This movie beautifully captures the class divide in America.
Self was going to see Wonder Woman.
Her friend’s daughter directed Wonder Woman.
Every single Everlark fan fiction writer has seen Wonder Woman.
But something about the casting of Beatriz at Dinner intrigued her. It was Chloe Sevigny that finally pushed her over the edge. Sevigny is such a kick in the pants, every single time. She’s got this playfully acerbic affect. In Beatriz, she’s decked out in sky-high heels and positively towers over her fellow cast-mates. Just one look from those lazy doe eyes and one is pinned, forever, in the zone of the socially, painfully ridiculous.
Which happens to, of all people, Salma Hayek (playing against type).
Self would also like to say that John Lithgow is particularly good here. Usually, he has such an affable aspect. Here, his affability masks a most cruel arrogance. There is a fantasy sequence which, while shocking, makes complete cinematic sense.
Finally, the real standout — no, not Salma Hayek. It’s Connie Britton, who is best known for her role in Friday Night Lights.
God, this actress. Every brittle gesture and line of dialogue rings true.
The guy who plays her husband — his conversation makes great, casual use of the “F” word — is someone who self has seen before, but always in bit roles. He’s very well cast here.
Everyone is good in this film, but the weakest performance is from the guy playing Chloe Sevigny’s partner. He has some good lines, of which the best is a Mexican phrase he throws out (wittily, he thinks) after Beatriz delivers a heartfelt performance of a Mexican song for the group’s entertainment. Self thinks it’s something like Ay, cucaracha but it could easily be Caramba or something of that ilk. Whatever. It achieves its purpose, which is to establish Beatriz as the Other. And since it’s the end of the evening, and these people have had hours to interact with Beatriz, when the man utters that throwaway line we know all is lost, the evening’s been an utter waste of Beatriz’s (and our) time. It’s a heartbreaking conclusion: that no one can bridge that divide between rich and poor, brown and white, and it’s foolish to even try.
Stay tuned, dear blog readers. Stay tuned.
