Review: The Dinner

The restaurant in Oren Moverman's The Dinner is the kind of elaborate place that serves food that looks like art. The food needs to be explained to be appreciated. The tables are situated far away from each other to ensure the guests have a private experience. This is good because the conversation that dominates much of the film is rather personal and unpleasant. 

Seated at the table is Claire (Laura Linney) and Paul (Steve Coogan), a married couple who are waiting for Paul's brother. That would Stan (Richard Gere), a congressman and gubernatorial hopeful. His wife Katelyn (Rebecca Hall) arrives with an air of nervousness and displeasure. From the get-go, it is clear this dinner is not going to be about the food and good company. To say much about why they have come to talk  would be unfair. It involves their teenage sons and an act of violence. The film is based off a very popular book by Dutch author Herman Koch.

The film crackles for a bit as we get introduced to each character and their relationships with one another. There is also a bit of suspense in finding out what the meat of the conversation is going to reveal. The acting ensemble here really works well when they are at the dinner table. Moverman decides to break things up often with flashbacks. These flashbacks center around Paul mostly. While they do offer a look into Paul's damaged psyche, Coogan seems miscast here. He is a strong actor who can do great dramatic work but his performance is shrill and overly mannered. These flashbacks seem designed to deepen the tension between Paul and Stan but unfortunately they kill the momentum. The structure of The Dinner is its greatest problem. 

The Dinner ultimately lacks focus to pull off the devastation of the story it is telling. It wants to be a sharp critique of the privileged but relishes in the lavish meal they enjoy. Moverman seems to get confused or perhaps lack certain courage to stay true to the source material's convictions. By the film's end, it is unclear if they central question of this story has been answered, how far do you go to protect your children? The Dinner is worth checking out for the fine ensemble acting but I doubt the film will leave you with much more. It lacks bite. 

2/5