I heard a lot about the famous 'My Dinner with Andre', though its status as a cult classic was mostly honest about its premise and style. There weren't many promises of a grandiose movie that would touch the very bottom of my soul (but of course there were the people screaming 'ITS DA BEST THING EVAH!' there always is), mostly were talking about an interesting movie about two people from polar opposite points of view having a conversation. So I dug in.
And by the half of it, I wasn't just thoroughly bored out of my frigging skull, I wanted to strangle Andre.
But here is the kicker: I wanted to strangle Andre because I knew someone just like him in real life. Wallace's hesitation to engage Andre bored me because I knew someone just like him in real life. I was part of 'acting provoking' experiments Andre talked about, albeit different ones, and I know how dangerous they are if left to the hands of people who are 'lost' without meaning like Andre, akin to a blind person guiding a blind person (but this review isn't about it). And the kicker of the kicker, unlike the people I know, they are somewhat aware of their flaws, able to criticize themselves and are willing to listen to the other.
I also knew that if I were twenty years younger, I would have completely 'sided' with Andre, and if I were ten years younger, I would have completely 'sided' with Wallace. Now I 'side' with neither, and both at the same time.
Both are simply different people expressing their points of view (which you may not agree with or may agree but change your mind later in life, etc) instead of straw men, but the narrative doesn't limit to that. Past the initial shock of seeing a movie about a conversation, one can start to see the wit in the narrative and how tightly written it is. Andre is lost in his own art, seeking meaning and ways to connect to the real life, a blight of his soul that has absolutely no material need and can go wherever the hell he wants and his family won't bother him, while Wallace is so despaired about the material world and material real needs that he can't see that he can't see the beauty and art of the world that oppresses him. Andre thoroughly loathes The Little Prince, but his speech and narrative constantly references the book and its themes, even if not directly. He talks about engagement, about the need to see past beyond the 'veil', about taming and seeing the wonders of the universe. On the other hand, Wallace is so worried about paying his bills that he can't see that the answer to his problems (how to write engaging plays that will make him a success) literally lies in what Andre is speaking. His silent despair blinds him to the obvious solution, even if the solution is poking him with a stick.
And by the end of the movie you can see that the dinner influenced Wallace, and perhaps influenced Andre as well. This is indeed one of those movies that you need to watch in different points of your life with different experiences, and discuss it with different people. Its not bombastic, its not life-changing, but its a poignant point ripe for interesting discussions. You don't have to take sides, both are just men with different experiences, and take parts of their narratives and ideas for yourself, you know, like normal human beings.
Film I hated this movie... which I thoroughly recommend you to see.
I heard a lot about the famous 'My Dinner with Andre', though its status as a cult classic was mostly honest about its premise and style. There weren't many promises of a grandiose movie that would touch the very bottom of my soul (but of course there were the people screaming 'ITS DA BEST THING EVAH!' there always is), mostly were talking about an interesting movie about two people from polar opposite points of view having a conversation. So I dug in.
And by the half of it, I wasn't just thoroughly bored out of my frigging skull, I wanted to strangle Andre.
But here is the kicker: I wanted to strangle Andre because I knew someone just like him in real life. Wallace's hesitation to engage Andre bored me because I knew someone just like him in real life. I was part of 'acting provoking' experiments Andre talked about, albeit different ones, and I know how dangerous they are if left to the hands of people who are 'lost' without meaning like Andre, akin to a blind person guiding a blind person (but this review isn't about it). And the kicker of the kicker, unlike the people I know, they are somewhat aware of their flaws, able to criticize themselves and are willing to listen to the other.
I also knew that if I were twenty years younger, I would have completely 'sided' with Andre, and if I were ten years younger, I would have completely 'sided' with Wallace. Now I 'side' with neither, and both at the same time.
Both are simply different people expressing their points of view (which you may not agree with or may agree but change your mind later in life, etc) instead of straw men, but the narrative doesn't limit to that. Past the initial shock of seeing a movie about a conversation, one can start to see the wit in the narrative and how tightly written it is. Andre is lost in his own art, seeking meaning and ways to connect to the real life, a blight of his soul that has absolutely no material need and can go wherever the hell he wants and his family won't bother him, while Wallace is so despaired about the material world and material real needs that he can't see that he can't see the beauty and art of the world that oppresses him. Andre thoroughly loathes The Little Prince, but his speech and narrative constantly references the book and its themes, even if not directly. He talks about engagement, about the need to see past beyond the 'veil', about taming and seeing the wonders of the universe. On the other hand, Wallace is so worried about paying his bills that he can't see that the answer to his problems (how to write engaging plays that will make him a success) literally lies in what Andre is speaking. His silent despair blinds him to the obvious solution, even if the solution is poking him with a stick.
And by the end of the movie you can see that the dinner influenced Wallace, and perhaps influenced Andre as well. This is indeed one of those movies that you need to watch in different points of your life with different experiences, and discuss it with different people. Its not bombastic, its not life-changing, but its a poignant point ripe for interesting discussions. You don't have to take sides, both are just men with different experiences, and take parts of their narratives and ideas for yourself, you know, like normal human beings.