Casey Dillard
I had as odd of a time watching this movie as I've ever had. It started out problematic: too dry, too slowly paced with unlikable characters and then somewhere between sitting at the table and getting the check it shifted and I found myself enjoying it tremendously. The fact that the dialogue has such a true to life feel to it makes it feel somewhat dry and boring at first, but when you settle in and listen to what they are saying, the script becomes remarkable. The characters felt very much like people. It's like a more subtle, polished " Breakfast Club " for adults and lead to a truly lovely ending. I look forward to revisiting it someday.
Cipher-J
Four people, two guys and two gals, at different places in their lives, chance to meet at a restaurant for dinner one day, and end up revealing themselves and discovering each other in ways none of them could have predicted. For the most part, they are bright, young, upwardly mobile professionals, comfortable discussing themselves, and hence even without a psychologist to act as moderator, they interact in a manner reminiscent of group therapy. That is, they take turns admitting their secret thoughts and obsessions, take issue with each other on some points, and try to benefit from each other's experiences and perspectives. One of them even has some background in a field related to psychiatry, but of course with minimal insight.The point of the film seems to be that, thanks to their group discussion, they all develop a wider perspective on life, but especially Melvin, whose life had been spiraling out of control. In some regards he seems the brighter of the four, yet the least insightful. All of the characters become more aware of themselves through their interactions over dinner, but it is Melvin who benefits the most. How he grows, and what he learns from that encounter, are what makes this film worth viewing. Thanks to his opportunity, Melvin doesn't just go out to dinner, but learns to take control of his life. It is a very subtle story, but worthy of critical attention.
rcpeyton
It takes a little time to get into it, but once the story is established, it's surprisingly fun to watch four near-strangers talking about all sorts of things. It's a bit vicarious. Was it Hitchcock who said that movies are like life without all the boring parts? This film disproves that. I definately recommend it.
chuckwee
What can I say? I loved it! Maybe its a guilty pleasure! At the beginning of the movie, I found the characters to be self-important, pseudo-intellectual jerks. I was surprised that Bob Odenkirk had anything to do with this movie about a bunch of hipsters pretentiously going on and on about their lives. How boring! But then all the sudden I was enjoying it! I wanted to know what happened to everyone! I think the genius of this movie is it takes unlikeable characters and makes us interested in them. I would go so far as to say I liked them! And I was happy to see that there was a resolution for our hero, Melvin, at the end. I was also impressed with how they handled a script with probably very little action. They just let the camera move at every possible chance! This could have been a really boring flick, but it just seems to hop along at a great brisk pace thanks to the editing, directing and camera movement. I can't wait to watch this movie again!
AD
