Simply Perfect

Good concept, poorly executed.

Watch something else. There are very few redeeming qualities to this film.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Based on the actors, I assumed this would be a good movie but oh my word...it was awful. My husband and I can't believe we just lost 2 hours of our lives for that. Terrible movie.

To make a fully digestible meal consisting of sustaining outcomes you need to carefully select the right ingredients - then blend them into a tantalizing well presented table - so that partaking, results in a memorable experience. The same applies to making a satisfying motion picture. For 'The Dinner', it seems director/screenwriter Oren Moverman should have followed the 'recipe' more closely - as I've read that novelist Herman Koch was not at all pleased with the outcome of this version of his book. For centuries great stories & movies with complex themes have been produced with exceptional results but, now we have more and more movie makers who simply want to produce pictures for themselves and a handful of like-minded critics. By displaying little regard for those who take the time to go out, pay for a ticket, they then expect the audience to sit through the results that flow from their personal overindulgence. They might please handfuls of viewers who regard themselves as smart because they can wade through the disjointed outcomes but, the important majority of movie lovers are then left wanting to be informed or heaven forbid, even entertained - not hit over the head with artsy pretensions such as this. The ambiguous, highly disjointed approach taken for this production comes across as either an attempt to hide the moviemaker's lack of control over his subject or simply trying to unnecessarily hack-out a 'new' approach for standard storytelling. Whatever the reason, the end result has infuriated more than it pleased - as displayed by the bulk of reviews, comments, and ticket sales. Cinematography is lacklustre (maybe at the call of the director?) and the music score gets in the way of the more important dialogue - recently, there's been evidence of a growing preference for movie makers to add irritating noises - such as the awful sound of microphone feedback that distractingly comes and goes throughout this somewhat clumsy work. As for the over-the-top 'dinner', this gets reduced to yet another serving of annoyance. While some can argue in favour of the open ending - the situation is too important to be left without an adequate hint of resolution (some will disagree) but as is, most will be left with a feeling of dissatisfaction. The cast of highly capable performers, who are gathered at an upmarket restaurant to discuss a pressing family problem, are saddled with an over-wordy script and while all do quite well with the material they've been given to work with, it's not enough to salvage the overall heavy-handed outcome.Here is yet another reason for Australian Foxtel, to measure far more carefully what they allow Ms Pomeranz to present under the guise of a 'Masterpiece' (call them something else or push them through very quietly - lest you begin to lose the support of some maybe more discerning subscribers)

Wow what a bad movie, such a great, famous and talented actors and such a slow movie. Richard Gere did you even read this script before you said YES ? awful, don't waste your time, watch something else

What a total waste of time. After watching this movie I felt cheated by the ridiculous ending!