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  • Alternate Character Interpretation: My Dinner With Andre is one of those films in which the viewer's opinion of the two characters will change over the years. They may view Wally as down to earth and pragmatic and Andre as a hippie-dippie Cloud Cuckoolander, then later think of Wally as a stolid, unimaginative stick-in-the-mud who needs Andre's free spirit to liberate him from that drudgery, or view both characters as deeply unhappy and Desperately Looking for a Purpose in Life, or just two friends who haven't seen each other in a while and bemoaning the decline of theatre in New York. The film reflects the viewer's emotional state and age over time.
  • Fridge Brilliance: The film has no music score whatsoever, til the end. While this is partly due to an artistic reason — having music during the dinner would distract the viewer from what was actually being said — there's a symbolic reason as well. Wally complains that as an adult, he no longer pays attention to art and music because he's preoccupied by money. At the end of the film, Wally springs for a cab and Satie's Gymnopedie #1 starts playing. He's rediscovered his ability to think about art and music again.
  • Genius Bonus: Andre compares everything to Nazi Germany. When Wallace finally takes control of the conversation he backs himself by trying to quote the philosopher Heidegger, a Nazi.
  • Hilarious in Hindsight: At one point, Wallace complains that Andre's attitude is just inconceivable to him — with bonus points for him working with another Andre. Shawn's pronunciation of the word in this film is actually what got him the part of Vizzini — Princess Bride casting director Janet Hirshenson saw My Dinner With Andre during the former film's pre-production phase and decided she had to have him in the role based on that line delivery alone.

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