Dinner with Friends

Starring:Dennis Quaid, Andie MacDowell, Greg Kinnear, Toni Collette, Taylor Emerson, Jake Fritz, Holliston Coleman, Angus T. Jones, Beau Holden, Dina Morrone, Ruth Reichl, Romulo Yanes, Caroline Neville
Director: Norman Jewison
Studio: Hbo Home Video
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Directed by Norman Jewison and adapted by Donald Margulies from his Pulitzer Prize-winning play, this acclaimed HBO production offers a welcome antidote to the superficiality of mainstream Hollywood. With the same attention to emotional detail that he brought to Moonstruck, Jewison establishes a delicate balance of anguish and bittersweet humor, reaching peak intensity as two couples confront the aftershocks of infidelity. Dennis Quaid and Andie MacDowell play the steady pair, committed to surviving every marital peak and valley. Greg Kinnear and Toni Collette are splitting up, divided by his infidelity and forced to reevaluate connections to their long-term friends. While Jewison and cinematographer Roger Deakins expertly translate the stagy material, the revealing, nonjudgmental quality of Margulies's dialogue inspires excellence from this quartet of underrated actors. Funny, painful, and full of truth, Dinner with Friends presents marriage as an organic work in progress, never to be taken for granted, and never guaranteed. --Jeff Shannon

Customer Reviews:

This movie delivers.......2007-05-10

The cast is strong - the script is smart, funny and something that we all can relate to in one way or another. I was so glad that I fell upon it at Blockbuster - didn't expect it to be so good, and now it is one of my favorites. Enjoy!

Good movie.......2007-03-10

Good movie about adults relationships and how may affect close circle of friends. Watch it, you won't be disappointed.

best friends and bad marriages.......2007-01-25

Two couples, best friends, explore the problems and possibilities of marriage and go their separate ways. Which couple chose the better path?

Absorbing Talkfest About Marriages in Disrepair Yields Surprisingly Strong Performances.......2006-07-24

This is the type of four-person drama that hardly makes it to the big screen anymore, and indeed this 2001 movie originally aired as an HBO film. Adapted by Donald Margulies from his own Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the film documents the unraveling relationships among two married couples who have been best friends for twelve years - Gabe and Karen, a perceived model of professional success (as renowned food writers) and domestic stability; and the other, Tom and Beth, in a state of irreparable collapse. Veteran filmmaker Norman Jewison (whose last successful film was probably 1987's "Moonstruck", his Italian-American valentine to improbable romance) has a proven track record for allowing actors to inhabit characters realistically in difficult situations. This movie proves he is still in peak form in this regard.

The story begins with Beth breaking the news to Gabe and Karen that Tom has left her. Gabe and Karen immediately take sides and start to question the stability of their own relationship. In the meantime, Tom is basking in the happiness of his new relationship with a younger woman, even as his best friends have become judgmental about what they see as a vainglorious, selfish act from a husband and father of two. Beth also goes on to find a new lover but also faces similar disapproval for moving on too fast. Although the film goes into an extended flashback sequence to have us understand the genesis of their long-standing friendship, the movie pushes forward the individual revelations of each principal in superbly executed scenes driven by Marguiles' perceptive, sometimes clever dialogue. There are unexpected comedy elements as well, for example, when a post-meltdown Beth blows her nose in the expensive placemat Karen bought for her in Italy.

The actors shine most unexpectedly. I always thought of Andie MacDowell as a rather flat but obviously lucky presence on the screen. Here she finally seems closer in proximity to a real, flawed human being as Karen. Her character is the picture of image-conscious perfection unable to tolerate, much less accept, disruptions to her controlling existence. MacDowell is still not a great actress, but at least she bravely reveals the unattractive underside of a character genuinely at a loss to deal with her best friends' break-up. As usual, Toni Collette nails her part perfectly as Beth, showing dimensions of the wronged wife that are both surprising and viscerally honest. The real surprises in the cast, however, are the men. As Tom, Greg Kinnear adds substantive depth to his standard happy-go-lucky guy and does not come across as his usual likable scamp at the least. The standout may be Dennis Quaid as Gabe, an assured performance from an actor who has not shown this much introspection onscreen before. In fact, he brings an almost fey quality to the early scenes and then gains more heft as the uncomfortable situation comes closer to home.

The most affecting scenes are the ones involving two of the characters at a time in revealing exchanges - Karen and Beth discussing Beth's new lover over lunch, Tom facing Gabe's resentment and jealousy at the bar, Gabe and Karen revealing their tactics to avoid intimacy as they prepare for bed. Given that Quaid and MacDowell play diehard foodies, there are plenty of shots of luxuriant food that any lover of the Food Network will savor. The film is beautifully shot by cinematographer Roger Deakins, who uses effective burnished amber tones for the flashback sequence. This is not for everyone, but the maturity of the drama and the top-notch performances make this one most worthwhile.

great moive for couples.......2006-01-16

If you are struggle to understand why some relationships work and others don't, this movie can give you some great insight. My girlfriend Ha and I are more aware of our commonalities, habits and rituals that allow two different people to grow as one. She's Vietnamese and I'm Afro-American so awareness of these elements of the relationship are detrimental. Our marriage is set for the summer of 2007

Average customer rating:

This movie delivers
Good movie
best friends and bad marriages
Absorbing Talkfest About Marriages in Disrepair Yields Surprisingly Strong Performances
great moive for couples

Dinner with Friends [Region 2]
Starring: Dennis Quaid , Andie MacDowell , Greg Kinnear , Toni Collette , and Taylor Emerson
Director: Norman Jewison
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000066TF9

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

This movie delivers.......2007-05-10

Good movie.......2007-03-10

Good movie about adults relationships and how may affect close circle of friends. Watch it, you won't be disappointed.

best friends and bad marriages.......2007-01-25

Two couples, best friends, explore the problems and possibilities of marriage and go their separate ways. Which couple chose the better path?

Absorbing Talkfest About Marriages in Disrepair Yields Surprisingly Strong Performances.......2006-07-24

great moive for couples.......2006-01-16

Singles (Matt Dillon, Bridget Fonda) / Just Married (Ashton Kutcher, Brittany Murphy) "2 DVD Set"

Average customer rating:

Singles (Matt Dillon, Bridget Fonda) / Just Married (Ashton Kutcher, Brittany Murphy) "2 DVD Set"

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

Product Description

A group of twenty-something friends, most of whom live in the same apartment complex, search for love and success in grunge-era Seattle. Plot Synopsis: Romantic comedy about six of the city's young people, most of whom live in the same apartement building and whose lives revolve around Seattle's ever-expanding music scene. The inter-related stories about each character's progress through the singles scene are intriguing and often very funny, and the soundtrack is a grunge fanatic's dream, with the likes of Soundgarden, Pearl Jam and Mudhoney. A happy young couple, Sarah and Tom (Brittany Murphy and Ashton Kutcher) marry against the wishes of Sarah's friends and family and go to Europe for their Honeymoon. Unfortunately for them, Sarah's parents send Sarah's ex-boyfriend Peter Prentis (played by Christian Kane) to break up the happy marriage.

Gaither All Day Singin and Dinner on the Ground with Their Homecoming Friends

Average customer rating:

Gaither All Day Singin and Dinner on the Ground with Their Homecoming Friends

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

DVDs Under $14.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

New dvd, factory sealed. In stock and ready to ship in a new box--not in an envelope.

ASIN: B000SKUMI2

Product Description

Gaither All Day Singin, new dvd. Includes Homecoming Friends Vestal and Howard, Jake Hess, JD Sumner....many more. An unforgettable get-together to celebrate the ties that bind--trust, love, honesty and commitment.

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