The Dinner Game
A smug dinner-game enthusiast finds his carefully ordered life dismantled by the well-meaning fool he planned to display as a trophy.
Overview
A dinner party turns into a chaotic comedy of errors as a man’s plans unravel spectacularly.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- breezy
- irreverent
- lazy sunday
- comedy night
What critics said
Critics generally praised the film as an efficiently constructed French farce, especially its comic central pairing and Jacques Villeret's performance.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Pierre and his wealthy friends invite supposedly foolish guests to a dinner competition for their amusement.
Pierre's back injury and Pignon's efforts to help continually worsen problems involving friends, taxes, and romantic secrets.
Pierre's cool self-interest is repeatedly undermined by Pignon's blundering presence and unexpected loyalty.
François Pignon's expressive face, clumsy interventions, and volatile shifts from confidence to distress drive many of the film's funniest moments.
Films like The Dinner Game, and why
A Fish Called Wanda
shares tightly contained farce, escalating misunderstandings, and comic conflict between a self-assured schemer and an unpredictable innocent
The Birdcage
shares sophisticated social satire, mistaken assumptions, and rapid-fire ensemble comedy driven by escalating complications
The Odd Couple
shares a claustrophobic one-location comic setup, verbal sparring, and the reversal of social power through blundering behavior
Movie Details
- Director
- Francis Veber
- Release Date
- 1998-04-15
- Runtime
- 80 min
- Rating
- 7.8 / 10 (2110)
Cast
- Jacques Villeret
- Thierry Lhermitte
- Francis Huster
- Daniel Prévost
- Alexandra Vandernoot
- Catherine Frot
- Edgar Givry
- Christian Pereira
- Benoît Bellal
- Jacques Bleu
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- France Channel Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Dinner Game about?
- A smug dinner-game enthusiast finds his carefully ordered life dismantled by the well-meaning fool he planned to display as a trophy.
- What is The Dinner Game like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Dinner Game as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Dinner Game violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Dinner Game.
- What did critics think of The Dinner Game?
- Critics generally praised the film as an efficiently constructed French farce, especially its comic central pairing and Jacques Villeret's performance.
- Which films are like The Dinner Game?
- Films with a similar feel include A Fish Called Wanda, The Birdcage, and The Odd Couple.
- How long is The Dinner Game?
- The Dinner Game runs 80 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Dinner Game?
- In United States, The Dinner Game streams on France Channel Amazon Channel.
