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Starring: Thierry Lhermite, Jacques Villeret
Director: Francis Veber
Genre: Comedy
Year: 1998
Rating: 5 / 5
Reviewed by Guest Scribe Legend
The Dinner Game excels at what it is - a chuckle-worthy little comedy that keeps you entertained for a little while. It is not going to change your outlook on life, evoke your deepest emotions or attempt to be meaningful. It just attempts, and succeeds, at being lots of fun. It is almost like a lengthy, enjoyable sitcom.
A coterie of highfalutin Frenchmen are evidently very bored and even more cruel. Every Wednesday night, they have a dinner game whereby each of them brings along the biggest idiot they can find, though the idiots themselves are unaware they're being made fun of. He who brings the biggest idiot wins!
Pierre Brochant (Thierry Lhermite) has an ace-in-the-hole once he crosses paths with matchstick builder François Pignon (Jacques Villeret). Though both are excellent, Villeret is just too much as the idiot Pignon. His facial expressions are priceless. Too bad Messrs.Brochant and Pignon never arrive at the dinner party. Brochant has wrenched his back and he cannot really leave his house once Pignon arrives. To make matters worse, he finds out his wife has left him, in large part due to his participation in the dinner game.
Pignon seeks nothing more than to help Brochant out of his little dilemma. Though he means well, he's too much of an idiot. The trouble he stirs up with his idiocy causes all sorts of problems for Brochant, who is getting bitten by a bit of karma coming back his way. What's interesting is that there are really only a handful of characters in this film, and almost all of it takes place in Brochant's posh apartment. That also tends to give it the sitcom-like element. However, this does not spoil the fun. Hooray for The Dinner Game, a fun little French farce.
Cast:
| Thierry Lhermite.......... | Pierre Brochant |
| Jacques Villeret.......... | Francois Pignon |
Certification: Rated PG-13 for language.
Running Time: 80 minutes.
Additional Info: Internet Movie Database
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