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My Dinner with Andre Movie Review

My Dinner with Andre is a 1981 drama film directed by Louis Malle and starring Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn. It’s a very sophisticated, fascinating experiment.

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“They’ve built their own prison,

so they exist in a state of schizophrenia“

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A vivid conversation strikes out between two people over an evening meal and takes an interesting turn when one quizzes another about his values. This is one of those thought-provoking movies that feature opposing views from two very different people and the best thing about it as that most people will be able to find themselves in both of these men. I felt similarly as I felt watching ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ – both of their points of view appealed to me to a degree and I sat squarely in the middle between the two.

The movie’s most important discussion that it opens is one that is very existentialist in nature. The men argue how you should live your life and we see contrasting ideas of either living your life to the fullest through unique experiences or finding the comfort in everyday life. I appreciated that this is a rare film that is immensely existentialist while evading the topic of death, but focusing on life itself and how it should be lived.

When this movie was released it was quite relatable to audiences, but I would assess that it has only become more relevant with age sadly. I am talking about the men’s assessment that people have become desensitized robots, which is only more extreme today when we are literally carrying distraction devices with us at all times. Andre posits that breaking away from this cycle of robotic behavior is very difficult and that all countries are following suit unfortunately. He says that the sixties were the last era of true freedom and I definitely agree with that view as from that point onward humanity has truly entered a dark age of desensitization, egotism and vapidity.

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If there is one flaw here it’s the first half’s obsession with the arts, especially the theater. I do recognize that these actors are theater people, but I would have preferred a more relatable discussion for all audiences. Andre’s overlong speech about his theater experiences got quite tedious at a certain point and I would have preferred for the two of them to have an equal discussion instead of one acting just as a listener of the other’s tales.

But My Dinner with Andre is otherwise a stellar drama that is unlike anything else released back then. The originality on display is admirable and rare are movies that are essentially plotless, but at its core deep and moving. This easily could have been just one filmed sequence of the two talking, but Louis Malle made sure to elevate it to a more cinematic status, thus evading the theatricality of its format.

The beginning includes narration from Shawn taking over the imagery, which eventually fades away into the discussion itself. This scene felt very natural and wonderfully filmed. The ending is also quite touching in its melancholic tone. The directing, editing and acting are all excellent. Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn are both immensely likable in this film and both made for a sweet film that is very much about the power of friendship in the most subtle way possible.

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