My Dinner with Andre

One of my favorite films, My Dinner with Andre, just got rereleased on DVD by the ever-supreme Criterion.  For those who haven't seen it, virtually the entire film is one very long scene, that takes place in a restaurant.  It is one entire, rambling, anecdotally packed conversation between two reuniting theatre friends, Wallace Shawn and Andre Gregory (both playing themselves), who have very different attitudes about art and life.  Andre is the quintessential seeker, looking for new and mystical ways to transform his consciousness and access a higher level of living and creating.  Wally is the pragmatist - a "grounded" New Yorker just trying to live his life and make ends meet while attempting to succeed at acting and playwriting.  Though the plot is simple (or rather, almost nonexistent), their conversation is fascinating to witness: touching, hilarious, inspiring, and very human.  This is storytelling and philosophy at its finest, and I'm thrilled it is now preserved for posterity in this handsome 2-disc edition.