The couple has two children: Rick, who is fifteen-years-old like Michel, and Valerie. The son seems just fed up. He feels like he is wearing his brother's hand-me-downs. When things go bad, we attack each other. Serge says Rick's future is the most important thing on his mind and he can't live with what happened or how the truth of the murder might crop up in future. He thinks back to what had happened earlier that evening that is to blame for his secrecy. I’d give it a 7 out of 10. During that time, Paul had to be a single father to Michel. He asks Michel outside the restaurant why he posted the footage. Tonight he notices that Babette looks like she has been crying. Thanks for the spoiler alert and to your viewers for their informative reviews. When Michel came up to his room, he asked his dad why he was there. I just watch “Dinner” last night, yes, I fell asleep as someone above mention. Throughout Firefly Lane Season 1, we see Kate and daughter Marah outside a church, preparing to go into a funeral. He doesn't like it when Serge describes a movie as a masterpiece when to Paul it was 'pretty good'. Paul pays the manager not to ever express what he saw. Paul notices how Serge is moody over this, probably wanting to have given them his usual speech about how much he knows about wine. They screamed at the woman and then threw items left for trash collection - garbage bags, a lamp, an office chair - at her. It is set to occur at the café across the street. He said sometimes people don't run the risk of letting a child with this disorder survive; they rather choose to terminate the pregnancy. I enjoyed the acting by everyone. Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com. I took cues from the book when I started the adaptation, and the book is a very specific food menu that is true to the Dutch restaurant where it was taking place but also a very '90s menu. Didn’t even finish watching it. Claire tells Paul that if Beau had to tell the police that it was his brother and cousin in the footage, then things could get ugly. Britton is lovely and actually manages some slight depth with her character (as much as the overblown script will allow, that is) while the rest of the cast has nothing to do but act blandly wealthy. I never heard Bo answer his phone. Beau is also a typical teenage boy. Beau does in fact answer. Serge says that after he and Babette spoke to Rick, they discovered Rick is battling with the incident and it's affecting his academic achievements. A smell erupted, then: the macaroni was burning. Serge and Babette arrive, with the owner welcoming them. Will see whatever Moverman does in the future. It ends with “Thank God, we were so worried”. Paul recalls when they had gone there the year previously to meet up with them and how Serge had been doing DIY remodelling at his home. Mental health …you hear those words from a mentally distraught person but in the end we’re all mentally struggling with our family dynamics so it’s quite symbolic for sane people to feel just as disturbed with masks on so it’s covered up just like the way the murder had to be covered up. It's chilling, nasty, smart, shocking and unputdownable. I also thought Clair said on the phone with Mike that you meaning mike would be proud of your father. It’s almost like they WANT people to see them. 14K 29. Babette asked Paul why he wouldn't let Michel visit his mother but Paul told them Michel didn't want to and he didn't want to force his son. That night after Claire is arrested, Paul finds the amniotic test results in a drawer. Michael deserved to be punished but his uncle’s race for governor got in the way. No incriminations..????? An internationally bestselling phenomenon: the darkly suspenseful, highly controversial tale of two families struggling to make the hardest decision of their lives—all over the course of one meal. Serge says that he will have his press conference the next day where he will make his announcement, and he has to leave the restaurant now to meet with his director about the location of the conference. I think that the fact that his polls were up, it leads us to believe they will not go to the police. Showrunner Jason George breaks down the ending of Season 1 of his new Netflix show, Into the Night, and reveals where to look for clues. Stan is played by Richard Gere and Paul, by an actor who looks uncannily like what Richard Gere’s real life brother could look like. There is also a message from Rick saying that they will do what they had to do tonight. She says that Michel had told her the night it happened and asked her what they should do. But this one I liked. Where are you?”, Pay attention to the pattern with this family. The boys' faces could not be seen clearly but they were laughing in the footage. Paul realizes that Michel was the one calling the shots and bullying Rick into things. He says that he needs his phone and is coming to pick it up from his dad at the restaurant. I agree. Paul recalls another incident from the past, this time when Michel had written a school assignment on capital punishment and the principal had been concerned about things he had written, so he had called Paul to the school. Want a professional summary of the entire book, complete with character and theme analysis? Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The Netflix series Firefly Lane takes a pretty big step away … What a moron. Change ). Wenlei Ma … The reader still doesn't know what he has found on Michel's phone, but one great thing about this book is how it increases suspense as one continues reading. After a description about what they're eating, Paul chooses not to order the same appetizer as anyone else, so he interestingly orders something that he doesn't even like. If you like monologues and slow developments you might take a look. He tells Paul they do need to speak about their children this evening - that is when Paul signals to the old man at the other table that he can come over. She thinks the incident will blow over, but Serge says his son won't be able to forget about it. Is anyone but me pissed that the 1% can literally get away with murder? Paul recalls when he had zoomed into the video of the ATM incident and how he had spotted a white tennis shoe. Rick's face appears and he hits the man. Serge apologizes to Claire and Paul, saying that they had meant to come to the restaurant to discuss what to do about their sons. Post Nov 21, 2013 #1 2013-11-21T21:59. The ending could have lost the suspenseful ending and offered more of a blunt conclusion but then again that was the whole point. I just couldn’t continue watching after about half through…had to get on the internet to see if it was ‘just me’, and to see just what the heck happened. I liked it somewhat because I think everyone could relate to family drama. I was looking for action pact / thriller movie. Serge tries to calm her but they get into another fight. Just watched the film…almost to the end before questioning the meaning of life and why we were still watching this train wreck of extreme talent be butchered by the director and editor. Paul, Stan, Claire and Kate are typical parents trying to protect their children from the consequences of their actions by having long, slow, tangential arguments over a multi-course meal at a restaurant where there are more waiters than customers. Claire says he can't do that and they all need to make the right decision together because the incident affects them all. Back at the current dinner in the restaurant, dessert is served. Now I am confused about is the younger brother wife his second or first. The principal suggested Paul should see the school psychologist and take a break from teaching. Paul explains to the reader what the boys had done: a few months ago they had gone to a party and then to an ATM machine afterwards to get money. Ah, I thought that was his voicemail. ( Log Out / Newspapers question if Beau had perhaps tired of his adoptive family or wanted to search for his natural parents. If, so how did the 2nd wife come into play with a train wreck. Ugh. This is yet another movie with a lot of dark interior locations.
The plan is to discuss over dinner how to handle a crime committed by their teenage sons. During the meeting, the principal said that he found it disturbing when Michel wrote about how sometimes the law needs to be taken in one's own hands. A phone rings inside Paul's pocket - it is Michel's phone. The guy’s contract requires him to describe every course the people eat. Eyes Wide Shut a bomb. Although the reader isn't told what it says exactly, there are hints that it possibly states that Michel tested positive for the same illness Paul has. Paul goes outside the restaurant to wait for his son, wondering how to deal with the situation, when he listens to the voicemail Beau had left, asking Michel to ring him back. Should have been made clearer in the film. They begin to speak about the crime their sons committed. So fast but Katelyn picks up the phone and says “Beau? I agree 100% the movie stinks on ice. I thought the son was mess up but I see why the son goes to the mother or step mother for things etc. beatriz at dinner ending explained. ( Log Out / Paul waited for Claire to register it was their son, but she didn't say anything. This was another point I wasn’t sure whether the movie was trying to make. Im thinking like Stan! I didn’t understand the ending at all. Love your response to “Your Mom.” (Also, great review!) This movie is all over the place… #nobathroombreaks have to watch it twice to get it. So thankful I did not pay to see this but free it’s ok. Serge tells Paul Babette is having a hard time because she's going through menopause. This suddenness and violence makes those few acts make them more “Action/thriller” than any James Bond movie I’ve seen. Claire arrives and they say goodbye to their son. Still don’t exactly know how their little family crisis is resolved. All of them. Here’s what happened to each of the main characters at the end of Netflix\'s Firefly Lane Season 1. Watching her as she speaks into the phone, Paul realizes that she is acting. This didn't happen because Claire got sick and had to be taken to hospital where she underwent various surgeries. Oh thank God,” so actually Beau is alive and you can imagine the trouble everyone is in now! We were worried sick. The Undoing's Ending, Explained: Who Murdered Elena Alves - and Why. A waitress accidentally bumps Claire's head when pouring wine and feels embarrassed, but Serge is charming to her. My favorite character has got to be Michael Chernus as the head waiter of the restaurant. The older brother sat him down and explain things about reality of their childhood etc. This irritates Paul. Michel then comes home and says that the 'Men in Black 3' video has been taken down from YouTube. Pull your head out of your ass and pay the fuck attention if you’re gonna write an entire film review and completely miss the ending. The movie is slow. Cracking ending comes too late for The Dinner. Hate movies we these stupid ending…..it’s like the writer got so sick of his work, he just ends it. In “The Dinner” there is an act of violence every 45 minutes or so but they happen very unpredictably and suddenly. I prefer it, but in this case there were too many irrelevant detours that detracted. Paul felt so furious that he threw the pan at Serge to the point where he bled messily. It was very difficult to watch. Serge says if the boys do go to jail they will only get a few years based on the country's laws and then they can carry on with their lives. Good to see you in a proper movie again. He had gone to Michel's room and had peeked through his son's phone. One man is a successful politician, one his brother. Rick is Stan’s son (but not Kate’s as she says bitterly towards the end of the movie). Really?? Other movies have done well with such a limited and constrained setting, but “The Dinner” lacks in such confidence and there is a lot of fancy flashback and flash sideways threads that sort of disorients us, and generates so many loose ends to the story that after a while it gets kind of mind-numbing. Finally, they threw a jerrycan at her and lit it, causing an explosion. (btw, reading your review was more entertaining than watching the whole dang movie!) The book is clever, created in the framework of a dinner at a fine dining restaurant. Some of the audience at my showing seem to be baffled by the unorthodox ending, but I thought it a fitting end. In our last glimpse of the dinner party, Mr. Pilkington and Napoleon are arguing because they have both tried to cheat at a card game in the same way at the same time. Paul wanted to ask Claire about the test but instead suggested they go on holiday. Claire tells Paul he must stop Serge but he says he can't because if he had to do something to his brother, the truth about his medication and illness would emerge. I totally agree with Richard Gere here. Babette spotted the dirty clothing and mess in Michel's room and downstairs both she and Serge tried to convince Paul to let Michel stay with them during the difficult time. They also adopted a boy from Burkina Fasso called Beau. On the way to withdraw cash from an ATM, unexpectedly, Mike repeatedly kicks a homeless woman, hits her with trash, then sets her on fire. It's easy to … To me, this was right up there with EYES WIDE SHUT, and THE CRYING GAME….minutes of my life i’ll never get back . We never find out if Beau has actually been bludgeoned to death by Paul or is merely sitting in the snow needing new underwear. What is there to like about anyone in that family? Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. What? The video ended with the promise that the sequel was coming soon. i say the truth sets you free and those boys would have been much better for doing the time……, Very surprised that Beau was black with all others being white. Obviously the bickering family are in no mood to listen to this and you can sense his disappointment and sadness that such a carefully crafted meal is going to waste. But, I really enjoyed The Dinner and liked that ending. Paul and Claire had seen the footage on TV and their reaction to the crime had been one of fury until Paul realized it was their son. They kept the incident hidden from Claire. It was categorized under “Action and Thriller” and this surprised me, but I have to say, I like it in that category. For me this movie falls in the mystery column. Paul agrees, saying he will signal to the man when it's the right time for him and his daughter to come over to their table. It annoys Paul how everything takes long in the restaurant, with the manager taking his time to open a bottle of wine. Would love to read more of your work. Afterwards, Michel had cried and Paul said the man had deserved the threat. With all these politicians and skeletons in their closets….it’s bound to come out one day. During their meeting, Paul fantasized about beating up the principal. It’s doesn’t make a difference to you or me, but it does to the rich white folks in the movie. There are many details to follow and think about, but you may find the ending rushed and amateurish. Any how. The brother, Paul, avoids the discussion all night as … ( Log Out / Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Serge ran towards them and asked what was going on. He felt he was managing well, until Serge and Babette came to visit one night. Didn’t Claire tell Michael on the phone “it’s ok, I miss you”. He steals the video and then blackmails his brother and cousin. Babette told Paul Claire was worried her child had forgotten her. When Paul returns to the table, everyone is silent, except for Babette crying. Thoroughly enjoyed this review. Paul wonders about Babette's and Serge's marriage. Writer/Director please brush up on your skills!!!! Directed by Oren Moverman. Thanks for reading! The younger brother is has mental problems I see. The video is of a platform at a subway station where a pair of white sneakers can be seen and then a homeless man. So, this is “The Dinner” that that the title alludes to, and forms the main thread and timeline of the movie. Babette starts to cry again. The Dinner is a slow paced film about human relations and decision making. The Dinner is an unpleasant film about appalling people, making it very hard to sit through. Yes, the dad threw that Basketball I figured that out and blame the son smh. My thoughts exactly. What an idiot of a reviewer. He said that Beau wanted to be paid or else he would put the rest of it online. Michel is at home, phoning his mobile to see where it ended up. Beau is also a typical teenage boy. Anyway, the ending I think sucks it leaves you hanging on….. Or I am just confused. I was totally captivated by this film. The owner was very upset, which then annoyed Paul to the point where he took a bicycle pump and threatened to cause more damage with it. I dislike this new fashion amongst directors of saving money on lighting. When the main course arrives, the women have still not returned so Paul goes to find them. ( Log Out / I don't mean to say that I was cheering on any of the characters. By Simon Boehm Published Dec 06, 2020. This is also the most drawn out act of violence, taking place in little bits and pieces over the whole two hours. Firefly Lane Season 1 Ending Explained: What Happened And What The Book Reveals cinemablend.com - Heidi Venable. Click here. They didn't make any difference between him and their biological children, but Paul does notice how Beau would usually get his way with his mother. He suggested therapy and medication to treat it. by | Nov 1, 2020 | Uncategorised. Before the dinner, Paul and Claire go to a café. When Clair is helping Paul on the ground I think Paul said something like I did what you told me to do. The Book Possibly Explains Kate And Tully's Falling Out. I loved the movie except for the end. Read the novel in one big gulp, and then make plans with friends - you'll be desperate to debate this book over cocktails, appetizers, entrees, dessert…and then you still won't be done talking about it. One of them was entitled 'Men In Black 3' and featured the boys. “The Dinner” should be a scabrous satire of awful kids with more awful parents. The ending of "The Dinner" (contains spoiler) ... By the end of the book, and given the description of the glassing of Serge, I ended up thinking that Claire had been glassed by Paul, or perhaps otherwise beaten up by him. When going through Michel's phone, he also sees the video section just as he had earlier that evening. There are the brothers Paul and Stan and their wives, Claire and Kate. Thank you. I think the movie is about mental health – a topic that has replaced poverty as today’s fashionable cause – but I couldn’t be sure. Paul had recalled when Michel was a young boy and he had smashed a shop window with a ball, causing Paul to go with him to apologize to the store owner. The dialogue and great acting communicated that strongly. He said he has information from Paul's psychiatric report about how the decision to work again is not up to Paul. He thinks maybe Babette had only wanted a life with a successful politician and couldn't exit it now because she had already invested in it. But he does not answer the phone. I also didn’t read the book so maybe the book was more clear on the ending. She admits she didn't really call Michel but only made Babette witness the fake call because Michel is really meeting with Beau and Rick to sort out the problem. In this novel, two couples meet for dinner. Well, that’s good to know. But not too much. It was a creepy ending, but it made more sense for me. Claire is walked out by two policemen. Hollywood has programmed me to expect gunfire every minute, dead bodies every five minutes and explosions every ten minutes during an action/thriller movie. I wouldn’t know. All the cast were excellent, all of them favorites of mine, with Steve Coogan’s depiction of mental imbalance especially brilliant. He ended up in the principal's office. Did his wife really die of cancer or is it in his head. Or maybe not. The Dinner begins with drinks and dark satire, and goes stealthily and hauntingly from there. The psychologist mentioned that it is a defect that can be spotted prior to birth in tests analyzing the amniotic fluid. Wonderful acting but pointless until last half hour. Didn’t Paul say “I got the phone, I got Michael” to his wife Claire. Babette is not happy with her berry dessert and asks for it to be taken back. THE STAND Episode 8 Breakdown, Ending Explained Spoiler Review & Book Differences. 'The Postcard Killings' ending explained Towards the conclusion of The Postcard Killings , after Dessie Lombard (Cush Jumbo) publishes an article making revelations about the killings in the hope of drawing a response from Simon Haysmith (Denis O'Hare ) … Paul explains how Babette is a strong presence in the room and around her he always feels he has to make himself taller and bigger to be her equal. They don’t want the wrinkles to show. Outside the restaurant, Paul asks Michel why he never told him about the videos on his phone at the time of the incident. Cinema is about lighting – good lighting, so we can see the actors’ faces. You can hear Michel's voice as he is filming it all. It could have been at least 10 minutes shorter without that Stoopid Gettysburg scene. To begin with, the cast excellent and its acting is equivalent of their acclaimed career. Claire and Paul agree they have to prevent Serge from holding the conference the next day. Serge returns from his phone call and he and Babette leave. The conversation turns to the subject of films, which Paul muses is a weakness because it is a subject that should be discussed when you've run out of others. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. At the word 'murder' Claire argues, saying it was an accident. Michel says it was Beau who had done it. Shame on Richard for even agreeing to this role. Back in the present time in the restaurant, Paul goes to the men's room where a man there asks if his daughter could take a photo with Serge. Over the course of the dinner, tensions run amok among the group inter-cut with flashbacks that view the dysfunctional family's past, and Stan's attempts to help Paul in his depression. It showed that the boys had returned to the scene of the crime but he knows it could've also been a shoe belonging to a witness. Michel saw his father from outside and Paul tried to smile at him to let him know everything was okay. Michel asks if his mother knows, and Paul says she doesn't. Oh thank God. The Undoing wraps up by finally solving Elena Alves' murder, bringing an end to the whodunit show. He doesn't say exactly what happened, but it is clear that he and Rick had sorted Beau out. The Dinner is a novel by Herman Koch. She asks Paul how long he's known and he tells her he's known since they saw the footage on TV. I couldn’t agree with you more. But it's not all … I can do “Art” too. Claire thinks Serge is being selfish with his decision, making it all about him. Beau does finally answer his phone if you listen closely. Finding 'Ohana's Emotional Ending, Explained; Finding 'Ohana's Emotional Ending, Explained. Making matters worse, the principal asked Paul about his break from his career. When Serge takes a call, Claire makes a big fuss of asking Babette what the time is (even though she can see it on her cell phone) and says she has to call Michel at home to let him know they won't be out much longer. This made him search on YouTube for more footage and he found more videos. Paul wonders if Babette would leave Serge after how he flirts openly with much younger women and wonders what Serge did to make her cry on the way to the dinner. explained. Items on the menu are expensive and Paul gets irritated when they end up having to pay ten euros for an aperitif. Beau disappears and this is what features prominently on Serge's and Babette's minds. And there are no explosions. Click on a plot link to find similar books! It takes place in Amsterdam, in an overpriced, hoity-toity restaurant, with two couples who are there to discuss their misbehaving sons. At the very end, Beau calls and Kate answers the phone, “Beau? Keep up the good work! (Like that Gettysburg scene, yikes). Very slow. Serge says that Babette doesn't agree with his decision but he has made up his mind: he is going to withdraw his candidacy. I wasn’t sure what happened to Beau……some reviews said that they heard Beau answer his phone. Serge loses the election and ends up with ugly marks on his face from Claire's attack on him. Extremely complicated and apparently many folks don’t like that. Michel saw it happen. Now, outside the restaurant, Paul mentions to Michel about the ATM and subway incidents that have been caught on video on his phone. A short while later there is chaos at the café across the street, with a stretcher being wheeled out of the door by paramedics. When Paul settles the bill, the manager tells him he saw Paul and his son speaking earlier. The Dinner Review: The Most Excruciating Movie of 2017. Chernus’ scenes are also the only comic relief in the movie and are genuinely funny, cumulating in a scene where Kate repeatedly refuses to eat her dessert while Chernus repeatedly begs her to try it. The two couples are meeting to discuss the actions of their sons. The best scene was the ending, when Paul discovers that his son inherited his disorder. Michel says it wouldn't have made a difference. The sections of the book follow the courses, from Aperitif all the way to Digestif. By Renaldo Matadeen Published Feb 01, 2021. The Ending of The Invitation Explained Karyn Kusama's tense horror movie The Invitation builds towards a violent ending - but there's an extra dark twist at the end of the tale. I think Bo died in the end. By Joe Lipsett Published Oct 26, 2019 Actors are notoriously un-shy. Paul muses how the waitress would probably go back to her partner or friend and tell them how she had embarrassed herself in front of a cabinet minister. The dinner takes a long time to get to a plot and doesn’t quite make it to a point but is reasonably well acted and the characters of the two brothers develop well. Paul recalls being a history teacher and how his strong opinions and offensive remarks had caused some of his students to complain. And would have ended it on a more hopeful note. The boys were disgusted by this person they discovered is a woman because she smelled bad. Reading your spoiler was worth watching a bad movie. 0. This is what we all relate to with our love/hate relationships with our family. I think movies should be required to inform viewers before we invest our time that there actually is NO ENDING, and good luck with that! Great explanation! Claire leaves the restaurant. I don’t agree with cursing your parents but the son seems just frustrated about his dad’s behavior and taking the blame for his dad action.
The plan is to discuss over dinner how to handle a crime committed by their teenage sons. During the meeting, the principal said that he found it disturbing when Michel wrote about how sometimes the law needs to be taken in one's own hands. A phone rings inside Paul's pocket - it is Michel's phone. The guy’s contract requires him to describe every course the people eat. Eyes Wide Shut a bomb. Although the reader isn't told what it says exactly, there are hints that it possibly states that Michel tested positive for the same illness Paul has. Paul goes outside the restaurant to wait for his son, wondering how to deal with the situation, when he listens to the voicemail Beau had left, asking Michel to ring him back. Should have been made clearer in the film. They begin to speak about the crime their sons committed. So fast but Katelyn picks up the phone and says “Beau? I agree 100% the movie stinks on ice. I thought the son was mess up but I see why the son goes to the mother or step mother for things etc. beatriz at dinner ending explained. ( Log Out / Paul waited for Claire to register it was their son, but she didn't say anything. This was another point I wasn’t sure whether the movie was trying to make. Im thinking like Stan! I didn’t understand the ending at all. Love your response to “Your Mom.” (Also, great review!) This movie is all over the place… #nobathroombreaks have to watch it twice to get it. So thankful I did not pay to see this but free it’s ok. Serge tells Paul Babette is having a hard time because she's going through menopause. This suddenness and violence makes those few acts make them more “Action/thriller” than any James Bond movie I’ve seen. Claire arrives and they say goodbye to their son. Still don’t exactly know how their little family crisis is resolved. All of them. Here’s what happened to each of the main characters at the end of Netflix\'s Firefly Lane Season 1. Watching her as she speaks into the phone, Paul realizes that she is acting. This didn't happen because Claire got sick and had to be taken to hospital where she underwent various surgeries. Oh thank God,” so actually Beau is alive and you can imagine the trouble everyone is in now! We were worried sick. The Undoing's Ending, Explained: Who Murdered Elena Alves - and Why. A waitress accidentally bumps Claire's head when pouring wine and feels embarrassed, but Serge is charming to her. My favorite character has got to be Michael Chernus as the head waiter of the restaurant. The older brother sat him down and explain things about reality of their childhood etc. This irritates Paul. Michel then comes home and says that the 'Men in Black 3' video has been taken down from YouTube. Pull your head out of your ass and pay the fuck attention if you’re gonna write an entire film review and completely miss the ending. The movie is slow. Cracking ending comes too late for The Dinner. Hate movies we these stupid ending…..it’s like the writer got so sick of his work, he just ends it. In “The Dinner” there is an act of violence every 45 minutes or so but they happen very unpredictably and suddenly. I prefer it, but in this case there were too many irrelevant detours that detracted. Paul felt so furious that he threw the pan at Serge to the point where he bled messily. It was very difficult to watch. Serge says if the boys do go to jail they will only get a few years based on the country's laws and then they can carry on with their lives. Good to see you in a proper movie again. He had gone to Michel's room and had peeked through his son's phone. One man is a successful politician, one his brother. Rick is Stan’s son (but not Kate’s as she says bitterly towards the end of the movie). Really?? Other movies have done well with such a limited and constrained setting, but “The Dinner” lacks in such confidence and there is a lot of fancy flashback and flash sideways threads that sort of disorients us, and generates so many loose ends to the story that after a while it gets kind of mind-numbing. Finally, they threw a jerrycan at her and lit it, causing an explosion. (btw, reading your review was more entertaining than watching the whole dang movie!) The book is clever, created in the framework of a dinner at a fine dining restaurant. Some of the audience at my showing seem to be baffled by the unorthodox ending, but I thought it a fitting end. In our last glimpse of the dinner party, Mr. Pilkington and Napoleon are arguing because they have both tried to cheat at a card game in the same way at the same time. Paul wanted to ask Claire about the test but instead suggested they go on holiday. Claire tells Paul he must stop Serge but he says he can't because if he had to do something to his brother, the truth about his medication and illness would emerge. I totally agree with Richard Gere here. Babette spotted the dirty clothing and mess in Michel's room and downstairs both she and Serge tried to convince Paul to let Michel stay with them during the difficult time. They also adopted a boy from Burkina Fasso called Beau. On the way to withdraw cash from an ATM, unexpectedly, Mike repeatedly kicks a homeless woman, hits her with trash, then sets her on fire. It's easy to … To me, this was right up there with EYES WIDE SHUT, and THE CRYING GAME….minutes of my life i’ll never get back . We never find out if Beau has actually been bludgeoned to death by Paul or is merely sitting in the snow needing new underwear. What is there to like about anyone in that family? Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. What? The video ended with the promise that the sequel was coming soon. i say the truth sets you free and those boys would have been much better for doing the time……, Very surprised that Beau was black with all others being white. Obviously the bickering family are in no mood to listen to this and you can sense his disappointment and sadness that such a carefully crafted meal is going to waste. But, I really enjoyed The Dinner and liked that ending. Paul and Claire had seen the footage on TV and their reaction to the crime had been one of fury until Paul realized it was their son. They kept the incident hidden from Claire. It was categorized under “Action and Thriller” and this surprised me, but I have to say, I like it in that category. For me this movie falls in the mystery column. Paul agrees, saying he will signal to the man when it's the right time for him and his daughter to come over to their table. It annoys Paul how everything takes long in the restaurant, with the manager taking his time to open a bottle of wine. Would love to read more of your work. Afterwards, Michel had cried and Paul said the man had deserved the threat. With all these politicians and skeletons in their closets….it’s bound to come out one day. During their meeting, Paul fantasized about beating up the principal. It’s doesn’t make a difference to you or me, but it does to the rich white folks in the movie. There are many details to follow and think about, but you may find the ending rushed and amateurish. Any how. The brother, Paul, avoids the discussion all night as … ( Log Out / Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Serge ran towards them and asked what was going on. He felt he was managing well, until Serge and Babette came to visit one night. Didn’t Claire tell Michael on the phone “it’s ok, I miss you”. He steals the video and then blackmails his brother and cousin. Babette told Paul Claire was worried her child had forgotten her. When Paul returns to the table, everyone is silent, except for Babette crying. Thoroughly enjoyed this review. Paul wonders about Babette's and Serge's marriage. Writer/Director please brush up on your skills!!!! Directed by Oren Moverman. Thanks for reading! The younger brother is has mental problems I see. The video is of a platform at a subway station where a pair of white sneakers can be seen and then a homeless man. So, this is “The Dinner” that that the title alludes to, and forms the main thread and timeline of the movie. Babette starts to cry again. The Dinner is a slow paced film about human relations and decision making. The Dinner is an unpleasant film about appalling people, making it very hard to sit through. Yes, the dad threw that Basketball I figured that out and blame the son smh. My thoughts exactly. What an idiot of a reviewer. He said that Beau wanted to be paid or else he would put the rest of it online. Michel is at home, phoning his mobile to see where it ended up. Beau is also a typical teenage boy. Anyway, the ending I think sucks it leaves you hanging on….. Or I am just confused. I was totally captivated by this film. The owner was very upset, which then annoyed Paul to the point where he took a bicycle pump and threatened to cause more damage with it. I dislike this new fashion amongst directors of saving money on lighting. When the main course arrives, the women have still not returned so Paul goes to find them. ( Log Out / I don't mean to say that I was cheering on any of the characters. By Simon Boehm Published Dec 06, 2020. This is also the most drawn out act of violence, taking place in little bits and pieces over the whole two hours. Firefly Lane Season 1 Ending Explained: What Happened And What The Book Reveals cinemablend.com - Heidi Venable. Click here. They didn't make any difference between him and their biological children, but Paul does notice how Beau would usually get his way with his mother. He suggested therapy and medication to treat it. by | Nov 1, 2020 | Uncategorised. Before the dinner, Paul and Claire go to a café. When Clair is helping Paul on the ground I think Paul said something like I did what you told me to do. The Book Possibly Explains Kate And Tully's Falling Out. I loved the movie except for the end. Read the novel in one big gulp, and then make plans with friends - you'll be desperate to debate this book over cocktails, appetizers, entrees, dessert…and then you still won't be done talking about it. One of them was entitled 'Men In Black 3' and featured the boys. “The Dinner” should be a scabrous satire of awful kids with more awful parents. The ending of "The Dinner" (contains spoiler) ... By the end of the book, and given the description of the glassing of Serge, I ended up thinking that Claire had been glassed by Paul, or perhaps otherwise beaten up by him. When going through Michel's phone, he also sees the video section just as he had earlier that evening. There are the brothers Paul and Stan and their wives, Claire and Kate. Thank you. I think the movie is about mental health – a topic that has replaced poverty as today’s fashionable cause – but I couldn’t be sure. Paul had recalled when Michel was a young boy and he had smashed a shop window with a ball, causing Paul to go with him to apologize to the store owner. The dialogue and great acting communicated that strongly. He said he has information from Paul's psychiatric report about how the decision to work again is not up to Paul. He thinks maybe Babette had only wanted a life with a successful politician and couldn't exit it now because she had already invested in it. But he does not answer the phone. I also didn’t read the book so maybe the book was more clear on the ending. She admits she didn't really call Michel but only made Babette witness the fake call because Michel is really meeting with Beau and Rick to sort out the problem. In this novel, two couples meet for dinner. Well, that’s good to know. But not too much. It was a creepy ending, but it made more sense for me. Claire is walked out by two policemen. Hollywood has programmed me to expect gunfire every minute, dead bodies every five minutes and explosions every ten minutes during an action/thriller movie. I wouldn’t know. All the cast were excellent, all of them favorites of mine, with Steve Coogan’s depiction of mental imbalance especially brilliant. He ended up in the principal's office. Did his wife really die of cancer or is it in his head. Or maybe not. The Dinner begins with drinks and dark satire, and goes stealthily and hauntingly from there. The psychologist mentioned that it is a defect that can be spotted prior to birth in tests analyzing the amniotic fluid. Wonderful acting but pointless until last half hour. Didn’t Paul say “I got the phone, I got Michael” to his wife Claire. Babette is not happy with her berry dessert and asks for it to be taken back. THE STAND Episode 8 Breakdown, Ending Explained Spoiler Review & Book Differences. 'The Postcard Killings' ending explained Towards the conclusion of The Postcard Killings , after Dessie Lombard (Cush Jumbo) publishes an article making revelations about the killings in the hope of drawing a response from Simon Haysmith (Denis O'Hare ) … Paul explains how Babette is a strong presence in the room and around her he always feels he has to make himself taller and bigger to be her equal. They don’t want the wrinkles to show. Outside the restaurant, Paul asks Michel why he never told him about the videos on his phone at the time of the incident. Cinema is about lighting – good lighting, so we can see the actors’ faces. You can hear Michel's voice as he is filming it all. It could have been at least 10 minutes shorter without that Stoopid Gettysburg scene. To begin with, the cast excellent and its acting is equivalent of their acclaimed career. Claire and Paul agree they have to prevent Serge from holding the conference the next day. Serge returns from his phone call and he and Babette leave. The conversation turns to the subject of films, which Paul muses is a weakness because it is a subject that should be discussed when you've run out of others. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. At the word 'murder' Claire argues, saying it was an accident. Michel says it was Beau who had done it. Shame on Richard for even agreeing to this role. Back in the present time in the restaurant, Paul goes to the men's room where a man there asks if his daughter could take a photo with Serge. Over the course of the dinner, tensions run amok among the group inter-cut with flashbacks that view the dysfunctional family's past, and Stan's attempts to help Paul in his depression. It showed that the boys had returned to the scene of the crime but he knows it could've also been a shoe belonging to a witness. Michel saw his father from outside and Paul tried to smile at him to let him know everything was okay. Michel asks if his mother knows, and Paul says she doesn't. Oh thank God. The Undoing wraps up by finally solving Elena Alves' murder, bringing an end to the whodunit show. He doesn't say exactly what happened, but it is clear that he and Rick had sorted Beau out. The Dinner is a novel by Herman Koch. She asks Paul how long he's known and he tells her he's known since they saw the footage on TV. I couldn’t agree with you more. But it's not all … I can do “Art” too. Claire thinks Serge is being selfish with his decision, making it all about him. Beau does finally answer his phone if you listen closely. Finding 'Ohana's Emotional Ending, Explained; Finding 'Ohana's Emotional Ending, Explained. Making matters worse, the principal asked Paul about his break from his career. When Serge takes a call, Claire makes a big fuss of asking Babette what the time is (even though she can see it on her cell phone) and says she has to call Michel at home to let him know they won't be out much longer. This made him search on YouTube for more footage and he found more videos. Paul wonders if Babette would leave Serge after how he flirts openly with much younger women and wonders what Serge did to make her cry on the way to the dinner. explained. Items on the menu are expensive and Paul gets irritated when they end up having to pay ten euros for an aperitif. Beau disappears and this is what features prominently on Serge's and Babette's minds. And there are no explosions. Click on a plot link to find similar books! It takes place in Amsterdam, in an overpriced, hoity-toity restaurant, with two couples who are there to discuss their misbehaving sons. At the very end, Beau calls and Kate answers the phone, “Beau? Keep up the good work! (Like that Gettysburg scene, yikes). Very slow. Serge says that Babette doesn't agree with his decision but he has made up his mind: he is going to withdraw his candidacy. I wasn’t sure what happened to Beau……some reviews said that they heard Beau answer his phone. Serge loses the election and ends up with ugly marks on his face from Claire's attack on him. Extremely complicated and apparently many folks don’t like that. Michel saw it happen. Now, outside the restaurant, Paul mentions to Michel about the ATM and subway incidents that have been caught on video on his phone. A short while later there is chaos at the café across the street, with a stretcher being wheeled out of the door by paramedics. When Paul settles the bill, the manager tells him he saw Paul and his son speaking earlier. The Dinner Review: The Most Excruciating Movie of 2017. Chernus’ scenes are also the only comic relief in the movie and are genuinely funny, cumulating in a scene where Kate repeatedly refuses to eat her dessert while Chernus repeatedly begs her to try it. The two couples are meeting to discuss the actions of their sons. The best scene was the ending, when Paul discovers that his son inherited his disorder. Michel says it wouldn't have made a difference. The sections of the book follow the courses, from Aperitif all the way to Digestif. By Renaldo Matadeen Published Feb 01, 2021. The Ending of The Invitation Explained Karyn Kusama's tense horror movie The Invitation builds towards a violent ending - but there's an extra dark twist at the end of the tale. I think Bo died in the end. By Joe Lipsett Published Oct 26, 2019 Actors are notoriously un-shy. Paul muses how the waitress would probably go back to her partner or friend and tell them how she had embarrassed herself in front of a cabinet minister. The dinner takes a long time to get to a plot and doesn’t quite make it to a point but is reasonably well acted and the characters of the two brothers develop well. Paul recalls being a history teacher and how his strong opinions and offensive remarks had caused some of his students to complain. And would have ended it on a more hopeful note. The boys were disgusted by this person they discovered is a woman because she smelled bad. Reading your spoiler was worth watching a bad movie. 0. This is what we all relate to with our love/hate relationships with our family. I think movies should be required to inform viewers before we invest our time that there actually is NO ENDING, and good luck with that! Great explanation! Claire leaves the restaurant. I don’t agree with cursing your parents but the son seems just frustrated about his dad’s behavior and taking the blame for his dad action.