I rented [[imdb:0323633 Melvin Goes to Dinner]] on a lark, as it was mentioned on Bob Odenkirk’s website, which I was viewing becuase I was reading up on Mr Show. There was a funny clip on the website that I actually thought was part of the movie. Woops, it was not, but what I found instead was a real treat.

It turns out that the movie is an adaptation of Michael Blieden’s play Phyro-Giants. He wrote and starred in his own play, along with several other actors, the most well-known being Anabelle Gurwitch. Bob Odenkirk and his wife decided to turn Michael’s play into a movie, and admirably decided to keep the original cast, rather than turning to big names. The result is a dinner table discussion that goes from hilarious to disturbing and playful to serious. The writing is really good, and the cast’s timing is impeccable due to their year and a half’s practice in front of a live audience.

Bob’s choice of using multiple cameras was still fairly unconventional, but I think paid off. The result almost invites you sit at the table, feeling like you’re a part of the dialogue. Blieden also edited the film together simply using Final Cut Pro, and the result really works. Using different film stock and media during the flash back sequences wasn’t totally original, but it was effective.

It was a real bonus on the DVD of having two commentaries, one with the cast regarding the acting/writing/adaptation aspects, and the other of the technical crew discussing the challenges of multiple cameras/budget/production. Also check out the amusing Frank’s Film Festival vignette.