My Dinner with Andre Reviews

Louis Malle's somewhat overrated MY DINNER WITH ANDRE is a filmed conversation between two friends, and whether you find the movie profound, pretentious, or entertaining will depend on how interesting you find the talk. The main speaker is real-life theater director and playwright Andre Gregory, a seeker after enlightenment who details his occasionally bizarre quest as he dines with an old, very different friend (real-life actor/playwright Wallace Shawn) whom he hasn't seen in a long time. Wally is more concerned with creature comforts than with quixotic spiritual searches and serves as Andre's philosophical foil as the two men talk and eat (in real time) at a fancy New York restaurant. Although Malle provided the minimal direction, the film really belongs to Shawn and Gregory, who also cowrote the script.