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As an actress, Salma Hayek has established a distinct identity for herself since the early 1990s through a series of memorable roles in high-octane comedies and dramas. With roles in films such as “Desperado,” “From Dusk to Dawn,” and “Frida,” she has also lent her voice to a sultry gunslinger’s sultry squeeze, a blood-sucking stripper, and a fierce one-of-a-kind painter. She is also the voice of slinky Kitty Softpaws in the animated film “Puss in Boots.” When given the right material (i.e., not an Adam Sandler comedy), Hayek can be a terrifying heat-radiating presence on screen, and she knows exactly when and how to turn it on.
However, in “Beatriz at Dinner,” Hayek lowers the thermostat and adopts a cool, calm, and, yes, beatific demeanor as Beatriz, a Mexican-born masseuse in Los Angeles with magic fingers and holistic healing abilities who develops an almost empathic connection with her ailing clients at a touchy-feely cancer clinic. She is also at one with the universe, as evidenced by the dogs and bleating goat (which she keeps in her bedroom at night to protect it from an enraged neighbor) that swarm around her at night and the images of the Virgin Mary and a toy Buddha that adorn the dashboard of her vehicle. Beatriz, who wears her hair in a fringe of baby bangs, wears minimal makeup, and dresses in a functional wardrobe, clearly prioritizes the spiritual over the material. One cannot help but be captivated by the serene sight of a de-glammed Hayek, who is both beautiful and miraculously youthful at the age of 50.
As a walking, talking symbol of the toxic political climate that continues to pollute our world, Beatriz appears to be uniquely weaponized to stage a one-woman uprising against the president of the United States, in what appears to be one of the first blatantly intentional culture-clash allegories for our Trumpian times. A dinner party from hell is set up at a generically showy Newport Beach seaside mansion, which is the sort of place where champagne popsicles on solemn holidays of remembrance would feel right at home. The film is directed by Miguel Arteta and written by Mike White, whose previous envelope-pushing collaborations include “Chuck & Buck,” “The Good Girl,” and TV’s “Enlightened.”
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Beatriz, a house caller, finds herself stranded in a wealthy client’s circular driveway when her clunky Volkswagen breaks down. This marks the beginning of the story’s most dramatic chapter. The only other sympathetic character is Cathy (a welcome sight in Connie Britton, who has been resurrected from her country superstar’s demise on TV’s “Nashville” as the only other sympathetic character), who considers Beatriz a member of the family after she performed miracles for her now-cured college-age daughter during chemotherapy. It is only natural that she invites Beatriz, who is currently waiting for a mechanic friend to arrive, to join her at the upscale gathering she is hosting that evening.
Beatriz At Dinner Quiz
The problem is that it is a critical business function for her brusque husband (David Warshofsky), one that includes his boss, real-estate tycoon Douglas Strutt (John Lithgow, who manages to ooze menace, condescension, and charisma in equal measure as an obvious though more socially adept Trump surrogate), and junior associate Alex (Jay Duplass, in full-on entitled jerk mode), as well as their shallow couture
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Some of you may be concerned about witnessing a darkly humorous yet disturbing re-enactment of what we see and hear on cable news every hour. We understand your concerns. And it’s true that White’s script occasionally comes a little too close to being the subject of the satire it’s trying to make fun of. The key to this film, however, is Lithgow’s deftly modulated performance as Strutt (got to love that name), because the actor allows us to see how a vile, egotistical-yet-ingratiating captain of industry could easily manipulate others to do his bidding while justifying the often-deadly sins against humanity and the planet in general.
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While it is inevitable that friction will arise between the smirk-prone privileged few and the selfless but occasionally befuddled health-care worker, the filmmakers wisely allow it to simmer, with the assistance of far too much alcohol. Beatriz, who is not accustomed to drinking wine, eventually discovers that she is unable to remain silent any longer and begins to overshare her own history. As a result, the wealthy are gradually forced to reveal the cesspool depths of their corrupt lifestyles while simultaneously celebrating their financial gains at the expense of other living beings and the environment. When Strutt boastfully shares a photo of a bloody rhino he captured on an African safari, things come to a head as Beatriz exclaims, “Are you for real? Are you serious?” “This is absolutely disgusting.”
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Arteta and White are acutely aware of their surroundings and are able to tap into the dissatisfaction of those who are appalled by our country’s sudden turn of events, as well as the self-satisfaction of those who find themselves with greater freedom to indulge their worst impulses than they have ever had before. Following the raucous confrontation, an already inebriated Beatriz retires to her room for the night with a bottle of wine and a joint she had discovered in a dresser, while the others make wishes by launching fire-powered paper lanterns into the sky. Afterwards, the filmmakers engage in a more violent form of wish-fulfillment before leaving us with a more open-ended closing sequence—which seems about right when you don’t know which direction the tweet wind will blow on a daily basis.
It’s true that a little more nuance in the menu would have been beneficial for this type of dinner party scenario, as the filmmakers are a little too on the nose in their attempts to ape the national debate, shift in priorities, and general unease that has swept the nation since the presidential election. However, Hayek transforms Beatriz into her own brand of wonder woman, while Lithgow’s Strutt is unquestionably a super villain of sorts, and their head-to-head battle is unquestionably entertaining, even if it has only just begun in real life.
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