Oren Moverman was born in the second half of the ’60s in Tel Aviv and has written two of Hollywood’s farthest-out films about pop geniuses from that period. One is I’m Not There (2007), in which a gaggle of actors — including an 11-year-old black boy and a female award winner — play Bob Dylan at various phases of his career. The other is 2014’s brilliant Love & Mercy, featuring Brian Wilson portrayed by the tag team of John Cusack and Paul Dano.
You might assume that the connective tissue between these two unusual pictures and the rest of Moverman’s oeuvre is the filmmaker’s affinity for complex character studies. But his richly varied body of work has another common thread running through it, and its name is Richard Gere.
The actor took on the role of Billy the Kid in I’m Not There. In 2014, he did perhaps the least characteristic work of his career in Time Out of Mind (the title of a 1997 Dylan album!), the story of a homeless man who seeks reconnection with his daughter. And here he is, smooth as ever, in the writer-director’s latest, a searing but mouthwatering serving of social commentary.
The Dinner is adapted from the best-selling 2009 novel by Dutch author Herman Koch. It’s a powerful meditation on class privilege, family dynamics, affluenza and mental illness. But mainly mental illness. With the exception of flashbacks, it takes place over the course of a single evening, primarily in a single setting — a restaurant where the elite meet to eat.
Two couples convene to discuss something horrific their children have done and decide which actions to take. Gere is Stan Lohman, a popular U.S. congressman who’s running for governor. His brother Paul is played by Steve Coogan, in one of the most fearless casting choices of recent times.
We’re used to watching the multitalented Brit dining in fine restaurants — a third installment of The Trip series is due later this year. We’ve never seen him do anything remotely like what he does here, however. Coogan’s raw, riveting transformation into a former teacher battling — and losing ground to — psychological problems is the key ingredient in this thoughtfully layered concoction.
Rebecca Hall is full of surprises as Katelyn, Stan’s trophy wife. She offers almost as many as Laura Linney, who plays Claire, Paul’s long-suffering life mate. It’s Claire who, we gradually realize, is pulling way more strings behind the scenes than Gere’s cunning character or anyone else. Talk about complex character studies. Every time we think we’ve got a grip on the dynamic here, Moverman brings some new twist to the table, like a waiter lifting the lid of a surprise dish sent by the chef.
Playing the maître d’ caught in the middle, Michael Chernus proffers a priceless side of comic relief. As the tension grows, his insanely detailed descriptions of the restaurant’s pretentious fare diffuse the darkening mood deliciously.
One hopes those with a taste for smartly written, superbly acted movies about things that matter in the real world will sample The Dinner. Moverman is active in the Campaign to Change Direction, an organization dedicated to destigmatizing mental health issues, and his passion for the cause is ingrained in every frame of this film.
It has so much to say about so many important things. What a shame someone decided it should open the same weekend as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2. That isn’t counterprogramming. Unless you want a world with nothing to watch but superhero movies, it’s just counterproductive.
The original print version of this article was headlined “The Dinner”
This article appears in May 10-16, 2017.
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Film is painfully over long, Coogan’s character narrates then all of a sudden that is dropped, the flashbacks aren’t done smoothly but are jarring and some totally unnecessary. The film takes itself far to seriously and spreads itself far too thinly – what is it exactly commenting on. Also I think personally it portraits mental health badly. People with mental health issues hold down amazing jobs and have loving relationships. Just urgh all round.
Hi Laura. Thanks for your comments. Can I ask for a bit of clarification? You write “I think personally it portraits mental health badly. People with mental health issues hold down amazing jobs and have loving relationships.” I’m not sure whether you’re suggesting the film implied that people struggling with mental health issues can’t or don’t have loving relationships. I’ve watched it several times and have yet to find any such implication. In fact, to the contrary, Coogan’s character is depicted as having loving relationships with his wife, his brother and others. So I’m not quite sure what you’re referring to there. Regarding your point that some people with mental health issues have amazing jobs, I’d say you’re dead on. One has only to switch on CNN to see ample proof of that unfortunately.
I thought it was an amazing portrayal of the life we live in. Stan, who you believe at the outset you are going to hate, appears to be the only character who allows himself to be true to his inner self. He’s a Polititian who is actually fighting for something he believes in. I think there are many, many parents out there who would justify their children’s behavior, exactly as Clare did. Steve Coogan was amazing in the role of Paul. We knew he had mental health issues but, as the viewer, we still felt irritated and annoyed by his behavior, exactly what we were meant to feel by the Director, as you then ask yourself, “This person is sick and I am finding him annoying am I as shallow and mean as the characters in this movie that I am considering my morale inferior?” Couldn’t stop thinking about this movie for days afterwards