Beatroz at Dinner

“Beatriz at Dinner” stars Salma Hayek and John Lithgow in this story of a poor Mexican immigrant and health care provider who, by circumstance, becomes a dinner guest at a party given by one of her clients where she has a confrontation with a multi billionaire played by Mr. Lithgow. When I first read the rave review in the LA Times, it seemed like this was a must-see film so I dutifully went on its opening day to view it. What a mistake. The writing and directing of this film leaves much to be desired with a plot that makes no sense and a character study that is both unrealistic and improbable. For the most part the fault is in the writing by Mike White for he portrays Ms. Hayek’s character with so many faces and traits that is difficult to believe that anyone like this could exist. The film is uncomfortable to watch for there is no sense of reality or credibility and what could have been an interesting class conflict film becomes an absurd viewing experience. I give the film 1 star (that for Mr. Lithgow who can do no wrong) with a warning to the prospective viewer to RSVP that he or she cannot attend this particular dinner party.