The Dinner

Orchard, The | Release Date: May 5, 2017

4.6	USER SCORE Mixed or average reviews based on 25 Ratings

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mark0053May 13, 2017

Confusing, agitating, storyline jumps around. Acting is good but too much devoted to a dysfunctional families. We actually got up and left the theater on this one.

1 of 4 users found this helpful13

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GreatMartinMay 5, 2017

Actors and movies constantly amaze, amuse and befuddle me. I know actors have no say about when their movies will appear in theatres but in the past week two of Richard Gere’s latest movies appeared at The Gateway Theatre and shows why he hasActors and movies constantly amaze, amuse and befuddle me. I know actors have no say about when their movies will appear in theatres but in the past week two of Richard Gere’s latest movies appeared at The Gateway Theatre and shows why he has been a major star for over 40 years. In the first movie “Norman” (see my review Wednesday, May 3) he plays a New York City ‘fixer’, schemer while in today’s film, “The Dinner” he is a Congressman running for Governor and he is completely two different men in appearance, acting and persona.

I really never know what to expect from a movie as I very seldom read reviews before I go see one and generally will pick a movie based on the cast and/or any vibes I picked up about it regarding genre and story. “The Dinner” has a major cast of Gere, Laura Linney, who I have never seen give a bad performance and, mostly, as she does in this film, gives an outstanding performance, Steve Coogan, a strong actor and Rebecca Hall who I had seen in a few movies and seemed to be waiting for that breakout role.

Gere, married to his second wife Hall, and Coogan, married to Linney, are brothers whose mother favored the former while the latter seems to have inherited the mental illness he has from her. Coogan and Linney have a teenage son Mike (Charlie Plummer) while Gere has had a son, Rick (Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick) whom he had with his first wife Chloe Sevigny and Gere and Hall have an adopted Black son which may or may not be a child Gere and his loyal aide, Adepero Oduye, had.

The two brothers and their wives are meeting in a very upper scale restaurant in a mansion where each course is explained as it is being served and you know that the cost would be prohibitive to 99% of the people. At the very beginning Coogan remarks about the cost of a bottle of wine being sinful. The purpose of the meeting finally comes to light and the questions the film wants to ask are that of how much will/would a parent do to protect their child, how much of an obligation do they have to their families and what should they do or not do.

Though “The Dinner” is based on a novel by Herman Koch it is almost as if the director/screenwriter Oren Moverman had taken a play and wanted to ‘open’ it up. Flashbacks to earlier years, to events that happened earlier in the evening, a trip to the Gettysburg battlefields, many voiceovers, to classroom scenes of Coogan, who was a teacher of history, plus the dinner itself blurs what should have been a linear telling instead of losing its focus.

Now as a man who loves food even the restaurant scenes become dull as they are all over the place as for different reasons the party of 4 is moved from room to room and the descriptions of the plates soon blend into each other.

Many times the direction by Moverman, the cinematography by Bobby Bukowski and the music by Elijah Brueggemann are disconcerting to what is taking place on the screen.

The acting of the cast in “The Dinner” is certainly consistently top rate and reasons enough to see the film plus I need someone to explain the ending to me!… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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TVJerryMay 9, 2017

There's a compelling dilemma at the center of this film, but all the pretentious crap that surrounds it makes it incoherent and frustrating. Two couples (Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan & Rebecca Hall) meet for a meal in a fancyThere's a compelling dilemma at the center of this film, but all the pretentious crap that surrounds it makes it incoherent and frustrating. Two couples (Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan & Rebecca Hall) meet for a meal in a fancy restaurant to discuss how they're going to deal with the horrible crime that their teenage sons have committed. Intriguing. Then, narrative ramblings and other side trips dilute the narrative momentum and keep the drama from ever building. To make matters worse, the writing never rises to meet the complex nature of the scenario. The cast has strong moments, but they can't rise above the meager meal of a script.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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poetreviewerAug 7, 2017

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The actors in this movie are the best thing it's got going for it. The script is lousy. Did the producers run out of money or did the writer draw a blank? What no ending?… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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everettOct 30, 2022

The acting was terrific. The story grabbed me enough to make me tolerate the flaws, e.g., the overused and repetitive flashbacks. So I watched the whole thing. Then suddenly it was over. I am not spoiling the ending here because there isn'tThe acting was terrific. The story grabbed me enough to make me tolerate the flaws, e.g., the overused and repetitive flashbacks. So I watched the whole thing. Then suddenly it was over. I am not spoiling the ending here because there isn't one.

Filmmakers have to respect their audience's time. Two hours worth of mine, and this is what I get? No, not acceptable. Did you think it would be "cool" to have the film simply stop, with not a hint of resolution? I truly can't understand this. After going to the trouble of developing characters and a good story, how do you betray your own work like that? (How did these high-caliber actors sign on to it as such? Perhaps they were given a script with an ending, and you cut it later? That's the only thing that makes sense.I want to believe it, actually, because this acting ensemble included some of my favorite actors ....)… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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BITESCREENOct 24, 2017

Ähnlich wie in Roman Polanskis Theateradaption Der Gott des Gemetzels diskutieren auch in The Dinner überforderte Eltern beim Essen das gewalttätige Fehlverhalten ihrer Kinder aus – nur dass man hier keinen Stein geworfen, sondern eineÄhnlich wie in Roman Polanskis Theateradaption Der Gott des Gemetzels diskutieren auch in The Dinner überforderte Eltern beim Essen das gewalttätige Fehlverhalten ihrer Kinder aus – nur dass man hier keinen Stein geworfen, sondern eine Obdachlose angezündet hat. So ist die Buchverfilmung passend zur finsteren Ausgangssituation auch keine bissige Komödie, sondern ein beinhartes Drama. Dabei geht Oren Movermans Sozialsatire voll an die Nieren: Das resultiert neben lockeren Tischthemen wie Mord, Lungenkrebs und Erb-Psychosen auch aus einer künstlerischen, bisweilen arg anstrengenden Inszenierung: Moverman hüllt sein Psychodrama in trübes Dämmerlicht, legt einen Tinitus-artigen Score darüber und erhellt in plötzlichen, teils schwer zu folgenden Flashbacks die traumatische Vergangenheit der Figuren. Genau hier aber liegt die Faszination von The Dinner – denn was unten brodelt, treibt nur nach und nach an die Oberfläche und kulminiert in einem bitterbösen Finale. Die Schauspieler derweil sind fantastisch – vor allem Steve Coogan zeigt als schwer angeknackster Zyniker eine der besten Leistungen seiner Karriere.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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laugherNYCAug 2, 2017

Oh please. A tally ridiculous blabfest saved only by Linney's usual superb work. Gere is leaden as always with brief moments of actual in character acting. The premise is good, but the execution is absurd. Coogan is awful. Why not wear a signOh please. A tally ridiculous blabfest saved only by Linney's usual superb work. Gere is leaden as always with brief moments of actual in character acting. The premise is good, but the execution is absurd. Coogan is awful. Why not wear a sign that says "Crazy" instead of the bug eyes and muttering? Why not name BO Boo Radley? Close the loop. To kill a homeless bag Lady . This should have been a one act play in a community theater.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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