Dinner for Five - Season 1

Rating:
Summary: Has its moments...
Review:
I am not a particular Jon Favreau fan, but the "Dinner for Five" idea titillated me. I often think the untapped billion dollar idea in Hollywood would involve dropping the endless PR spin and telling the truth... the same might work for politics. Things are so marketed and phony that I often find myself wondering what actors really think of their product. And, this show tells us... sort of. Actually, the actors mainly dish on the industry generally, and a few venture into trashing other people's products, like some amusing riffs on "Inside the Actors Studio." But, there is still a stilted quality to some of the conversations. The best guests are Sarah Silverman and Michael Rappaport, who engage in some interesting theories about anti-Semitism in Hollywood (to an amusingly naive Faizon Love) includingly the idea that Winona Ryder, nee Horowitz, would never have been an MTV generation heroine without a last name switch. Other dinners are no where near as frank, and some seem to be an endless pity party. Note to Favreau: you are not a leading man! Note to Martha Plimpton: you are not a leading lady! Note to Bonnie Hunt: ditto!

I am a rare breed... I don't have cable, so obscure shows coming out on DVD is always a treat for me. I had read about the show and was curious to see it; having now watched all the episodes I can say I don't regret shelling out $30 for this set. It is a mildly interesting alternative to the usual media spin.

Rating:
Summary: Whatever you think of Jon Favreau the actor/director...
Review: ...he has put together a series worth its weight in gold. Improbably, just by putting himself and four other actors together around a table for dinner and conversation, he brings out fascinating and incredibly funny human beings behind the faces. Although a few episodes fall flat, failing to achieve the right chemistry, more often than not they're suprisingly perfect. I love it. Favreau has, as The Onion used to put it, justified his existence.

Rating:
Summary: Whatever you think of Jon Favreau the actor/director...
Review: ...he has put together a series worth its weight in gold. Improbably, just by putting himself and four other actors together around a table for dinner and conversation, he brings out fascinating and incredibly funny human beings behind the faces. Although a few episodes fall flat, failing to achieve the right chemistry, more often than not they're suprisingly perfect. I love it. Favreau has, as The Onion used to put it, justified his existence.

Rating:
Summary: Consistenly satisfying!
Review: Dinner for five is an excellent program and a fun show to enjoy. I like the laid back vibe and feel of being a part of the table of dinner guests. There are a great variety of actors, comedians and sometimes even musicians on each episode and the conversation is usally light and many times very funny. There never seems to be an agenda it's all very spontaneous and now and then you get an interesting look into the personal lives of the guests.I look foward to future volumes.

Rating:
Summary: Light meal
Review: Guess I'm in the minority on this one. I found these "dinners" to be on the dull side. The celebrities, for the most part, seemed uninteresting and hilariously unaware of their egocentricity.

The episodes vary considerably in quality, depending on the guests, as you might expect. I'd rent this first before forking over your cash.

Rating:
Summary: It's Finally Coming!!
Review: Having been a long time Jon Favreau fan I was "jazzed" when this Series debuted on IFC. Having missed a few and failed to tape some episodes, I was equally jazzed that there was a dvd, complete w/ extra footage. However it was only available as a Netflix Rental. I searched and searched Amazon and other sites, but to no avail. Finally I see it is going to be commercially released.
The format is perfect. Although edited, it really captures the spirit of a truly impromptu, unrehearsed get-together. It feels like your sitting down to dinner with your Favorite stars or just good old friends. I'm glad to see IFC is continuing the series and hope there are more dvd's to follow.