Soon it will be the American Thanksgiving and all of us are thinking about....Christmas and that Turkey dinner or whatever you have. I thought of movies that talk about dinner, are having dinner or are trying to get home for that dinner( oh, yeah, and family). So I am choosing 3 films that gather around this table and here are my 3...
1. DINNER AT EIGHT-1933
This is a jammed pack movie filled with many subplot and intrigues with an A1 cast which culminates at a dinner party hosted by the effervescent Billie Burke( Glenda from The Wizard of Oz). She is beyond dizzy and only cares about her dinner party. Their daughter is having an affair with the doctor and the silent screen star has his own demons, played well by John Barrymore who knew his demons. You have Marie Dressler, who gives THE best double take ever, as well as Wallace Beery and Jean Harlow who almost steals the picture. It's quite a good precode film.
2. PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES-1987
I love this movie and can recite so many pieces from this (" Those aren't pillows!). I love the scene above which is just hilarious and you couldn't have a better match than Steve Martin and the late, great John Candy. They are trying to get back home for Thanksgiving but just about every thing bad happens to them. It's a gem!
3. AUGUST, OSAGE COUNTY- 2013
This is not a feel good movie. You have the dad who dies bringing in all the daughters to come back home. They really don’t want to be there because their mother is a caustic, alcoholic bitch, played by Meryl Streep in a role I don’t mind her in. Julia Roberts plays the oldest daughter with a major chip on her shoulder and you understand why when you meet Mommie dearest. The problem is she has inherited her mom’s acid tongue and, frankly, she reminds me of my brother’s 2nd ex wife. I don’t ever recall her or Julia smiling ( in this movie..my brother’s ex never smiled). I think Julia deserved more accolades for this role but it’s probably because this role is unlikeable. Julia's marriage is disintegrating due to nastiness. Her sisters have other issues. I would like to see this film again because of all the subplots and issues. It culminates during a dinner where everything seems to come out. It’s well acted and a great cast and worth a look.
What Dinner movies can you think of?
Oh..so the answer to yesterday’s Oscar song is…yup, “Three Coins In The Fountain” won, “Count Your Blessings” was nominated and “Snow, Snow, Snow” got nothing.
I'd say The Ref, but I can't watch anything with Kevin Spacey in it anymore.
ReplyDeleteHi, Birgit!
ReplyDeleteLoaded with old schoolers, Dinner At Eight is a film I have not yet seen, even though it looks highly entertaining. As you, Joel and others have often noted, the life of blonde bombshell Jean Harlow would soon take a dreadful turn. Beginning in early 1937, only three-and-a-half years after Dinner At Eight hit theaters, Jean started struggling on and off the set with bouts of pneumonia and a host of other medical challenges culminating in her death at the tender age of 26 that same year.
A lover of zany comedies, it might seem strange that I never watched Planes, Trains and Automobiles in its entirety. At some point post-SNL, and for reasons I do not fully understand, I developed an aversion to Steve Martin's comedic acting style. That's why I couldn't get into his current hit series Only Murders. I liked John Candy a bit more, but only in small doses. Based on your glowing review, I will give PT&A a fair shot next time the opportunity arises.
I also have not seen AOC (except on MSNBC) See what I did there? :) The cast includes many of my favorites. Margo Martindale first impressed me to the max in the period spy drama The Americans. She has been a very busy character actor in recent years. This year, both Julia and Meryl appeared on Oprah's TV special in support of Kamala Harris for President.
Thanks for revealing the answer to yesterday's song quiz. Apart from the obvious Guess Who's Coming To Dinner, I would like to name an interesting little movie I watched recently entitled Melvin Goes To Dinner. Released in 2003, MGTD is a stage play adaptation directed by Bob Odenkirk, star of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul.
It stars Stephanie Courtney, who went on to widespread fame as "Progressive Flo" in the long-running insurance company TV commercial campaign, and Maura Tierney who for years played Abby Lockhart on ER..
I am returning with a new post this Saturday and hope you can join the fun at Shady's Place. I think you will be delighted by the array of vintage actresses whose pictures are displayed as I launch yet another new feature. Enjoy the rest of your week and weekend, dear friend BB!
I see Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner? has been mentioned. The only other one I can think of is Babette’s Feast.
ReplyDeleteBIRGIT ~
ReplyDeleteOh, 'PLANES, TRAINS & AUTOMOBILES' would definitely be my first thought & first choice! Love that movie; easily one of the funniest movies ever made, and one of my all-time Top 25 favorite films!
I don't think I've seen 'DINNER AT EIGHT', but I have always enjoyed watching Billie Burke and Wallace Beery, so I'm going to make it a point to look for that movie real soon. Thanks for the recommendation!
Another one that comes to my mind is 'A CHRISTMAS STORY', where the (new) traditional Chinese Christmas dinner was invented. Love it (another Top 25 for me!)
Say, Birgit, this is the last day for voting on my current Battle Of The Bands installment, and if you show up with your two-cents worth, it will get my vote total up to double digits (10). There's some pert-funny stuffs in this current contest that I think you'd enjoy:
https://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/2024/11/battle-of-bands-2024-nov-15-or-funny.html
~ D-FensDogG
Oh man, I hate Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. I've seen it once. Back when it came out. And just not my kind of movie. But I know this movie is beloved, so I usually keep that opinion to myself.
ReplyDeleteI have not seen the others, although Dinner at Eight sounds about my speed.
Hi Birgit!
ReplyDeleteLove Dinner at Eight!! Funny that at the time it was something MGM could throw together effortlessly since they had a staggering contract list both in front of and behind the camera, now it would be a huge logistical nightmare and prohibitively expensive because of the salaries of the various stars and crew required.
Anyway, everyone is at the top of their game, Madge Evans is forgettable as the daughter of Lionel & Billie, but her role isn’t that impactful either. But as good as the others are Marie Dressler and Jean Harlow take the top spots; both are so vibrant and simply own the screen whenever they appear. John Barrymore is memorable but in retrospect his presence is so tinged with the knowledge of waste and squander it makes his appearance difficult to fully enjoy. I do love Louise Closser Hale’s wry reading of Cousin Hattie, how sad that she died suddenly shortly after this picture.
I like but don’t love Planes, Trains and Automobiles, however Steve Martin and John Candy make a wonderful team. Too bad they never had the opportunity to be paired again.
I more or less hated August, Osage County. There was simply no one to root for. I adore Margo Martindale, and she gave the best performance otherwise I thought the whole thing miscast.
The three that come to mind are:
“Big Night” (1996) with Stanley Tucci and Tony Shalhoub as restauranter brothers who pin all their hopes on one all important dinner to save their place.
“The Wedding Banquet” (1993)-Ang Lee’s first success Stateside. The story is complex but this synopsis I found summarized it well. To satisfy his nagging parents a gay landlord, who lives with his lover, and a female tenant agree to a marriage of convenience, but his parents arrive to visit, and things get out of hand. Sweet and charming.
“Home for the Holidays” (1995) Holly Hunter very reluctantly heads home for Thanksgiving with her difficult family hoping for the best but expecting the worst. She gets some of both. The film is a bit ragged but has a great cast including Anne Bancroft and Charles Durning as Holly’s folks.
My family ruined "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" for Mary and me because they had seen the movie about 5000 times before we sat down with them to watch it. They spent the entire movie saying "Oh, watch this! This is funny!" and then telling us what was going to happen before it did. Half the fun of watching a comedy is seeing the funny stuff as it happens, not being told what's going to happen....
ReplyDeleteHow about The Cook, the Thief, or Whatever the Title was? I recall a lavish table laid out. Then there was some film about restaurant owners in NYC. Big Night or something like that. Then I love the Italian street dining scene in Fellini's Roma.
ReplyDeleteI've only seen your first two picks and they are excellent picks.
Lee