Melvin Goes to Dinner

Bob Odenkirk's 2003 directing debut works from Michael Blieden's adaptation of his own play. Four people in their thirties convene for dinner; as the wine goes down the conversation opens out to religion, ghosts, relationships and sexual fetishes, and the people at the table tell each other things you would not say to strangers. Almost the entire film takes place there. Odenkirk's directing choice is modest: the camera watches faces and the cutting follows the rhythm of talk. What makes it interesting is how the stories connect as the night goes on, and how the viewer comes to see that these people share more than they know. The dialogue is dense and produces as much discomfort as comedy. Who it's for: viewers who like dialogue-driven American independent film and single-location storytelling. Who it's not for: anyone wanting visual variety and incident, or who will not count conversation itself as event.