THE DINNER

THE DINNER:  Billed as a psychological drama, it is certainly that and then some.  Richard Gere plays Stan Lohman, a popular congressman running for governor.  He and his wife Katelyn (Rebecca Hall) invite his estranged younger brother, Paul (Steve Coogan) and his wife Claire (Laura Linney) to join them for dinner at a fashionable restaurant and so the stage is set for a tense evening.  While the two brothers are virtually strangers to each other, their 16 year old sons are friends and throughout the evening (in a series of flashbacks) we learn that the teens have committed a horrible crime, a crime only known to some of the parents.  While this film is a bit hard to follow at times (as well as hard to take), it is worth the visit only for the master class in acting given by this cast.  This may not suit every taste in cinema, but I found it fascination although I will say, I though the ending was rather abrupt and equally unsatisfying.  Still, all in all, I'm glad I saw it (the food served at this dinner is beautiful to behold) and the film offers a king-size portion of food for thought .