Generally-speaking in the United States, marriage is considered one of the most sacrosanct institutions for human beings to enter into. So much so, in fact, that it is often above questioning or discussion as to its pros/cons. Fortunately, "Dinner with Friends" doesn't take that approach to marriage, instead examining it from many different sides to produce a thoughtful treatise on the subject.
The setup here is pretty simple: Married couple Gabe (Dennis Quaid) and Karen (Andie MacDowell) invited their similarly betrothed best friends Tom (Greg Kinnear) and Beth (Toni Collette) over for a dinner party. When Beth shows up alone, however, they eventually discover that Tom has left her and is asking for a divorce. What follows is a heartfelt examination of how married life can both help and hinder individuals based on their personal preferences.
One of the most brilliant aspects of this movie is how perfectly it is set up by director Norman Jewison. Viewers are only given "Beth's side of the story" to start out with...which completely plays into the hands of what is trying to be achieved theme-wise. As the film unspools, however, Tom gets his own say on the matter, and all those opinions even bring Karen and Gabe to question the nature of their own relationship. A perfeclty-executed flashback sequences in the middle of the proceedings really helps to "show, not tell" accordingly.
Like I said, this is a film that isn't afraid to "go deep" on personal issues. Yet, at the same time, it isn't at all preachy and doesn't take sides. Instead, Jewison simply portrays the difficulties of marriage and how individuals or couples can very much benefit from being honest about that rather than simply go along with the tradition of the matter.
A simple (yet remarkably effective) soundtrack helps pull at the emotions at all the right times, while the main four cast members were big names before 2001 and have remained so afterwards. In other words, a tour de force of actors bouncing back and forth off each other.
Overall, "Dinner with Friends" is a flick I now consider to be a bit of an undiscovered gem. A modern comp would be "Marriage Story", but even that one doesn't go the philosophical depths as this effort. If you are one who likes to question topics/ideas rather than simply accept them at face value, "Dinner with Friends" will likely become a personal favorite of yours as well.
The setup here is pretty simple: Married couple Gabe (Dennis Quaid) and Karen (Andie MacDowell) invited their similarly betrothed best friends Tom (Greg Kinnear) and Beth (Toni Collette) over for a dinner party. When Beth shows up alone, however, they eventually discover that Tom has left her and is asking for a divorce. What follows is a heartfelt examination of how married life can both help and hinder individuals based on their personal preferences.
One of the most brilliant aspects of this movie is how perfectly it is set up by director Norman Jewison. Viewers are only given "Beth's side of the story" to start out with...which completely plays into the hands of what is trying to be achieved theme-wise. As the film unspools, however, Tom gets his own say on the matter, and all those opinions even bring Karen and Gabe to question the nature of their own relationship. A perfeclty-executed flashback sequences in the middle of the proceedings really helps to "show, not tell" accordingly.
Like I said, this is a film that isn't afraid to "go deep" on personal issues. Yet, at the same time, it isn't at all preachy and doesn't take sides. Instead, Jewison simply portrays the difficulties of marriage and how individuals or couples can very much benefit from being honest about that rather than simply go along with the tradition of the matter.
A simple (yet remarkably effective) soundtrack helps pull at the emotions at all the right times, while the main four cast members were big names before 2001 and have remained so afterwards. In other words, a tour de force of actors bouncing back and forth off each other.
Overall, "Dinner with Friends" is a flick I now consider to be a bit of an undiscovered gem. A modern comp would be "Marriage Story", but even that one doesn't go the philosophical depths as this effort. If you are one who likes to question topics/ideas rather than simply accept them at face value, "Dinner with Friends" will likely become a personal favorite of yours as well.