Synopsis

Newlyweds Carl and Molly Peterson expect married life to settle into a comfortable routine, but their plans are disrupted when Carl's best friend Dupree loses his job and moves into their home. What begins as a temporary favor becomes an increasingly chaotic test of friendship, loyalty, and marriage as Dupree's unconventional behavior strains the couple's relationship.

Factoids & Trivia

• Owen Wilson helped develop the film's premise with writer Mike LeSieur and also served as one of its producers.

• Wilson described Dupree's earnest, childlike nature as being partly inspired by the behavior of a dog.

• The film was shot in Hawaii and Southern California, with locations including Honolulu, Kauai, Irvine, Los Angeles, and Burbank.

• The title prompted a humorous complaint from Steely Dan members Donald Fagen and Walter Becker, whose song "Cousin Dupree" also features an unwanted houseguest named Dupree. The musicians suggested that the film had borrowed from the song, while the filmmakers and Wilson rejected the connection.

• The movie includes a post-credits gag in which cyclist Lance Armstrong reads Dupree's book and experiments with the pronunciation of "Lanceness."

• Wilson was encouraged to improvise during production, and several of Dupree's comic moments were shaped by his ad-libbed performances.

• The DVD release included a deliberately re-cut horror-thriller trailer, presenting the otherwise broad comedy as if Dupree were a threatening presence in the household.