My Dinner with Andre

It's about the time that Andre explains how a roof defies physics because of the energy released by the stones placed upon it that his dinner companion Wally finally begins to interject.  It's been over an hour, and Andre Gregory, Wallace Shawn's old friend and colleague from the theater world, has gone on and on about his mystical experiences across the globe, perhaps attempting to find the "life" he wasn't living back in New York City.  Directing plays became pointless to him.  He felt as if he joined the millions of others merely "spending your days doing the errands of your trade."

Wally squints in disbelief, but is never less than fascinated.  He believes one can find inner piece and meaning in life at the cigar shop next store, or even with that morning cup of coffee.  He finds comfort in routines even as, in voiceover earlier in 1981's MY DINNER WITH ANDRE, he laments his life as an writer/actor in the City.  Shawn counters Gregory's wild explanations with his faith in science, where results can be replicated.  But he agrees that science has caused great destruction to mankind.

For nearly two hours, we watch and listen to these men (mainly Gregory) quite articulately expound on subjects ethereal and banal.  Life as a dream like state.  The pros and cons of electric blankets.  The danger of comfort.  Andre describes the necessity of going through the ritual of being buried alive to understand life and death (that excursion wasn't in India, but rather Long Island). It may feel that way, but the dialogue is not improvised, rather scripted by the two gentlemen, under Louis Malle's direction.  It is a unique experience.

Captivating.  Funny.  Fleetingly dull.  Enlightening.  A real conversation.  Malle mainly keeps his frame in two-shot, sometimes showing reflections in the mirror behind the men.  We see the surly faced waiter bring entrees and ask about dessert.  All of this is highly unusual a concept for a movie in any era.  And it's quite a treat, even if you think both men are full of shit.  You'll likely identify more with one than the other.

As the title says, the film is through Shawn's eyes.  In the opening scenes we see him walking through the city to his destination.  His thoughts made audible.  He's not looking forward to the dinner, as he heard his old friend had kinda dropped out for awhile and became somewhat odd.  What sort of discussion could they have? You can't imagine. The final thought expressed by Andre Gregory is as poignant as anything I've heard lately.  A universal truth, one that may make his discussions of eating sand in the Sahara and throwing teddy bears during acting exercises seem comfortably distant, mere preamble.  Then the film ends, but not before we see Wally taking a taxi back home, his own closing thoughts leaving us perhaps a bit teary eyed.