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The Dinner Game
review by Zach B.
Rated PG-13
Studio: Universal
Running Time: 81 minutes
Starring Thierry Lhermitte, Jacques Villeret, Francis
Huster, Daniel Prevost, Alexandra Vandernoot and Chaterine
Frot
Written and Directed by Francis Veber
Retail Price: $24.99
Features: Theatrical Trailer
Specs: 2.35:1 Anamorphic Widescreen, French Dolby
Surround, English Subtitles, Chapter Search (20
Chapters)
"The Dinner Game" is hilarious French comedy which did
win 3 Ceasers, the French equivilant to an Academy
Award®. The plot is so simple but becomes so complex.
The script is very funny and the acting is superb. I was
personally surprised "The Dinner Game" didn't get nominated
for an Oscar® a few years back, I'm not even sure if
France picked it to represent the country.
"The Dinner Game" starts out with the sucessful Pierre
who every Wedensday night holds a cruel game to see who can
bring the stupidest guest to dinner. However, he hurts his
back during a golf game and can barley move, but he still
wants to attend his game. His wife argues how cruel the game
is and then leaves him. Yet then, Pierre's guest shows up
before the dinner (he invited him earlier) and all wackiness
breaks loose.
To say what wackiness would give away the whole film,
because one thing sets off another. Everything ties together
so nicely. I saw this movie in the theater and I loved it,
but I feel it is a tad bit overrated. I wouldn't call it a
four star movie as so many critics said, but it's definently
an excellent film and one of the best foreign films out
there. This is not a drama, it's a zany farce. I know some
of you out there can't stand subtitles, but if you sit
yourself down, you'll enjoy this screwball comedy. If
there's anything wrong with the movie, it's that it's
ridiculousy short, clocking in at about an hour and twenty
minutes. Still, it gets the job done and again, the movie
ties everything together nicely. Be sure to check out "The
Dinner Game", it's an excellent comedy... a lot better than
a lot of American schlock.
"The Dinner Game" is presented in 2.35:1 anamorphic
widescreen. Most comedies are not filmed that wide, but I
think it's a nice touch because there are some nice exterior
shots. This is a great Universal transfer. Debris and specks
appear a good amount of times, but detail is very good as
well as black levels. Colors are solid and vibrant, but they
seem to be a little oversaturated. All in all, this is a
great transfer.
Though originally this movie was supposed to include an
English dub track, thankfully, it doesn't and just has the
original French language track in 2.0. Surrounds are pretty
good and it is a pretty loud track. The movie is pretty
dialogue based, but there is some action in a lot of key
scenes and the track makes good use of that. This is a great
surround track. English subtitles are burned in on the
image.
The only extra is a Theatrical Trailer, in 2.0
sound and switches aspect ratios. It's a nicely done
trailer.
While Universal did not distribute the movie in theaters
(Lions Gate did), I'm glad they stepped in and released it
on DVD, because for a good while, it looked like "The Dinner
Game" would never make it to video. This is a great comedy,
and Universal has made a nice release, despite the lack of
features. Don't let the subtitles bother you, this is a very
funny movie I reccomend that everyone sees.
 (3.5/5 - NOT included in
final score)
 (4/5)
(4/5)
 (.5/5)
 (3/5,
NOT an average)
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