Beatriz at Dinner (2017)

A holistic medicine practitioner attends a wealthy client's dinner party after her car breaks down.

Director:

Miguel Arteta

Writer:

Mike White

Stars:

Salma Hayek, John Lithgow, Connie Britton

2 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview:
Salma Hayek	...	Beatriz
John Lithgow	...	Doug
Connie Britton	...	Kathy
Jay Duplass	...	Alex
Amy Landecker	...	Jeana
Chloë Sevigny	...	Shannon
David Warshofsky	...	Grant
John Early	...	Evan
Enrique Castillo	...	Marcus
Soledad St. Hilaire	...	Rosa
Amelia Borella	...	Heidi
Sean O'Bryan	...	Security Guard
Natalia Abelleyra	...	Suzana

Storyline

Beatriz, holistic medicine practitioner is stranded at a client's house and becomes a somewhat unwilling guest at a snooty dinner party that evening. A difference of thoughts and opinions causes her to be a thorn in the side of the hosts and their invited guests.

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Plot Keywords:

killing an animal | car breakdown | holistic health practitioner | billionaire | real estate developer | 

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Taglines:

She was invited, but she's not welcome.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and a scene of violence

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

9 June 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Beatriz Aksam Yemeginde

Filming Locations:

Villa Cascata - 27530 Calicut Rd, Malibu, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$141,958, 9 June 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$7,115,854, 5 October 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

BRON Studios, Creative Wealth Media Finance, Killer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Connie Britton and Chloe Sevigny have both starred in American Horror Story: Britton in season 1, and Sevigny in seasons 2 and 5.

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Goofs

Beatriz drives from Santa Monica south to Newport Beach, but we see her driving on the 101 Freeway in Agoura Hills, which is many miles northwest not only of Santa Monica but Los Angeles proper.

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Quotes

Beatriz: You think killing is hard? Try healing. You can break something in two seconds. But it can take forever to fix it.

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Connections

Referenced in The Graham Norton Show: Salma Hayek/David Walliams/James Buckley/Ed Westwick/Liam Payne (2017)

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Soundtracks

An Ending (Ascent)
Written and Performed by Brian Eno

User Reviews

excuse me?

Greetings again from the darkness. The movie industry frequently sources societal worries, concerns, issues and hot topics. It's been less than 6 months, but here come the anti-Trump movies. Of course some will have clever disguises for their message, while others will slap us across the face. This re-teaming of The Good Girl director Miguel Arteta and writer Mike White actually uses both approaches.

Salma Hayek stars as Beatriz, a masseuse and holistic healer, who comes awfully close to being an angel on earth … unless she's guzzled a bit too much white wine. Beatriz fights southern California traffic in her clunky VW as she rushes from her gig at the cancer center to Cathy's (Connie Britton) Orange County cliffside mansion. See, Cathy is hosting a dinner party for her husband's (David Warshofsky) business associates and she simply must have her massage prior to such a stressful event – after all, she did plan the menu. When Beatriz's car stalls in Cathy's driveway, she is invited to stay for the dinner party.

Things get awkward once the actual guests arrive. Alex (Jay Duplass) and his wife Shannon (Chloe Sevigny) are the young, entitled types so enticed by the fancy house and global traveling lifestyles on which they are on the brink. It should be noted that Mr. Duplass cleans up nicely and Ms. Sevigny spends much of the movie smiling – a look for which she's not normally associated. The real squirming occurs once Doug Strutt (John Lithgow) and his shallow third wife Jenna (Amy Landecker, "Transparent") arrive.

Beatriz and Strutt are polar opposites with contrasting lifestyles and character. She is a mystical presence with a deep connection to Mother Earth and all living beings. He is the Trump-like figure – charismatic, manipulating and laser-focused on the brass ring. She coddles her pet goat in her bedroom to protect it from a crazy neighbor, while he ignores the rare birds nesting on the valuable land he wants scraped for his newest development.

It's by no means a superhero movie, but Beatriz is presented as a Mexican-born working class (minimal make-up, functional clothing and shoes) Wonder Woman, while Strutt is the ultra villain out to destroy the planet, one rhinoceros at a time. She views him as "The Source" of Earth's pain, while he tries to laugh her off as a novelty act. It's Cathy and her husband who are most taken aback by the direct words of Beatriz, as they have considered her a "family friend" since she helped their daughter through a health scare. How dare she ruin their dinner party! There is a beautiful aerial shot of the Orange County mega-mansions, but most of the uncomfortable moments are derived through the ongoing duel of angelic Beatriz vs. the poisonous topics of politics and profit. There is no subtlety in the message, but having two talented actors go head to head, does make it more palatable.