Storyline
A look at how far parents will go to protect their children. Feature film based on a novel by Herman Koch.
Writers: Oren Moverman, Herman Koch, Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan, Rebecca Hall, Chloë Sevigny, Charlie Plummer, Adepero Oduye, Michael Chernus, Taylor Rae Almonte, Joel Bissonnette, George Aloi, Patrick Kevin Clark, Dominic Colón, Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick, Onika Day, , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Cast: Richard Gere -
Stan Lohman
Laura Linney -
Claire Lohman
Steve Coogan -
Paul Lohman
Rebecca Hall -
Katelyn Lohman
Chloë Sevigny -
Barbara Lohman
Charlie Plummer -
Michael Lohman
Adepero Oduye -
Nina
Michael Chernus -
Dylan Heinz
Taylor Rae Almonte -
Kamryn Velez
Joel Bissonnette -
Antonio
George Aloi -
Dan
Patrick Kevin Clark -
Conor
Dominic Colón -
Rafael
Seamus Davey-Fitzpatrick -
Rick Lohman
Onika Day -
Homeless Woman - Moriah
Trivia:
The author of the book 'The Dinner', Herman Koch, walked away from the European premiere in Berlin on February 10, 2017. He did not wish to stay for the after-party, nor talk to the director, cast members or audience. The reason was that he did not like the movie at all, mostly for the script which he thought had transferred his cynical story into a moral tale. Of the three movies made from his book, "this one is easily the worst", Koch said to Dutch newspaper NRC (Feb 11, 2017). "That after-party would have been rather awkward. What would I have done? Shake hands with everybody and tell them I hated their movie?" Koch disliked the movie's reference to themes like American violence and the stigma of mental illness. "That 'didactical' tone, isn't it killing?", Koch said. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 7/10
Oren Moverman's latest movie is quite the challenge. It has difficult
characters, discomforting dialogue, an intricate construction and
spreads over two hours. Nobody can accuse The Dinner of being
unambitious, but I would like to accuse it of being an ambitious mess.
Thankfully, not an unbearable mess.
Although Richard Gere (Stan) headlines, it's Steve Coogan (Paul),
playing his brother, who appears to lead at the beginning. In an
unexpected American accent, he narrates with misanthropic cynicism, as
preparations for a dinner event are underway. The narration stops at
some point and comes back randomly throughout the movie - just one of
several small incoherences that make everything feel unusual. Stan and
Paul's relationship is strained, at best, while their wives Kate
(Rebecca Hall) and Claire (Laura Linney) act as mediators. Some dark
matter seems to have brought them together at an elitist restaurant
boasting culinary lushness; a matter which unfolds at a slow pace,
interlaced with Stan fighting to pass a bill in congress, Paul's
Gettysburg obsessions, their children's suspect affairs, past personal
traumas, all across several courses of an impressive sounding meal.
For a movie that desires to tackle the lofty theme of social divide, it
starts out feeling very personal. As it progresses, it distances itself
from Paul to focus on the bigger picture and gravitate around Stan.
It's a difficult move to pull off, as some sense of alienation occurs
in the viewer, who has to accept the deep flaws surfacing in the
'object of attachment'. I felt a bit stranded, which culminated in a
subpar ending.
But it wasn't a complete shipwreck, as Stan, alongside Kathey and
Claire, managed to wrestle my attention. Indeed, wrestle is the right
word, in what turns out to be a less than peaceful digestif. The whole
preachiness of the last thirty minutes or so is borderline crass, yet
engaging, in a visceral kind of way. It's a decent payout after ninety
minutes of fluctuating intensity.
Do the themes and motives really blend though? It's hard to find a 'red
string' to carry you through, as Paul's Hobbesian worldview overlaps
with discussions of mental illness, political maneuvering and familial
discord. You get pushed into finding personal interpretations to
allegorical content, which is fun and rewarding, yet the movie proves
heavy- handed in framing its moral questions and imperatives. Next to
its schizophrenic identity dilemma, this just works against itself in
the final scenes.
I really liked the intensity, the grotesque and obscene affluence
entailed by the dinner scenes, even some of the almost derivative
monologues. The interpretative freedom made some of the drearier
moments worthwhile, but more cohesion and restraint would have
transformed The Dinner into something quite special all around. In
spite of the backlash it's being served, Oren Moverman's film is a
worthwhile exploration into how messy holding yourself consistent
socially and philosophically can be.
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