My Dinner With Andre is a rewarding film that was far ahead of its time in not just style but topics and social commentary. Andre Gregory and Wallace Shawn, apparently playing themselves in the two leading roles in which for almost two hours they sit in a restaurant and engage in a completely believable conversation ranging from the surreal to the social to the metaphysical also write the film. This is a key contribute for why the film works because having written the material the actors appear to know it inside and out and therefore give it that extra sense of naturalism. The introduction also perfectly sets up the situation we are going to find ourselves in for the next two hours; it shows Wallace going about his normal, mundane activities, expressing discontent with his life and how he has to see his old friend Andre for the first time in years. Once they actually get into the dialogue it becomes apparent the script has vast layers to it, it essentially is a comment on modern existence and the conflicting views held by people, it uses the two characters in the film as symbols of society; Andre representing the new age thinking, while Wallace represents the rational scientific mind and shows the conflicting desire of wanting to retreat back to primitive living to find our humanity but also wanting to enjoy the benefits modern society grants us. The conversation as a whole is very well executed; the modest performances by the two actors never seeps into the overly dramatic, they maintain a natural flow and make it entertaining, challenging and realistic throughout. Some viewers may find it pretentious at first viewing, because it does deal with a lot of hard thinking topics and at times it can alienate the viewer by going slightly overboard with how it presents its ideas but most viewers should be able to relate to a conversation similar to this at one at some point in their lives, just maybe in a different way.<br /><br />The major flaw of the film is undoubtedly the camera-work, this is especially worrying with a film like this because in theory this should be one the most easiest films in history to shoot but instead of simply taking a subtle approach and showing the characters through two or three angles, the camera will suddenly jerk from one shot to the next in a very disorientated manner. While this doesn't ruin the film it can make you loose concentration during a segment of the dialogue and possibly miss an important part of the conversation, lessening its impact. Its possible the director introduced these jerks to give the camera-work greater variety, but when you already have a script that is as tough and deep as this, pioneering cinematography should not be a major concern.<br /><br />If you have seen films like 'Before Sunrise' or any other dialogue rich film and found yourself interested in who these characters are and what their thoughts on specific topics are I would suggest giving My Dinner with Andre a go. It kept my attention for the full two hours, which for a film almost completely composed of two characters and a restaurant table is an accomplishment in itself. The script is intelligent and thought provoking with excellent performances from Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory bringing it to life. Just be wary of some of the crazy camera-work that can jump out of nowhere and you should hopefully enjoy a thoroughly unique experience.