Product Details

• Actors: Fred Armisen, Feridoon Asiani, Michael Blieden, Stephanie Courtney, David Cross (II)
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Sundance Channel Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: April 1, 2005
• Run Time: 83 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00080ZGX8
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #100,217 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Melvin Goes to Dinner" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A brisk, funny talkfest. Accidental meetings result in four people sharing dinner in a bistro, an encounter that becomes a bluntly honest discussion of sex, religion, and sex. Cutaways to other aspects of their lives bring visual variety (and afford opportunities for cameos by Jack Black and David Cross), but the meat of the meal is in how four people talk to, at, and against each other. The quartet is sharp and comic: screenwriter Michael Blieden and Matt Price play friends who haven't seen each other in a while, and Annabelle Gurwitch and Stephanie Courtney are the women they bump into. Their patter contains a couple of neat surprises, and ranges over a long menu of relationship issues. It's directed by comedian Bob Odenkirk (of Mr. Show fame), and he has two distinct directorial gifts: getting actors into a strong, naturalistic flow, and knowing where the jokes are. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Let me join your table, please., December 23, 2003

By	Bill Flynn (Dallas, TX USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Melvin Goes to Dinner (DVD)

Although I have not yet purchased the DVD, I was fortunate enough to see this film recently at the Deep Ellum Film festival in Dallas.
For me, it's a "must see." There are few films of this type which will hold your attention as well. In addition to fine acting, the camera work is extraordinary, and the editing makes you feel as though you were one of the group, able to shift your attention at will.
The characters are interesting and well developed, and the script moves along effortlessly. Before you know it, the 90 minutes have flown by, and you're ready to buy the next bottle of wine. Suddenly you're tempted to take these four characters back to your place for an all-nighter.
If you want to eavesdrop on good conversation that has some interesting twists, sit down at this table. You won't regret it.

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Funny lines, twisty plot., January 11, 2004

By	Riley McCarthy (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Melvin Goes to Dinner (DVD)

A friend of mine and I sat down to watch this film about four people in a really, really great dinner conversation, and, within five minutes of listening to the characters wax theories on religion and sex, I was saying to her, "Wow, we've had that conversation before."

And from that moment and for that reason, we found MELVIN GOES TO DINNER fascinating. As the film went on, though, and we got to know the characters better, we got wrapped up in the real and imagined ties between the characters. We tried to figure out how they all knew each other, really, and the film surprised us with several plot twists that we didn't see coming.

Adapted from a stage play using essentially the same principal cast, MELVIN GOES TO DINNER is a surprising find, one that I'm going to purchase so that I can watch it over and over. It's watchable for its plot and for its use of quality conversation.

I highly recommend this.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars So great!, December 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Melvin Goes to Dinner (DVD)

After watching this movie I wanted to go out and make more interesting friends. TV producers should take a lesson from this film - I would love to see a series with characters as fun to follow as those in Melvin Goes to Dinner. The extra film on the DVD about their trip to film festivals is so funny I laugh just thinking about it.