May 5th sees the release of Oren Moverman’s The Dinner, a dark family drama starring Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Steve Coogan and Rebecca Hall. To get the ball rolling, The Orchard have now served up a fresh trailer to give audiences an idea of what to expect, and it certainly looks interesting.
Gere plays Stan Lohman, a popular congressman embroiled in an election campaign. He invites Steve Coogan’s estranged little brother Paul and Laura Linney’s Claire to join for dinner with his wife in one of the hottest haute-cuisine restaurants in town. But this isn’t some polite soiree, and things rapidly go south as it’s revealed that the sons of the two couples have committed an awful crime that’s shocked America.
Paranoid that their identities will be revealed, the parents debate over what course of action to take. As the meal is served, the arguments become ever more dramatic and personal. Who knows whether they’ll make it to dessert?
Based on the Dutch novel of the same name by Herman Koch, the movie recently premiered at the Berlin Film Festival to mixed reviews. Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian stuck the boot in with particular viciousness, describing the experience as “a shouty, hammy, tedious, damp-squib firework display of dullness.” Critical notices like that suggest a rare stumble for director Oren Moverman, whose 2009 debut The Messenger was garlanded with awards, including the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at Sundance and the Peace Film award at Berlin.
Only time will tell whether audiences make reservations for The Dinner this May, but in the meantime, check out the trailer for yourself and let us know what you think.