Review of Dinner at Eight (1933) by Jim H — 02 Sep 2013

This is the story of socialites, their dramas and affairs, as they prepare for a dinner party.

The main conflict of this story sneaked up on me, and by the time I was aware that the eponymous dinner would be either an afterthought or never appear, I had already condemned this movie for its over-heavy exposition and its dull characters/caricatures. It is true that there are some compelling performances, but I couldn't find why we were getting to know them or what the raison d'etre was until much too late. Even now I'm not sure.

Overall, this film's poor structure makes it difficult to like.