My Dinner with Andre **** (1981, Andre Gregory, Wallace Shawn, Jean Lenauer, Roy Butler) – Classic Movie Review 11,260

Wallace Shawn in My Dinner with Andre (1981).

Director Louis Malle’s 1981 scripted documentary My Dinner with Andre is a tour de force by writer/stars Wallace Shawn (the actor/ playwright) and Andre Gregory (the theatre director) as the two old friends having a wide-ranging conversation and sharing their life stories over dinner at a restaurant, simply recorded by director Malle.

Some of the talk is very smart, and very entertaining, but luckily the film did not start a new genre, proving a notable one-off occasion. It runs 110 minutes, and a little does go a long way so you might want to leave before dessert. But it pleased a lot of people and deservedly won excellent reviews. Roger Ebert included it on his list of Great Movies.

My Dinner with Andre is the exception that proves the rule for script-writers: this one was a success but don’t write a screenplay as one single extended dialogue like this and expect it to be produced!

The screenplay is by Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory.

Also appearing are Jean Lenauer as Waiter and Roy Butler as Bartender.

My Dinner with Andre is directed by Louis Malle, runs 110 minutes, is made by the Andre Company and Saga Productions, is released by New Yorker Films (1981) (US) and Cinegate (1982) (UK), is written by Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory, is shot by Jeri Sopanen, is produced by George W George and Michael White, and scored by Allen Shawn

Malle went on to film Vanya on 42nd Street (1994) with Shawn and Gregory.

Andre Gregory was born on May 11, 1934.

Wallace Shawn was born on November 12, 1943.

© Derek Winnert 2021 Classic Movie Review 11,260

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com