The Writer's Life: The Writer's Life 2/10

Saturday, February 10, 2018

The Writer's Life 2/10 - Butting Heads

Beatrix at Dinner (2017) is listed as a comedy/drama. I watched it last night courtesy of Netflix and don't recall laughing even once. Maybe that's simply a reflection of my own personality. Anyway, it is an interesting though unsatisfying film. Salma Hayek, apparently sans makeup, looking her age, 51, stars as a holistic healer/masseuse whose car won't start after a house call at a wealthy client, played by the ubiquitous Connie Britton. She is invited to dinner, which is attended by two other well-to-do couples. John Lithgow plays a hard-nosed developer/big game hunter. As Hayek's character downs a few glasses of white wine, she begins to speak out against the businessman, the standard Hollywood stereotype of rapacious corporate types. Ironically, he proves more tolerant than she, probably because he doesn't take her seriously, see her as a threat. The situation becomes tense. How far will Beatrix go? Screenwriter Mike White handles the matter intelligently, although the narrative never loses its leftward bias. A combination of factors - Beatrix's humble origins and personal sorrows, her work with dying cancer patients, and the alcohol help explain her actions and mitigate what otherwise would have been a black and white screed. And Lithgow's character, although a bit overbearing, is not unlikable. White has extensive credits that include the wonderfully entertaining School of Rock (2003) and the TV series it inspired. Beatrix at Dinner is much more successful as a character study of a woman who is suffering than as an argument about lifestyles. While watching, I was reminded of another film that tackled a similar theme fairly, that understood the need for both the titans of industry and the rank and file: The Man in the Grey Flannel Suit (1957), which was adapted by Nunally Johnson from the novel by Sloan Wilson, and starred screen legends Frederic March and Gregory Peck. It's an hour longer, padded by WWI experiences, than Beatrix at Dinner, which comes in at less than 90 minutes. Beatrix... was directed by Miguel Arteta, who has extensive credits, mostly in TV. 5700+ users at IMDb have rated it, forging to a consensus of 6.2 on a scale of ten. Its release was limited. It brought in $7 million+ worldwide. Unfortunately, I was unable to find how much it cost to produce. The biggest outlays had to be the salaries of the stars. Those with a conservative bias should probably steer clear, although there are films that go much further left than this one. Fans of Hayek should definitely check it out. Since I don't know when filming took place, I'm not sure if it is a jab at President Trump. Here's an off-screen pic of the flick's two antagonists: