Review Beatriz at Dinner [2017] | poetslandscape

IMDb listing

CNS/USCCB () overview

Los Angeles Times (J. Chang) overview

RogerEbert.Com (S. Wloszczyna) assessment

AVClub (I. Vishnevetsky) assessment

Beatriz at Dinner [2017] (directed byMiguel Arteta, screenplay via manner of Mike White) is a darkish dramedy that reminds us that paintings can sometimes precede (are anticipating?) the future: A form of (now) Trump-generation Guess Who's Coming to Dinner [1967], the movie turned into surely made earlier than Donald Trump have become elected U.S. President (or earlier than pretty much every person, which includes likely Trump himself, notion it possible that he must win).

Beatriz (executed to self-certainly Oscar nomination worth stages with the aid of the usage of Salma Hayek) is a non-descript Mexican-born, prolonged-time American residing (a barely older

Beatriz had helped their daughter get through the treatments, and subsequently Shannon had been having Beatriz come regularly to their quite lovely "cliff-side ocean view" home out there in _Southern_ Orange County to give her a monthly massage.  Insane amount of driving that this "triangle" -- from her modest home in Altadena to her work in Santa Monica to Shannon's gated community (of course) home in Newport Beach and back to Altadena (the geography here is both important and insane)-- notwithstanding, Beatriz, a seemingly quite gentle, somewhat "New Agey" soul appeared content to do this for the sake of her past relationship with Grant / Shannon and their daughter and because, well, she truly saw her vocation to be "a healer."

Well, one afternoon, after giving Shannon her massage, Beatriz' car finally "dies" (could not start) from all that driving.  No matter, Shannon invites her to stay the night in her previously sick daughter's room (she's long since "better" and now in college) and invites Beatriz to stay for a dinner party that they were hosting for one of Grant's clients, a _big shot real estate developer_ named Doug Strutt (played wonderfully by John Lithgow).  The two -- Beatriz and Strutt -- could not possibly have been more different and on so many levels (race, gender, class, fundamental outlook on the very purpose of life), and after a couple of glasses of wine ("liquid courage"), it's _Beatriz_ who in good part _decides_ that she's _not_ going to keep her mouth shut.

A fascinating if increasingly _painful_ film to watch.  Could _this film_ become this year's Moonlight [2016] (89th Academy Awards [2107])?

<<NOTE - Do you like what you've been reading here?  If you do then consider giving a small donation to this Blog (sugg. $6 _non-recurring_) _every so often_ to continue/further its operation. To donate justCLICK HERE.  Thank you! :-) >>