Movies |
Beatriz at Dinner
By
Published: Nov 27, 2023
Category:
Drama
Mike White created “White Lotus,” the hugely popular series (ten Primetime Emmys and two Golden Globes) that’s funny, frothy, and takes viewers to pretty locations (Maui, Sicily, and, coming up, Thailand). Think of it as a great blender drink. Mike White also created “Beatriz at Dinner.” It’s intermittently funny and frothy — but it’s about something serious that “White Lotus” carefully avoids. Be warned: it’s 90% protein.
“Beatriz at Dinner” was one of the best films I saw in 2017, and time has been kind to it — the issue that Salma Hayek and John Lithgow debate is everything we are talking about and not doing much about.
The movie is set at the home of a massively rich Californian. John Lithgow, the guest of honor, is a mega-successful real estate entrepreneur who’s about to complete yet another transaction. And then he’s off to shoot animals in Africa. A lesser movie would give him a black hat and have him snort like a pig. In fact, he’s smart, charming in his way, and he’s come to the capitalist religion honestly.
Salma Hayek is his polar opposite: a Mexican who lives with dogs and goats. She mostly works with cancer patients at an alternative-healing center. She’s also a gifted massage therapist who’s come to this house to work on the hostess. Her car has broken down; she’s invited to stay the night. And to stay for dinner. That shouldn’t be a risk: Hayek is so quiet she’s almost subliminal.
Hayek looks the part. School kid bangs. Work clothes. And yet, at 50 and wearing no makeup, she’s gorgeous — goodness has created her beauty.
Misunderstanding starts at cocktails. Lithgow spots Beatriz hovering. He assumes she’s the help and asks her to refresh his drink. Their exchange has a second purpose: Hayek think she knows him. Well, of course, his friend says — he’s famous, frequently on the news. [Watch the preview — it’s wonderfully revealing. To rent the stream from Amazon, click here.]
Hayek spends her life helping others; Lithgow is beyond help. Hayek believes that the planet is dying; Lithgow moves it a step closer to death every time he builds a new hotel. Their debate could easily turn tedious. Or worse: Lithgow, who is educated and polished, could simply overwhelm her New Age sincerity. [Here’s a conversation I’ve seen in no other American movie.]
Good news: “Beatriz at Dinner” is not a movie that simplifies issues.. One way you can tell: it both delights you and makes you uncomfortable.
