STORY STUDY - CRITERION WEEK - 479. “My Dinner with André”
“The life of a playwright is tough” is the beginning line of this week’s subject on Criterion Week. I know what you’re thinking, “oh, here comes another film about the theater life.” Well… it’s about a writer, yes, but don’t expect the film to be about putting on a play.
Directed by Louis Malle, and written by Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory, My Dinner with Andre is about playwright Wally Shawn who narrates that he was put into a corner to have dinner with former colleague/best friend, theater director Andre Gregory.
The two meet at the Café des Artistes in Manhattan, New York where they catch up in what they have been doing. Andre tells stories about working in experimental theatre all over the world slowly transition into telling Wally spiritual epiphanies, which Wally takes objection to with his humanist approach in life.
And… that’s pretty much the movie: two guys talking about life, both personal and the meaning of it.
The film is the epitome of simplistic filmmaking to the point where it’s fair to ask “is this even a movie?” “SHOULD it have been a movie?” In fact, the only instances where the film can express itself as a film is the beginning and ending, where we see Wally walking through Manhattan, riding the subway, riding a taxicab, etc.
Even the creation of the film has very mundane, but humble ideas: Gregory wanting to make an autobiography and Shawn having an idea of a story about two people talking.
Oh, did I forget to mention? These actors play “themselves” in the film. I use quotation marks because they deny they are playing themselves, despite their stories being based on their lives. In fact, Gregory and Shawn has expressed that if they remade the film, they would prove their point by switching their roles. An idea I would like to see come to life.
The film has become somewhat of a cult classic among filmmakers and film aficionados. A recent parody/homage of the film was used in the show Community in the episode “Critical Film Studies” where the setup, location and monologues happen within a few minutes, as opposed to the almost 2 hours’ worth of monologues in the film.
It was this show that introduced me to the film. Even as someone who loves movies, I’ll admit it’s hard to sit through without being easily distracted. However, it’s still fascinating to see the medium of film and how it can be used, and the conversations are worth thinking about.
A character from Community simply describes the film as “it’s about a guy who has an unexpectedly enjoyable evening with a weird friend he’s been avoiding lately.” It’s a very accurate description. My Dinner with Andre is ultimately one (or several) shaggy dog stories: a tale that ultimately leads to nothing. For some, that is, understandably, unsatisfying. Either way, it is an experience that’s worth at least ten minutes of your time, and if it still keeps your attention, that’s all the better.
Take a seat, and check it out.
https://www.criterion.com/films/1093-my-dinner-with-andre?q=autocomplete
