I try to catch My Dinner With André at least once, maybe twice a year. It's one of those wonderful films which seems to change every time I see it, but, of course, the movie doesn't change at all. It's the viewer who has changed, getting out of the film what he decides to put in.
André follows a dinner conversation between two old friends: André Gregory, theater director and world -wandering philosopher, on the one hand, and playwright and actor Wally Shawn on the other. They haven't seen each other in several years. André, having "given up the theatre," has been roaming through the forests of Poland, the Sahara desert, and hither and yon desperately seeking something "real" to hold on to.
Wally sets the serio-comic scene in his early voiceover, exclaiming that he really can't stand the idea of having to sit through an entire meal with the frustrating André. His only option is to pretend he's a detective, asking some questions as a means of getting through the evening. That's the first half of the movie -- André relaying his journey. And we listen with Wally, our cheerful stand-in.
And what stories! Singing and dancing in bizarre acting workshops deep in the woodlands, where the trees are so thick five people can surround one with their arms locked together... being buried alive on Halloween night on a cold, hidden moor... a Tibetan monk balancing on his fingertips. And André expresses his fear that society is moving too fast, not taking the time to really chew its food, or flourish in the present moment, or even interact with other human beings on more than a superficial level.
When you're feeling frustrated and Quixotic, struggling to find some semblance of meaning and artistic connection with the world, André's radical journeys to the Polish forest seem to make sense -- a means to break through, perhaps finding some clarity in the haze of chaos and electronic noise. For him, technology is breaking down human interaction, to the point where we have become zombies living in some "psychotic dream world," pretending that everything is just... fine. Perhaps if we say that enough times, we'll start believing it.
On other viewings, you may be feeling more practical. From that perspective, André comes off as a complete nut. Wally says it all when, trembling with frustration, he challenges that climbing Mount Everest becomes absurd if you could just see, really see, the cigar store around the corner. "That would blow your brains out!" he says. He takes smaller steps, but perhaps those are the ones that most viewers can relate with.
When André starts complaining about refusing to use an electric blanket for fear of electrocution, Wally shakes his head, baffled. He could never give up his electric blanket because New York is cold! And we all have to suffer the grindstone on a daily basis, so why not take advantage of the few comforts we have? The second half of the film is a Socratic debate between Wally and André, who both seek to find a sense of fulfillment in the modern world.
One could easily argue that a film about two men having a meaningful conversation over dinner would make for a fairly dull affair, but this is not your usual movie. The normal rules of cinema do not apply here. Instead, if one takes the time to truly listen to their words and thoughts, one could easily use My Dinner With André to contemplate important questions in our own lives. Sometimes, on repeated viewings, My Dinner With André can be used as a springboard for introspective thought.
If you have any love for the theatre, as I do, you'll empathize with a writer and director in conversation trying to push for something deeper. And it becomes about more than just the isolated world of theatre, it's about living a life that has meaning -- be it as a theatre guru or simply waiting tables. The waiter in the film is a riot, by the way, with his quizzical eyebrows and obviously different lifestyle than the pampered artists.
Without a doubt, this is not a movie for everyone. There's no roller coaster ride, nor is there a traditional plot, nor even a wide variety of locations. What My Dinner With André does offer is an adventure for the mind and imagination, and Wally and André make for wonderfully entertaining and fascinating guests for two hours. Think about the great lunches or dinners you've had with friends, or times when you've stayed up all night talking about your lives. That's one of the many charms of this deeply philosophical, humanistic treasure.