Review of My Dinner with Andre (1981) by Seth S — 28 Jan 2015

My Dinner with Andre boasts a title that doubles as a complete synopsis of the film. The movie is about two men, both having worked in the theater, who reconnect over dinner. Over the course of their dinner conversation, they discuss life, art, human existence, philosophy, culture, and a host of other topics. Literally, the movie is in real time - a two hour conversation between friends.

To be honest, the film doesn't start off well. The first fifty-five minutes consists of Andre Gregory regaling Wallace Shawn (and the audience) with rather preposterous tales of his experiences trying to find meaning in life. It's tedious, not without merit, but still a slog.

It is the last hour of the movie that really vaults this into the annals of the true classics. In this second half of the movie, Wallace Shawn finally becomes more vocal, and the film comes alive. I found myself siding with him over Andre more often than not. After all of Andre's wild stories, Wallace takes a step back and talks about the comforts of a normal life. Sure, we may all be asleep, and those who are asleep can't say no - but waking up to a cup of coffee in the morning is infinitely better than rejecting western civilization. The movie never gets too esoteric with its philosophy. In the end, this is still a simple conversation between friends.

In the second half of the movie, a lot of disarmingly real observations are offered. I've never seen a movie be so candid with its audience. But the film can afford to be so strait forward, given its structure. And the entire project is helped along ably by Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn. They provide acting that is as genuine as the everyday life event they are partaking in. It's two friends having a conversation, without natural acting, it is nothing. But both actors give absolutely splendid performances.

It is often said that film is a visual medium, but to that I counter with My Dinner with Andre. Take the visuals away, and you still have a top-notch radio play. This is a film that functions outside of almost every convention of narrative filmmaking. And yet, it still provides a resoundingly profound experience that very few conventional films can match.

"...when we're there at a party, we're all too busy performing. That was one of the reasons that Grotowski gave up the theater. He just felt that people in their lives now were performing so well, that performance in the theater was sort of superfluous, and, in a way, obscene." 8/10.