helmed lighter fare in the past ("Splash," "The Da Vinci Code"), "The Dilemma" doesn't show an iota of that sparkle.

This dud might have been more appealing had it not depended so much on one-liners. Being faithful in a relationship may not be a laughing matter, but "The Dilemma" could've used more tact and tenderness.

"The Dilemma." Rated: PG-13. Running time: 1 hour, 57 minutes. 1.5 stars.

To find out more about Melissa Bobbitt and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.