April 7, 2021 - “Melvin Goes to Dinner.”

There’s a movie on Netflix that’s adapted from a play: Melvin Goes to Dinner (2003). It’s all dialogue and timing. Two friends bring two more friends to dinner and for an hour and a half they talk about their lives. And through conversation paired within wine, they begin revealing parts of themselves more intimate than they would have expected. Joey. Alex. Sarah. And Melvin. They’re relatively young; and save Joey, relatively single.

In the style of a video and photo essay, clips and images illustrate and accompany the stories they tell. The conceit works. And due to the fact that almost the entire film takes place in the restaurant, the echoes of the play reveal themselves throughout. Simplicity is the ticket. It’s easy to like the film; as it’s not overly ambitious. It’s a writing exercise; it’s an acting exercise; and it will not overwhelm.