Last night, Mrs. Bissage and I watched “My Dinner with Andre.” It was our second time. Oddly enough, though, I don’t think I picked up much that I hadn't before. This came as something of a shock because I like to consider myself at least marginally educable. Oh well. Ha!
We intend to see it again, although Mrs. Bissage wants to put some distance in between now and then. When I see it for the third time, I know I will become fixated on the restaurant employees. This obsession embarrasses me but I can’t help it. Why do they appear when they do? What do their reactions foretell? Why was the waiter blinking in Morse code? What is the secret message? This is important. I need to figure it out. And I had better get something more for my effort than just a crummy “Be Sure to Drink Your Ovaltine®.”
But seriously, in this movie there is no sex. No violence. No eye candy. No action, really, except what’s in your imagination. But there are ideas. Oh, how there are ideas! And there is a kind of benevolent godliness to it. And there is a way to live your life.
This is not one of those ephemeral movies that might just as well have been last Wednesday’s breakfast. This is a movie to love and embrace and keep close forever. I will see it again and again and again and again.
My deepest gratitude goes out to Althouse, who recommends this movie to all her blog fans. Were it not for her, neither Mrs. Bissage nor I would have been sitting at that restaurant table with Andre and Wally. And we would have been poorer for the loss.
Because sometimes it’s best just to sit there and listen.
And to let the other guy pick up the check.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
I meant to pick up a copy of My Dinner with Andre when Althouse mentioned it recently but I never did. Thanks for the reminder, Bissage. I just ordered it from Amazon.
Excellent, Mr. Eklund.
But Althouse deserves all the credit.
I hope you like the movie as much as I do. It's absolutely brimming with food for thought, which kind of makes sense, really.
And thanks for reminding me to keep a promise I made to myself last night: To pick up a recording of Erik Satie's Gymnopédie No. 1. It closes out the film and it made a big impression. Very expansive.
Take care.
OK, you and Ann got me interested. I'll check it out. I'm assuming that I'll need a female companion to pull me all the way through. Blockbuster should rent companions appropriate for the movie you rent. We don't all have a Mrs. Bissage or Mrs. Meade.
Is it part of a two disc set with "Transformers" or maybe "My Dinner with a Zombie Mob"?
I’m glad you’ll check it out, bagoh20.
Yes, it is a quiet film -- your sound system need not be THX-certified. And yes, it is rather arty and legitimate-theaterish and philosophical. But it is also very down-to-earth. It is direct, strong and honest. There is no cheap emotion or fake intimacy. It is not a chick flick in any way, shape or form.
As far as a companion goes, I suggest you pick up the disc from a bricks-and-mortar store and make sure all the girls see what you’re renting. And then stand clear of the rumble that is sure to follow.
Invite the one who won’t join in the fray, standing off to the side by herself, with a little tear running down her cheek.
And live happily ever after.
Thanks, I'll let you know how it goes. I only rent, never buy, cause you never know if it will go obsolete on you. That goes for the movie too.
Post a Comment