Sunday, June 18, 2017

Beatriz at Dinner Movie Review

Salma Hayek stars in Beatriz at Dinner

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

Rotten Tomatoes Plot: Beatriz (Salma Hayek), an immigrant from a poor town in Mexico, has drawn on her innate kindness to build a career as a health practitioner in Los Angeles. Doug Strutt (John Lithgow) is a cutthroat, self-satisfied billionaire. When these two opposites meet at a dinner party, their worlds collide and neither will ever be the same. Directed by Miguel Arteta.


"She's not a housekeeper: She's a friend of the family." Hayek plays devil's advocate (and fifth wheel) in Beatriz at Dinner, a timely indictment against the one-percenters, over beef tenderloin and cocktails. Arteta plays it relatively safe for most of the movie, barely scratching the surface of superficiality, before driving off a cliff at the end of a fast-paced 83-minute runtime. Along the way, an almost unrecognizable Hayek delivers a delicate, award-worthy performance... even if her class-conscious opponents offer little-to-no resistance. The final flurry is full of surprises, which guarantees thought-provoking discussion afterwards (not to mention a drink or two.)

Grade: B-