Dinner with Friends (2001)

What an unsuspecting surprise. It was a Friday evening and after a long working week, I threw myself on the lounge with my wife and switched on the television for some brain numbing trashy entertainment. After channel surfing for a while - and an elbow from the wife who took charge of the remote control - we settled on this film, DINNER WITH FRIENDS.At first I thought it was a horror film about friends and divorces. I cringed at certain parts that were related to our lives, and most of all, I understood the pain of it all. There were times when I just wanted to get up and lose myself in the WWW of my computer, but I had to see this movie out.Apart from the film trying hard not to be too stage orientated, it was thought provoking cinema. In my world the dialog was precise. The acting, classic new age Hollywood bravado mixed with the old school! And the direction, very unobtrusive and it just got on with the story.At the end of it all, you know the film succeeded when it creates discussions and heated debates with your partner. We haven't talked about a film like this since EYES WIDE SHUT (you can see my review for this film @ /www.imdb.com/title/tt0120663/usercomments-509).

This movie to me is great because it shows the true ups and downs in marriage and friendships. Gabe and Karen are like real couples. They argue, settle, cook, clean,raise kids and have meaningful friendships. Tom and Beth are also semi-normal because she cheated on him early in the marriage and he found out, but they stayed together for the kids, like most parents do. Gabe and Karen are like me and my Husband, so that is really great to see. When Gabe and Tom are having lunch and Gabe tells Tom that the four of them were to grow old together, watch each others kids grow up and cry at their weddings, now that is friendship. Karen and Beth are oddly different, Beth stated that she tried to be more like Karen, but no matter how much she stirred her soup still stuck to the pot. Karen would have never said that to Beth, Karen longed for family and friendships, she stated that if she could make her friends her family and that it what it is all about. All the Dinners, the countless hours of video tapes, all those vacations we spent on the Vineyard. 12 years, two kids, He wants a divorce. This is a must buy movie that you can watch over and over and never get tired of.JM

Having seen Donald Margulies' play when it opened in New York, I was interested in what Norman Jewison, the director, had done with it for the screen version. It helps that Mr. Margulies did his own adaptation, although, it appears to this viewer, the stage version was more satisfying. Not that there's anything wrong with the film, it's just that the cast in the play was far superior than these well intentioned actors we see in the movie. Mr. Margulies has tried to open his play, but it just doesn't go anywhere.The basic premise, and a caveat to good friends, is to stay away from "fixing up" prospective marriage partners, as things in life are a bit more complicated than a good ending in a book, a play, a movie, or human relations. Karen and Gabe are happily married. They conjure to arrange a meeting with Beth, a painter, and Tom, a lawyer. Basically, the idea of having mutual friends meet one another, might not be bad, but in reality things should be let alone and let nature takes its course. The bright idea back fires on Karen, who, upon hearing at the beginning of the film that her best friend, Beth, is divorcing Tom, is visibly upset. She feels betrayed by these two people she was instrumental in bringing together.It's hard for both, Gabe and Karen, to think where they went wrong in their match making roles. They never take into consideration that Beth is totally wrong for Tom, and vice versa. The problem is that this couple don't think that Beth and Tom have found new partners in what appears to be a much solid relationships than what they had together. Karen and Gabe are crushed, but in reality, not everything is perfect in their own marriage. We get hints that yes, they are not completely happy, but they have decided to stay in the marriage out of decency and out of duty to their two boys, which is what Beth and Tom have failed to do. Call them old fashioned, but one has to give Karen and Gabe a lot of credit for at least trying to stay together as a family.Andie MacDowell is Karen; she is a beautiful woman. In the movie, Ms. MacDowell appears a bit distant. She loved to bring people together and resents their friends separation. Ms. MacDowell's Karen comes across as a hard and judgmental person. Dennis Quaid tries hard to give Gabe warmth. Perhaps he comes across as the best of the four principals. Toni Collette's Beth is an enigma until her confrontation with Karen at the restaurant, then, we see a woman that is not shy in telling her best friend off as she embarks in a new relationship. Greg Kinnear is Tom. He is perhaps the weakest link in the quartet, as he is perhaps, not treated fairly by Karen, or Gabe.The movie remains a bit theatrical, but Norman Jewison has done wonders with the material.

Based on the Pulitzer Prize winning play, Dinner with Friends is an insightful drama about four longtime friends and the way they deal with the breakup of 2 of them.A realistic, well acted portrayal of relationships (both romantic and platonic) as well as their unraveling and strengthening. with excellent performances by Quaid, McDowell, Kinnear, and Collette.Foodies will also enjoy this film's sincere appreciation of the joys of food, cooking, and travel. If you enjoyed Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives" and Tom Noonan's "The Wife" you will love this sadly under-appreciated film.