Film: The Dinner

Tonight's tv threw up a film I'd never heard of, although I had certainly heard of the leads. The Dinner has Richard Gere as a prominent politician, having dinner with his wife, his brother - Steve Coogan, unusually with an American accent - and his wife, Laura Linney, at a really posh restaurant. At this restaurant, the maitre d' hovers at their side all night (to the point of irritation), the courses are served to each diner simultaneously, each is described lovingly as it arrives at the table, and horror is expressed when one person says she's full, and can't manage her dessert - described as the most wonderful she'd ever taste.

Sounds horrendous. But that, believe it or not, is not the worst of the evening - oh no. It transpires that the reason they're there is to discuss the horrendous actions of their respective teenage sons, who (reminiscent of A Clockwork Orange) tortured a homeless woman they came across, one evening. It might never have come out, except that the little turds filmed the horrific event, and now it's gone online. So - what to do?

Essentially, this is a scathing attack on the wealthy. From the ridiculous restaurant, to the spineless politician, to his outwardly respectable brother, the history teacher with a history of mental illness, to their horrific sons - it doesn't make for particularly pleasant watching. The constant flashbacks to both the attack, and to events in years past, confuse the narrative.

But I enjoyed watching their world unravel - and while some might find the ending preachy, I was getting on my own soapbox by that point. While there are characters who feel guilty about what happened, the attitude of the others in ringfencing their safe little world is infuriating, and it's interesting to see who comes down on whose side. But I could have done without most of the backstory.. Still, it's better than its low rating on IMDB.

Tomorrow - Up in the Cheap Seats, unusually, has a Meetup I can make! A couple of intrepid souls are watching a live-streamed reading of a Canadian play - starts at 11.30pm our time, and we'll chat before and after, is the plan. Yep, sounds like something I can manage! So I've booked a ticket. Should make a change, at least..