My Dinner with Hervé

It's 1993 London. Danny Tate (Jamie Dornan) is one month clean and sober. His editor takes him back to do a hatchet job on Gore Vidal and a small comedic takedown of Hervé Villechaize (Peter Dinklage) who is long past his success from Fantasy Island and James Bond. His ex Katie refuses to give him another chance. He goes to L.A. to do the interviews. No one has interviewed Villechaize for 10 years and he suggests a great final story to make Danny's career. Villechaize would kill himself after the interview.

Peter Dinklage disappears into this role which is daunting since he's such an unique person. Jamie Dornan has not done anything quite this good. It goes a long way to redeeming himself for the Fifty Shades movies. The story is not a new one for Hollywood but it's told so very well. It is heart-wrenchingly sad and redemptively uplifting. This is a very good HBO movie.

It took me a while to let go of the 'that's not the type of dwarfism he had' problem, but when I was finally able to do so, I was able to appreciate the story much more. It touched (lightly, admittedly, but also in an 'everyman' (sic) kind of way) on the themes of self-belief, self-control, and self-congratulation, and how thin the line between them is. One false move can see you fall on your face, or require you to push someone else out of your way; and we never know when that false move may occur or what may prompt it to happen.

Any weakness in this film be it script, direction, other cast members cannot hold a mention compared to the brilliant, consistent performance by PETER DINKLAGE . brilliant!

Well, that was a surprise. I almost want to accept this as HBO's apology for their Fahrenheit 451 adaptation earlier this year. Almost. That film still really sucks.

Writer/director Sacha Gervais recounts the story of the night he spent with iconic French actor Hervé Villechaize while working on an article that never got published. As the story goes Gervasi promised Villechaize that he would tell his absolutely fascinating life story to the world and now 25 years on HBO has produced this film detailing why that promise was made.

If Gervasi's screenplay is accurate (which it appears to be for the most part) then Villechaize's life certainly was far more interesting and tragic than I had first presumed. The screenplay never really holds back on the details of the story which helps present a more rounded view of the actor's life. This can also lead to the film at points feeling more like someone reading a Wikipedia article.

Peter Dinklage is absolutely fantastic, completely disappearing into his role blurring the line between himself and the real Villechaize. His delivery of the iconic line "the plane, the plane" is almost pitch perfect. In a way Dinklage reminded me of David Bradley's performance as William Hartnell in several Doctor Who projects. Dinklage's non Game of Thrones performances keep continue to showcase why he was so instantly loved as soon as the first season aired. Given that the GOT cast does not have a reputation for quality outside of the show Dinklage has certainly managed to separate himself from the show in way many of his cast mates have not.

The closing shot is more than a little cheesy and the over emphasis on ensuring that every fact is given can make the film drag, however this does help make the overall sentiment feel more genuine.

I have nothing but respect for Gervasi for finally telling this story as well as for HBO for allowing him to do so. If you have access via HBO Go or Sky Q or anywhere else it is showing definitely check it out.

Our culture's infatuation with celebrity is bitter sweetly conveyed in the story of Hervé Villechaize, a star crossed lover of life who gained fame in Hollywood through his acting career. Daniel, the journalist played by Jamie Dornan is a fitting foil for Hervé, one teeter-tottering to sobriety, the other in flagrante ~ fully consumed by efforts to cover emotional pain. It's an opportunity to face the flaws in every human ~ in love we come face to face with the gap between a hero's summit that we hope to achieve and the mistakes we inevitably make in life as it unfolds. Peter Dinklage's performance is wonderful and as the writer, Dornan has a chance to display a nuanced character quite admirably.