Melvin Goes to Dinner (2003)

Hey, Bob Odenkirk directed a pretty good movie! Great job, guy! (I don't mean to be condescending, but considering his other two films are Let's Go To Prison and The Brothers Solomon... you know.) Based on the play by Michael Blieden (who also stars), Melvin Goes to Dinner is essentially just one long conversation between four 30-somethings over dinner. Melvin (Blieden) has been sleeping in the real estate/survey office where he works with his sister Leslie (Maura Tierney), avoiding most other contact with the outside world until he unexpectedly is invited to dinner by his old friend Joey (Matt Price). Joey is meeting a former business school classmate Alex (Stephanie Courtney) while she's in town for the night. She in turn runs into her old friend Sarah (Annabelle Gurwitch) on the way to the restaurant, and ends up inviting her to join the meal.

So now it's two women and two men who don't have relation to each other as a group, but are loosely connected through mutual friends. The film focuses on their meandering conversation, starting off slow and light with a discussion of ghosts and the possibly drunk waitress. It goes deeper with each new bottle of wine and soon the talk incorporates flashbacks with cameos from the likes of David Cross and Jack Black, as well as surprises and insights into the motivations and backgrounds of these characters. In the end, Melvin uses his experience at dinner to help him make an important decision, finding honest social interaction conducive to a newly developed maturity.

Though it starts off slow and a little dull, Melvin Goes to Dinner is a pretty good film. The dialogue is well-written and realistic, aided by the casual style of the actors. At first it seems too directionless, but eventually several of the characters' stories find new significance later. The cast is pretty likable: Stephanie Courtney has this great enthusiasm and passion in her speech, and Michael Blieden is honestly so super adorable. Matt Price is kind of annoying, but I'm not sure if it's the actor's delivery or the way the character was written. I just didn't care about anything the guy had to say, and was kind of frustrated about his indifferent view of adultery.

While I enjoyed the movie, I wasn't completely engrossed. It took too long to get going, I guess- while the way the stories connected or expanded in the end was cool, it wasn't an especially interesting road getting there. I also didn't really get into any of the characters- they were well-written and developed, but for some reason I just didn't particularly care about them. I don't want to give the impression that the movie isn't good- it is- but it didn't affect me any special way. It's a very good exercise in realistic conversational dialogue and character studies, and a good mix of drama and comedy. If that sounds like your thing, definitely check it out!

3.5/5