Dinner at Fred's

Nice to see an American movie which is not so typically Hollywood. This is a movie for those of us who think a little differently from the mainstream! My guess is many of the other voters have made the inevitable comparison to lots of other mainstream movies, which of course would drive down the overall rating, since this is more avant guard than other light romantic comedies. The combination of great casting with this odd-ball premise works delightfully well. While completely farcical, there is an aura of realism which shines through the apparent insanity of the thematic elements. My recommendation is, if you like "off the beaten track" films, then this one is well worth the time.

"Dinner at Fred's" is not necessarily a bad film. Someone must have been nervous about it in some respect, though, because the first time I saw it was at a film festival in September 1997. I heard more of it in the spring of 1999, when plans to release it were falling into place. Strange. Anyways, it was made before Gil Bellows of apparent "Ally McBeal" fame was famous, and it includes a charming performance from former indie-queen Parker Posey and flat-out weirdness from most of the rest of the cast. The thing is, it comes across as if this film is almost trying to be too oddball, and it seriously chokes the "unlikely" romantic sub-plot developing between the characters of Bellows and Posey. Most of the plot reminded me of similarly themed fish-out-of-water romances including snow, such as "Trapped in Paradise" and the like. The writing is not incredibly inspired either, but the actors do well with what they have in this predictable but mildly cute romantic comedy. See it if you're bored, and don't expect to remember much of it a day later.

I rented this movie because I like Kevin McDonald (of Kids in the Hall fame) and Parker Posey, and they did not disappoint. Kevin's performance was quietly understated yet effective and funny. Parker, although made to wear weird costumes and apparently given some strange direction, did an excellent job with her character and the dialogue (she had some of the film's best lines). I really liked her character, probably mainly because she was the only one who seemed like a real person. Most of the cast were only adequate and were playing characters who apparently were there only to make the movie seem colorful. (Mostly it just seemed like the writer was trying too hard to populate the movie with eccentrics.) However, there were moments when the dialogue was suddenly sharp and witty for a line or two before it would revert back to mediocrity. Overall, I'd say this movie is worth seeing if you are a Parker Posey fan because she really does a great job of creating a sympathetic, interesting character mainly through sheer charisma and intelligent line readings. She's always fun to watch. I gave this movie 7 out of 10.

Who will ever forget Mrs. Posey after have seeing this film?

Those of YOU who still have dreams and are in the mood for a weird film with "Gilbert Grape" characters have to see this one. I saw the film in September 1997 on the Hamburg Film festival at the Abaton. There was an overwhelming applause from the so called "cool" Hamburg audience for this good entertainment.