THE DINNER REVIEWED
“The Dinner” is a film about two couples dining and discussing the brutal crimes committed by their sons. From there, we have almost two hours of older people having First World problems. But, you do get a bit about The Civil War. Why? Well, when it is explained in a way that makes sense, I’ll let you know. Did I mention that Richard Gere is running for Governor and Steve Coogan is suffering from mental illness?
Those are the kind of important burials that hide in the film’s tangents. Every single bit of possible info seems to be squirreled away for a wiser mind to retrieve when the story doesn’t need them. I get that the source novel is supposed to be revolutionary, but this domestic caustic humor is grating on film. It’s the cinematic equivalent of someone chuckling at The New Yorker in a Dentist’s office. You know that the magazine wasn’t naturally there and the chuckler brought said publication to call attention to himself.
All of this is a shame, as it undercuts what is a tremendous performance from Laura Linney. Much like her turn in the Turtles movies, she has nothing of substance to build out. But, she tries. Damn it, she tries.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Photo Gallery
- Commentary
A/V STATS
- 1.85:1 1080p transfer
- DTS-HD 5.1 master audio track
