"Dinner at Eight"'s all-star cast, glossy production values, and lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-famous setting suggest that the movie might be nothing more than an entertaining romp. Remarkably, though, it consistently engages with the darker side of life. It's one of the few 1930s movies I've seen that takes into account the Great Depression and the ever-present risk of financial ruin. It also deals quite maturely with adultery, illness, and aging.
The movie follows a week in the lives of a number of New Yorkers who have been invited to a dinner party hosted by Oliver and Millicent Jordan (Lionel Barrymore and Billie Burke). While sometimes the plot is a little melodramatic, its serious undercurrents make it more realistic than other movies of the era, and a good social commentary.
That's not to say, though, that "Dinner at Eight" isn't funny. The humor arises from the characters, rather than the situations (this is not a screwball comedy!). Marie Dressler as an aging grande dame of the theatre, Jean Harlow as a vulgar and ambitious young wife, and Billie Burke as the sublimely frivolous hostess all have great fun with their somewhat stereotypical roles, finding fresh gestures and intonations that make them very amusing. John Barrymore is also excellent as a proud but washed-up matinée idol; in his last scene he is simultaneously funny and moving.
"Dinner at Eight"'s only flaw (but it's a big flaw) is that it still feels like a filmed play. Most of the vignettes go on for too long after they have made their point, and could use some trimming. If that had happened, there might have been room for an additional subplot (found in the play) about a love triangle between the Jordans' butler, maid, and chauffeur. This triangle is mentioned briefly in the film, but it would be nice to see it play out, especially because it might provide more social commentary about class distinctions.
The movie follows a week in the lives of a number of New Yorkers who have been invited to a dinner party hosted by Oliver and Millicent Jordan (Lionel Barrymore and Billie Burke). While sometimes the plot is a little melodramatic, its serious undercurrents make it more realistic than other movies of the era, and a good social commentary.
That's not to say, though, that "Dinner at Eight" isn't funny. The humor arises from the characters, rather than the situations (this is not a screwball comedy!). Marie Dressler as an aging grande dame of the theatre, Jean Harlow as a vulgar and ambitious young wife, and Billie Burke as the sublimely frivolous hostess all have great fun with their somewhat stereotypical roles, finding fresh gestures and intonations that make them very amusing. John Barrymore is also excellent as a proud but washed-up matinée idol; in his last scene he is simultaneously funny and moving.
"Dinner at Eight"'s only flaw (but it's a big flaw) is that it still feels like a filmed play. Most of the vignettes go on for too long after they have made their point, and could use some trimming. If that had happened, there might have been room for an additional subplot (found in the play) about a love triangle between the Jordans' butler, maid, and chauffeur. This triangle is mentioned briefly in the film, but it would be nice to see it play out, especially because it might provide more social commentary about class distinctions.